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Hong Kong residents logged almost 1 million outbound trips during the first two days of the three-day long weekend for Chung Yeung Festival, with most travellers heading to mainland China. A total of 598,677 outbound trips were recorded by residents on Friday, a public holiday, and double that of the previous Friday, according to the […]

Macau’s next leader Sam Hou-fai said on Sunday his administration would support small local businesses after winning a one-man race for the city’s top office. Previously the city’s top judge, Sam, 62, is set to be sworn in when the former Portuguese colony celebrates the 25th anniversary of its handover to China later this year. […]

The Stand News verdict, and the reaction to it from the media and the authorities, raise important questions about the profession. What is the role of journalists in Hong Kong and what should it be? These are important questions because the work of journalists can mobilise public opinion, not just reflect it, and hold authority […]

By Peter Catterall and Mary Yang Analysts gave a cautious welcome to China’s announcement Saturday of fresh fiscal stimulus to revive its ailing economy but warned that more details — and specific headline figures — were needed before its effect could be fully assessed. At a highly anticipated news conference, Beijing said it would issue […]

Hong Kong’s leader John Lee will deliver the third Policy Address of his term on Wednesday, with the focus set to shift from national security to reviving the economy and improving health services and housing – including a clampdown on the city’s notorious subdivided flats. In last year’s address, Lee vowed to “fulfil [Hong Kong’s] […]

Sniping at Carrie Lam is a tempting option for legislators and other politicos these days. It allows the critic to appear independent and outspoken without incurring the risks involved in complaining about the current regime. It is a bit like flogging a dead horse but perhaps more like pulling the tail of a stuffed tiger; […]

A key feature of Hong Kong’s business environment that differentiates it from mainland China is its free and open internet. However, the city is not immune to internet controls, with a growing list of websites apparently blocked by telecoms firms and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), with some citing police demands. Although it is also not […]

The UK government was on Friday urged to raise the case of jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai with China, after reports that foreign minister David Lammy is heading to Beijing. Lai, 76, is the founder of the now-shuttered popular Chinese-language tabloid Apple Daily, which supported mass pro-democracy protests in the economic hub. Detained in […]

By Oliver Hotham Strong state support and huge private investment have made China’s solar industry a global powerhouse, but it faces new headwinds, from punitive tariffs abroad to a brutal price war at home. Officials meeting in Baku next month for the COP29 summit hope to agree on new finance targets to help developing countries […]

China on Friday expressed “grave concern and strong condemnation” of Israeli attacks on UN peace operations, after peacekeepers said Israeli forces fired on their headquarters in south Lebanon. “China expresses grave concern and strong condemnation over the Israeli Defense Forces’ attack on UNIFIL positions and observation posts, which resulted in injuries to UNIFIL personnel,” foreign […]

China warned on Thursday that “provocations” by Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te, who earlier gave a speech on the self-ruled island’s National Day, would result in “disaster” for its people. “(Lai’s) provocations in seeking ‘independence’ are the root cause of trouble for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and will bring disaster to the people […]

A new Blue Lotus Gallery exhibition – Voices of the Walls – explores Kowloon Walled City’s rich history through photographs by Ian Lambot, Greg Girard, Bianca Tse, and Keeping Lee. Running from next Thursday until December 1, the gallery says the event “showcases the unique community that thrived in this ungoverned urban enclave. Featuring prints […]

Hong Kong band Wellsaid used to share a playlist named “imaginary road trip” with friends in the city and abroad, expressing regret at being unable to hit the road together during Covid. But even as borders reopened and the band could tour again, “there are people that we can’t see, for various reasons,” frontman Sum […]

A Hong Kong judge has rejected Jimmy Lai’s bid for a jury trial in his libel case against a pro-Beijing newspaper, and ordered the jailed media mogul to pay HK$300,000 in legal costs arising from his failed application. The libel claims brought by the founder of Apple Daily against Chinese state-backed media Ta Kung Pao […]

A 24-year-old man said to have an intellectual disability has been denied bail after he was charged with three counts of assaulting Hong Kong police. Fok Shun-yin, who is reported to be unemployed, faces three counts of assaulting police officers – on June 4, the 35th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, and outside the […]

Hong Kong police are investigating the alleged manhandling of a customer at pharmacy chain Mannings by two plainclothes security guards, who have since been fired. Mannings on Wednesday said in a Facebook post that two undercover security guards hired by a third-party security firm at its Tsim Sha Tsui branch had been fired immediately for […]

Hong Kong has broadened a trade agreement with China, a move that will help local firms in sectors such as tourism and banking expand into the mainland market. Financial Secretary Paul Chan and China’s Ministry of Commerce representative Li Yongjie signed an agreement on Wednesday to expand a trade services deal under the Mainland and […]

China will lift a ban on the lucrative trade in Australian lobster, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday, ending a broader, multi-billion dollar trade war. Beijing has banned or slapped retaliatory tariffs on almost US$15 billion worth of Australian exports, from wine to timber, during years of soured ties with Canberra. The lobster trade, […]

Hong Kong’s bar owners are calling for a cut in the tax on hard liquor to save the industry amid a slump in business as residents head to mainland China for cheaper nights out. Seventy per cent reported that revenue had fallen by 20 to 30 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic period, with the […]

By Joy Chiang and Amber Wang Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed Thursday to “resist annexation”, as China exerts growing military and political pressure on the self-ruled island it claims as part of its territory. China has not ruled out using force to bring the democratic island under its control, which Lai and his government oppose. […]

Hong Kong primary and secondary school students were happier than they were last year, an annual survey has found, but their sense of purpose in life fell to a seven-year low as an expert highlighted the need for more resilience. The pupils scored 6.75 out of 10 on a happiness index, an improvement from 6.62 […]

Only heterosexual married couples have the legal responsibility to financially support one other, the government has argued in a top court case surrounding equal inheritance rights for same-sex married couples. The government’s challenge in the Court of Final Appeal came after the High Court and the Court of Appeal earlier ruled in favour of giving […]

A majority of Hong Kong construction workers said their employment had been affected by a government scheme to import non-local labourers, according to a survey conducted by a union. Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, a group under the pro-establishment party the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, interviewed 2,005 construction workers in August […]

A Hong Kong woman has been jailed for two weeks and fined HK$5,000 over leaking university entrance examination questions on social media. Lau Kwun-hei, 23, was sentenced at Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday for committing one count of “breach of secrecy” under the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority Ordinance, local media reported. She earlier pleaded […]