34 h. ago Hong Kong officials involved in water procurement fiasco face disciplinary probe

Hong Kong authorities will launch a disciplinary investigation into officials involved in a bottled water procurement scandal after an initial probe by the audit watchdog found that human error may have been a factor in the case. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu on Monday also announced six recommendations to improve the government’s procurement process. The move came two months after the Government Logistics Department awarded a three-year HK$52.9...

Politics

55 h. ago Why Hong Kong must not be hasty in seeing off its ‘silver’ officials

I think we should be bracing ourselves for a wave of disgruntled legislative councillors, and it might not end there. If a Legislative Council stalwart goes out the door, could an Executive Council heavyweight be far behind? Every day seems to bring news of another of our 89 legislative councillors not seeking re-election this year, with more than a dozen already pulling out of the race. In some instances, the legislator claims plausibly to wish to pursue other career or life objectives. That...

Politics

3 d. ago Man accused of running Cambodian scam farm empire has Hong Kong business links

A Chinese-born businessman sanctioned by the US and UK for alleged human trafficking through a Cambodian-based cybercrime empire and scam farm has operations in Hong Kong and a related company owns an office building in the city, the Post has found. The discovery followed an announcement by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, which on Tuesday sanctioned more than 100 business entities including 11 Hong Kong companies linked to Chen Zhi, CEO and chairman of Cambodian conglomerate Prince...

Politics

4 d. ago No ‘Beijing’s blessing’ or special treatment in Hong Kong election, office says

There is no such thing as a “blessing” or “special treatment” for candidates in Hong Kong’s coming Legislative Council poll, Beijing’s top office overseeing the city’s affairs has said, after at least 15 legislators decided against running for re-election. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office also said on Friday night that a change of lawmakers through Legco elections was standard practice and represented “the true meaning of democracy”. It said younger, more professional and innovative...

Politics

4 d. ago Alibaba, Ant buy Hong Kong offices, in city’s biggest deal since 2021

Alibaba Group Holding and Ant Group have agreed to pay HK$7.2 billion (US$925 million) to buy the top floors of a Causeway Bay office tower that Mandarin Oriental International is building on the site of The Excelsior hotel, marking Hong Kong’s largest real estate transactions since 2021. Alibaba and Ant bought 301,555 sq ft (28,015 square metres) of space, comprising the top 13 floors of the 24-storey building, with parking space for 50 vehicles and signage rights to the tower, according to...

Economics

5 d. ago US ‘overstretching’ national security fears by threatening HKT, Hong Kong says

The United States is “overstretching the concept of national security” with its threat to oust HKT International from the country’s telecommunication network, Hong Kong authorities have said. Political commentators also warned on Thursday that Beijing would interpret the move as Washington using the city as a “chess piece against China”. Hong Kong’s Office of the Communications Authority said the government “strongly disapproves of the United States’ overstretching the concept of national...

Events

7 d. ago Hong Kong court suspends jail term for Belarusian model who assaulted 2 officers

A Belarusian model fighting against his deportation from Hong Kong has been handed a suspended jail sentence for the drunken assault of two police officers following a domestic dispute. Eastern Court on Tuesday sentenced Aliaksandr Buka to six weeks’ imprisonment, but suspended the term for 18 months after the 25-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a police officer. The court heard police officers were dispatched to a high-rise residential flat in the Mid-Levels on the evening of...

Events

7 d. ago 16 arrested in Hong Kong in crackdown on domestic helpers breaching work terms

Hong Kong immigration officers have arrested 16 people, most of whom are foreign domestic helpers suspected of engaging in other jobs during their free time or while overstaying. Senior Immigration Officer Fu Chit-ho said on Tuesday that the 16 people comprised 10 suspected illegal workers and six alleged employers arrested over a three-day period since Sunday in a citywide “Swordfish Operation” targeting foreign domestic helpers breaching their conditions of stay. Fu said the suspected illegal...

Events

8 d. ago Number of Hong Kong lawmakers opting out of Legco election reaches 12

Three more Hong Kong lawmakers have decided not to run for office in the coming Legislative Council election, bringing the total to at least 12 so far. Lo Wai-kwok, 71, chairman of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong; Frankie Yick Chi-ming, 72, from the Liberal Party; and Chow Man-kong, 44, all announced their decision not to seek another term on Monday. Their announcement came as veteran politician Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee said her party would also make an announcement “in due...

Politics

8 d. ago Man arrested in Hong Kong airport in HK$1.7 million drug bust

Hong Kong customs officers have arrested a man at the airport on suspicion of carrying about HK$1.7 million (US$218,410) worth of cannabis buds in his luggage. The Customs and Excise Department said on Monday that the 30-year-old had arrived at the city’s airport from Bangkok the previous day. The suspect’s nationality was not provided. During customs clearance, officers discovered a batch of about 8kg (18lbs) of suspected cannabis in his carry-on luggage. The man was subsequently arrested and...

Events

9 d. ago New deputy chief of liaison office meets Hong Kong media delegation in Beijing

The new deputy chief of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong has made his public debut, meeting a media delegation from the city in Beijing on Sunday. Sun Shangwu, who was appointed as a deputy director of the liaison office on Saturday, met representatives from some 20 mainstream media outlets, including the South China Morning Post. The delegation was received by Nong Rong, a deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), according to a...

Politics

9 d. ago Deputy director of Beijing office overseeing Hong Kong meets media delegation

Nong Rong, a deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), has met a media delegation from the city in Beijing. He was joined at the meeting on Sunday by Sun Shangwu, the new deputy chief of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, who made his public debut a day after taking up the post. They met representatives from some 20 mainstream media outlets, including the South China Morning Post. Sun was appointed as a deputy director of the liaison...

Politics

9 d. ago The mortal risks faced by Hong Kong’s intensely focused bomb disposal officers

Senior Superintendent Raymond Suryanto Chin-chiu has been disposing of bombs for 18 years, having cleared over 1,000 explosives, from unexploded wartime bombs to smuggled fireworks. Yet he can never be 100 per cent sure of completing each task without a fatal detonation. A bomb can explode anytime when trained officers use fire to incinerate the explosives inside, which is a risk that cannot be calculated despite meticulous planning, and tried and true methods. “I can only sit tight and pray for...

Events

9 d. ago How Hong Kong’s bomb disposal officers handle deadly risks of job

Senior Superintendent Raymond Suryanto Chin-chiu has been disposing of explosives in Hong Kong for 18 years, having cleared more than 1,000, from unexploded wartime bombs to smuggled fireworks. Yet he can never be 100 per cent sure of completing each task without a fatal detonation. A bomb can explode any time when trained officers use fire to incinerate the explosives inside, which is a risk that cannot be calculated despite meticulous planning, and tried and true methods. “I can only sit tight...

Events

1 week ago Beijing names senior editor as deputy director of liaison office in Hong Kong

Beijing has named a senior editor of the English-language China Daily newspaper as a deputy director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, confirming an earlier Post report. The State Council announced Sun Shangwu’s new role on Saturday. A source earlier said that the new deputy director would be taking charge of publicity work. The Post had reported that Sun, 56, who had been a deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, had been chosen to improve the central government’s...

Politics

1 week ago SF Express looks at drone deliveries between Hong Kong, 4 mainland China cities

China’s largest courier, SF Express, has said that it is looking at offering cross-border drone delivery services between Hong Kong and four mainland cities. The company revealed its plan on Friday as Hong Kong’s transport chief stressed the need for a resilient logistics ecosystem with geopolitical tensions rising. Kenny Lau, chief technology officer at SF Express Hong Kong, said that the second stage of the company’s plan would be to expand the service to cover all cities in the Greater Bay...

Events

1 week ago Hong Kong immigration authorities arrest 19 in crackdown on illegal workers

Hong Kong immigration officers have arrested 19 people in a citywide crackdown on illegal workers, with five suspects providing food delivery services unlawfully. The suspects were apprehended during an eight-day operation that began last Thursday and involved raids on 133 locations, including restaurants and logistics warehouses, Li Kwing-chiu, deputy commander of the Immigration Department, said on Friday. Among those arrested were 13 illegal workers, three employers suspected of hiring...

Events

1 week ago Beijing’s liaison office chief in Hong Kong lays out 3 hopes for local media

Beijing’s liaison office chief in Hong Kong has expressed hope that the local media will report more on the nation’s development for a global audience and support the administration’s efforts to boost the economy and improve people’s livelihoods. Office Director Zhou Ji also encouraged media professionals on Thursday to convey the public’s views while helping to build a consensus in society. He was speaking at a reception held by local media outlets to mark the 76th anniversary of the founding...

Politics

1 week ago Digital IP protector from US among 18 firms expanding in Hong Kong under OASES

A US-based Emmy Award-winning digital content protection firm is among the latest batch of strategic enterprises that will open offices or expand in Hong Kong, seeking to leverage the city’s creative talent and accelerate its intellectual property (IP) development. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) has brought in 18 more firms to establish offices or expand in the city. With their addition, the total number of OASES enterprises would...

Politics

1 week ago 1.4 million mainland passenger trips made to Hong Kong over ‘golden week’ break

More than 1.4 million mainland Chinese passenger trips were made to Hong Kong during the country’s National Day “golden week” holiday, official data has shown, but a sector representative said tourists’ spending power remained weak despite the increased numbers. According to the latest figures from the Immigration Department, the number of inbound trips made by mainland visitors during the eight-day break, which coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, marked a 15 per cent increase from...

Politics