~hong-kong-free-pres | Bookmarks (798)

By Olivier Hotham Chinese President Xi Jinping told top White House aide Jake Sullivan Thursday that Beijing remained committed to good ties with the United States, despite “great changes”. Sullivan, the first US national security advisor to visit China since 2016, met with Xi as he wrapped up three days of talks in the Chinese […]

The verdict in the sedition trial of Hong Kong’s now-shuttered news outlet Stand News and two of its former editors is scheduled to be delivered on Thursday, almost two years after the trial began, in a case that has fuelled concerns about the city’s diminishing media freedoms. Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, both top editors […]

Hong Kong athletes across four sports, including boccia and swimming, will take the stage at the Paralympics on Thursday as the global sporting event kicks off in Paris. The opening ceremony for the Paralympic Games took place on Wednesday night Paris time, with Paralympic medallists badminton player Chan Ho-yuen and table tennis player Wong Ting-ting […]

Top US and Chinese officials on Wednesday discussed plans for Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping to talk in coming weeks, despite exchanging warnings over regional tensions. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made a rare trip to Beijing for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi just days after China became embroiled in security […]

Hong Kong’s Housing Bureau has said it is concerned about leaks at a government-subsidised transitional housing project in Kai Tak, following reports of water seepage a month after tenants moved in. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Housing Bureau said it became aware of water seepage at the T-Loft project in Kai Tak in […]

Legal representatives of activists convicted in a landmark national security case have argued that their clients’ poor performance in a primary election reflected their degree of participation in the plan. Judges have ruled that the democratic primaries could have caused a “constitutional crisis.” Appearing before a panel of judges hand-picked to preside over national security […]

A Hong Kong man has died after he was reportedly “bitten by something” on Tai Mo Shan, with local media citing sources to report that he worked for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and was bitten by an insect. A 46-year-old man surnamed Lam was pronounced dead at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital […]

Macau’s top judge Sam Hou-fai announced on Wednesday his bid to run in an October election for chief executive of the Chinese casino hub. Macau, a former Portuguese colony-turned-special administrative region under China’s “one country, two systems” framework, will hold an election on October 13 in which only around 400 pro-establishment figures are allowed to […]

A man who was cleared of rioting and wounding charges over a mob attack in Yuen Long in 2019 has had his acquittal overturned. Wong Chi-wing appeared at High Court on Wednesday to hear the verdict in an appeal against his acquittal launched by the Department of Justice. He was among eight people tried at […]

The UN Human Rights Office said Tuesday “problematic” policies persist in China, two years on from its bombshell report citing possible “crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang. China has been accused of incarcerating more than one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the northwestern Xinjiang region — charges Beijing vehemently rejects. The rights office (OHCHR) […]

Inexpensive dining and shopping were the main reasons Hongkongers gave for visiting mainland China, a survey has found. The Asia Tourism Exchange Center (ATEC) published the results of a survey on the travel habits of Hong Kong and Macau residents pertaining to mainland China visits on Tuesday. The survey looked at what attracted people to […]

The first defendant in a landmark national security case to represent himself in mitigation has admitted to having “no remorse” over participating in a primary election that judges ruled could cause a “constitutional crisis.” Former district councillor Ng Kin-wai, 28, was among 45 democrats convicted of conspiring to commit subversion over an unofficial primary poll […]

The staff union of The Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) parent company has collected 330 signatures for a petition urging the reinstatement of Hong Kong reporter Selina Cheng, who was fired weeks after being elected chair of the city’s embattled Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA). The Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees (IAPE) delivered a letter addressed to WSJ’s […]

By Oliver Hotham US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi said on Tuesday they were hoping for productive talks as they met in Beijing. Washington allies Japan and the Philippines have blamed China in recent days for raising regional tensions, with Tokyo accusing Beijing of violating its airspace and Manila […]

The leader of one of Hong Kong’s last remaining opposition parties has lost an appeal against her conviction over collecting money in a public place without a permit. Chan Po-ying, the chairperson of the League of Social Democrats (LSD), heard the outcome of her appeal at the High Court’s Court of First Instance on Tuesday […]

The jury in the trial of seven Hongkongers over an alleged bomb plot to kill police officers during the 2019 protests and unrest has begun deliberating their verdict. The nine jurors – six women and three men – will decide on the verdict for the defendants’ charges laid under the UN (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance, which […]

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday 100 percent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports, matching US measures seeking to fend off a flood of Chinese state-subsidized cars into North America. Accusing China — one of the world’s largest exporters of electric vehicles (EVs) — of “not playing by the same rules as other countries” […]

Three people linked to a university students’ union have been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to defraud, with local media reporting that two were students at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). Police made the arrests last Thursday and Friday after receiving a report from a representative of the student union that around HK$1.3 million from […]

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has appointed the former head of the Legislative Council (LegCo) secretariat as its new vice-president. In a statement issued Monday, the university’s council said it had approved Kenneth Chen’s appointment as vice-president for administration, effective September 16, for a three-year term. Chen was previously Secretary General of the […]

A Hong Kong judge has urged jurors to consider the context of the 2019 protests when deliberating the verdict of a trial involving an alleged bomb plot to target police during the unrest that year. Seven people are standing trial in the High Court under the UN (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance. They allegedly conspired with others […]

Japan scrambled fighter jets after a Chinese military aircraft “violated” Japanese airspace, the defence ministry said Monday. A Chinese aircraft was “confirmed to have violated the territorial airspace off the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture,” the ministry said in a statement, adding it had launched “fighter jets on an emergency basis”. The “Y-9 intelligence-gathering” aircraft […]

A Hong Kong civil servant who mounted a legal challenge against Taiwan authorities’ decision to deny him residency has apparently disappeared from a directory of government employees, with local media citing sources to report that he had been suspended from his post. A civil servant with the surname Chan, whose name was the same as […]

By Isabel Kua China’s coast guard said it rescued Filipino “personnel” who fell overboard Sunday after a Philippine vessel collided with one of its ships near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. The Philippines slammed China’s claims as “completely unfounded”. The two nations have had repeated confrontations in the waters in recent months, and […]

Hong Kong’s education secretary has denied that the government’s sex education curriculum is conservative, saying the advice – including to avoid premarital sex – was aimed at “protecting” the youth. Secretary for Education Christine Choi defended the newly released curriculum on a news programme on Sunday amid backlash that the teaching materials were regressive and […]