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Pro-Beijing groups in Hong Kong are seeking to organise a carnival in part of Causeway Bay’s Victoria Park, where annual vigils were held for decades to mark the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. The event period is set to cover the crackdown’s 35th anniversary on June 4. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) told HKFP on […]

A marine pyrotechnic display will take place across Victoria Harbour during next Wednesday’s May Day public holiday, kicking off a campaign of regular fireworks shows to boost tourism, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has announced. In a statement released on Thursday, the HKTB said the fireworks show will begin at 8pm on Labour Day […]

By Shaun Tandon China’s foreign minister warned Antony Blinken on Friday that US pressure could trigger a “downward spiral”, as the visiting secretary of state raised concerns on issues including support for Russia. In a sign of the importance of the relationship between the world’s top two economies, officials said Chinese President Xi Jinping would […]

Chinese tech giant ByteDance has said it has no plans to sell TikTok after a new US law put it on a deadline to divest from the hugely popular video platform or have it banned in the United States. US lawmakers set the nine-month deadline on national security grounds, alleging that TikTok can be used […]

The Hong Kong government has “strongly opposed” a resolution adopted by the European Parliament, which condemned the enactment of the city’s domestic security law and called for sanctions against Chief Executive John Lee and other government officials. The European Union had made “exaggerating remarks” and demonstrated “typical political hegemony and hypocrisy with double standards” with […]

Media mogul Jimmy Lai was fearless and “led by example” after the Beijing-enacted security law came into force, an activist testifying against the tycoon in his high-profile trial has said. Chan Tsz-wah, a paralegal who was charged alongside Lai and is now a witness for the prosecution, appeared at West Kowloon Law Courts Building on […]

Hong Kong’s treasury chief, in a meeting with a visiting UK minister, has reaffirmed that emigrants who want to withdraw their pensions from the city’s official fund cannot use their British National (Overseas) passports as proof of identity. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui also told Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the UK minister for […]

By Shaun Tandon US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Thursday on the United States and China to manage their differences “responsibly” as he went on a charm offensive ahead of expected tough talks. A day before meeting Beijing’s top brass to tackle thorny issues including Russia, Taiwan and trade, Blinken’s visit to Shanghai saw […]

Hong Kong’s official auditor has criticised the Post Office, public dental services, bus operators and a government-funded NGO for failing to include national security clauses in contracts with various suppliers. The Audit Commissioner released reports on Wednesday covering eight government sectors. While examining their spending and efficiency, it also urged various departments to safeguard national […]

Taiwanese president-elect Lai Ching-te named his cabinet and security team appointees on Thursday as he prepares to take office next month. China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it will not renounce the use of force to bring it under its control, has labelled Lai a “dangerous separatist”. Lai […]

The national security trial of three former leaders of a now-disbanded Tiananmen vigil group will not begin this year, a Hong Kong judge has said, more than two years since the group was charged. Chow Hang-tung, Albert Ho, and Lee Cheuk-yan, formerly of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, […]

A fundraising concert organised by the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) has been forced to move online, after the live performance was axed due to “irresistible force,” the press group said. HKJA announced on Wednesday that the live concert scheduled for Sunday would take place online on May 8, after the show was called off […]

Radical groups broke into two university laboratories to steal chemicals for a bomb plot to murder police officers during the 2019 protests and unrest, the prosecution told a terrorism jury trial on Wednesday. Seven people are standing trial under the city’s anti-terrorism act at the High Court, with prosecutors – for the first time – […]

Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai’s arrest dealt a “heavy blow” to pro-democracy advocacy group Stand With Hong Kong, causing it to lose its connections to US politicians, the media mogul’s national security trial has heard. Activist Andy Li was also arrested in the same police swoop on August 10, 2020, but the activist group had […]

By Robin Millard Asia was the world’s most disaster-hit region from climate and weather hazards in 2023, the United Nations said Tuesday, with floods and storms the chief cause of casualties and economic losses. Global temperatures hit record highs last year, and the UN’s weather and climate agency said Asia was warming at a particularly […]

Hong Kong police have received over 28,000 tip-offs via the anti-terrorism hotline since its launch in June 2022, including reports of suspected possession of weapons and suspected harbouring of explosives. Police told HKFP on Wednesday that public vigilance against terrorism increased as the authorities heightened promotion and educational efforts, and encouraged residents to report suspicious […]

By Shaun Tandon US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due in China on Wednesday as the United States ramps up pressure on its main rival over its support for Russia, while seeking to manage tensions between the two powers. The US diplomat will meet China’s top brass on Friday in Beijing, where he is […]

An NGO serving Hong Kong’s low-income residents has urged the government to delay the enforcement of a controversial waste charging scheme among disadvantaged tenants of “cage homes,” subdivided units and those in “three-nil” buildings. “Three-nil” buildings are generally those which lack an owners’ company, residents’ organisation or property management firm to manage the building. Alongside […]

The verdict in the sedition trial of Hong Kong news outlet Stand News and two of its former chief editors has been further postponed to the end of August, according to the judiciary. Non-profit digital news outlet Stand News ceased operations and deleted its website in December 2021 after its newsroom was raided by over 200 national security police […]

Beijing and Hong Kong have said that the US has “smeared” Hong Kong’s law enforcement actions after Washington published a report stating that the city had “significant human rights issues.” The 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released by the US Department of State on Monday was “unfounded and biased,” the Hong Kong government […]

Taiwan has vowed to remove 760 remaining statues of its late martial law-era leader Chiang Kai-shek, despite criticism that such moves “erase” the past. See also: HKFP Lens: Symbols of savagery or tributes to founder figure? Taiwan ponders fate of Chiang Kai-shek statues The island has long been divided over how – if at all […]

A government advisory body has conditionally approved a report on the environmental impact of building a technology hub near the city’s border with mainland China, despite criticism from green groups. The Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE), a government-appointed body, on Monday unanimously endorsed the government’s environmental impact assessment for the San Tin Technopole. See […]

Hong Kong restaurants have been slow to switch to eco-friendly alternatives following the single-use plastics ban enacted on Monday, with many still using disposables. Single-use plastics including straws and utensils are forbidden under the ban. Restaurants have a six-month grace period to comply with the new rules, under which the government will not take enforcement […]

An alleged bomb plot to murder police officers during the 2019 protests and unrest in Hong Kong could have caused heavy casualties, the prosecution has said in the city’s first trial under an anti-terrorism act. The prosecution on Tuesday began their opening statement at the High Court after a nine-member jury was selected on Monday […]

There is no need for Hong Kong to legislate against “fake news” as long as the media industry exercises self-discipline, the city’s leader John Lee has said. Speaking at a weekly press conference on Tuesday, Lee said he believed Hong Kong’s media outlets had “improved compared to the past.” “I hope the industry can enhance […]

By Michelle Fitzpatrick An aide to a German far-right member of the European Parliament has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, German prosecutors said Tuesday, deepening concerns about foreign interference ahead of June’s EU elections. The arrest, coming a day after three other people suspected of spying for China were detained in Germany, […]

Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen and four other pro-democracy activists are set to appeal their convictions linked to a defunct fund that supported protesters during the unrest in 2019. The legal challenge was launched by Cardinal Zen, barrister Margaret Ng, former lawmaker Cyd Ho, scholar Hui Po-keung and singer-activist Denise Ho, who were trustees of […]

The Hong Kong government has vowed to launch an investigation into an industrial accident after two men died in a suspected gas leak at a construction site. A 26-year-old worker surnamed Kwok and his colleague surnamed Lee, 34, died on Tuesday after they were hospitalised following a suspected hydrogen sulphide leak at around midnight at […]

By Amber Wang and Yan Zhao Taiwan was shaken by dozens of earthquakes overnight and into Tuesday that left buildings swaying, with the government saying they were aftershocks from a huge deadly quake that hit the island more than two weeks ago. The strongest, which the US Geological Survey measured at magnitude 6.1, hit around […]

Nine jurors have been selected for Hong Kong’s first-ever trial under a United Nations anti-terrorism ordinance over an alleged conspiracy to commit bombings and shoot police officers to death in December 2019. The High Court on Monday completed the selection of a jury consisting of three men and six women, who will hear a 60-day […]

By James Edgar Beijing on Monday called reports about 23 Chinese swimmers testing positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 “fake news”. The sport was rocked at the weekend by revelations that the swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) — a prescription heart drug that is banned in athletes because […]

Hong Kong’s Environment and Ecology Bureau is not participating in a trial of the city’s waste charging scheme, saying that the way rubbish was collected from its location in the Central Government Offices made it “not a suitable location.” First suggested by the government in 2005 before becoming law in 2021, the waste charging scheme […]

Hong Kong’s ban on single-use plastics began on Monday, coinciding with Earth Day. A variety of disposable plastic tableware and other plastic products are now prohibited from being sold or taken away. The first six months following the roll-out will be an “adaptation period,” which means the government will not take enforcement action against non-compliant […]

Eleven people are missing following storms that battered southern China, state media said Monday, with tens of thousands evacuated away from the torrential downpours. Heavy rain has descended upon the vast southern province of Guangdong in recent days, swelling rivers and raising fears of severe flooding that state media said could be of the sort […]

More suspected cocaine has washed ashore in Hong Kong with police seizing seven packages, weighing roughly 15 kilograms, from a Sai Kung beach on Sunday. Officers responded to a report from a hiker at around 2.45 pm, police told HKFP on Monday. The estimated value of the packages, found around Nam She Wan, totalled HK$15 […]

Hong Kong’s largest trade union federation has confirmed that it will not organise a march for Labour Day, as its chairman said workers’ issues can be raised through “celebrations.” The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) announced on Sunday that it would hold a series of events ahead of Labour Day next Wednesday to […]

The Hong Kong Games opened on Sunday – the first time the multisport event has been held in five years. Sunday’s ceremony at Hung Hom Bay’s Coliseum saw an 18-district cheering team competition, as well as lion dancing, breakdancing, skateboarding, wushu, Latin dance, variety shows by elite athletes, and musical performances. The competition – which […]

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) will soon require tourists to register ahead of entering the campus, amid student and staff complaints over an increasing number of visitors coming to the school to take photos and sight see. Starting from May, all tourists must register in advance to visit the campus on Monday to Saturday […]

Twenty-three Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned drug before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 the World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed Saturday, defending the decision to let them compete based on China’s findings they had ingested it unknowingly. The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD reported Saturday that the athletes included nearly half of the […]

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken next week will pay his second visit in less than a year to China, hoping to use easing tension to press Beijing to curb wartime support for Russia. Blinken’s trip Wednesday through Friday marks a further lowering of US-China friction that soared under former president Donald Trump, who is […]

Once again our government appears lost as it contemplates how to manage Hong Kong’s growing mountain of garbage. The logic of the endlessly postponed solid waste charging scheme is clear: if you charge residents to throw rubbish away, they will seek to minimise the charge by sorting it for recycling. Behaviour change. However, critical infrastructure […]

The sacking of a pastor at one of Hong Kong’s only LGBTQ-friendly churches has prompted three people to come forward with allegations of past sexual harassment, with two of the alleged incidents dating back more than a decade. Experts said the cases highlight the hesitation that some may feel in making complaints about authority figures […]

Hong Kong’s accounting regulator said it would start an investigation into PwC’s role in auditing Chinese real estate giant Evergrande, citing the publication of a “whistle-blower report”. Heavily indebted Evergrande has become a symbol of the years-long crisis in China’s property market, and last month its onshore unit was accused of a $78 billion revenue […]

A surge of Chinese military aircraft was detected around Taiwan during a three-hour window on Saturday, Taipei’s defence ministry said, a month before the self-ruled island’s May 20 inauguration of incoming president Lai Ching-te. China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, and has said it will never renounce the use of force to […]

The finer points of civil servant staffing are not usually a hot news topic. But the latest grim update from the Civil Service Bureau was eagerly covered by Hong Kong’s English-language newspapers. It was not surprising that different reporters made different choices. The “source” was the Civil Service Bureau’s written replies to questions from legislators […]

On the small and tranquil island of Peng Chau, just a half-hour ferry ride from bustling Central, Hong Kong zine designer Forrest Lau finds solace and inspiration away from fast-paced city life. The island with just over 5,700 residents “nurtures” and fuels his creative pursuits, the artist said.  Inside Lau’s village house is a small […]

Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai had wanted to bring together legislators, overseas groups, the power of the community, and other sectors to achieve “China implosion,” a court has heard during a landmark trial under the Beijing-imposed national security law. Paralegal Chan Tsz-wah, who stands accused of conspiring with Lai and others to collude with […]

A Hong Kong man has been jailed for one year and four months over his links to a fundraising platform that supported protesters in 2019. Yu Yan-yuk, currently a student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, appeared at the District Court on Wednesday afternoon, local media reported. He earlier pleaded not guilty to money […]

By James Edgar The top three in Sunday’s Beijing half marathon have been stripped of their medals, organisers said, following an investigation into the finish that saw China’s He Jie controversially win. The race’s bizarre finish saw He cross the line first after the Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat, and Dejene Hailu from Ethiopia, […]

Apple has removed Meta’s WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China on orders from the country’s internet regulator, US media reported Friday. Mainland China has some of the world’s most extensive internet censorship, with web users unable to access everything from Google to many foreign apps without workarounds such as a virtual private […]