https://www.scmp.com/rss/320434/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Relations between the British consulate and the Hong Kong administration have soured since last year’s anti-government protests, London’s top local envoy has admitted, as he warned ahead of his departure later this week of a “stifling of dissent”. British Consul General Andrew Heyn told the Post that enthusiasm over mutual business and educational interests had descended into a “more difficult” relationship strained by disagreements over whether Beijing had broken the treaty setting out the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3112945/outgoing-british-consul-general-hong-kong-warns-national?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3112945/outgoing-british-consul-general-hong-kong-warns-national?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Dec 2020 23:00:17 +0000 Pro-establishment lawmakers in Hong Kong had been urged not to meet any officials and consuls from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance and other European countries, sources said on Thursday. The reminder, said to be from Beijing’s liaison office in the city, was seen as the latest manifestation of mainland China and Hong Kong’s souring relationship with Western powers, following the imposition of the national security law on the city. A pro-establishment lawmaker said on condition of anonymity... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3105697/hong-kong-pro-establishment-lawmakers-urged-not-meet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3105697/hong-kong-pro-establishment-lawmakers-urged-not-meet?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2020 11:14:20 +0000 The United States consulate in Hong Kong on Tuesday slammed Beijing’s new restrictions on the activities of America’s top representative in the city, saying they disregarded individual freedoms and diplomatic norms. The latest rule requires the consul general, currently Hanscom Smith, to obtain approval from Beijing’s foreign ministry before meeting with Hong Kong government officials or personnel from education institutions and societies. ‘I can’t speak with you’: Hong Kong officials ordered to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3104353/united-states-condemns-beijings-new-restrictions-american?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3104353/united-states-condemns-beijings-new-restrictions-american?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2020 06:36:44 +0000 The Covid-19 pandemic created a window of opportunity that allowed China to introduce a national security law in Hong Kong and overreach in other areas, both internationally and domestically, experts said on Friday. According to Susan Shirk, a former US deputy assistant secretary of state under Bill Clinton, Beijing took the decision to introduce the legislation despite risking “further alienating the general public in Hong Kong and the rest of the world”. The move was made as Europe and the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3087838/coronavirus-gave-china-opportunity-make-controversial-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3087838/coronavirus-gave-china-opportunity-make-controversial-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2020 07:00:17 +0000 In his three years as the top American diplomat in Hong Kong, Kurt Tong had repeatedly warned that the former British colony’s autonomy was increasingly at risk of being eroded. On Wednesday, he was expected to once again deliver a speech to address Hong Kong’s relationship with China. Until the gag order came. Tong, who recently left his post as the US consul general in Hong Kong, was ordered by the State Department to postpone his speech, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told the... https://www.scmp.com/politics/us-state-department-calls-former-envoy-kurt-tongs-speech-hong-kong-csis/article/3018324?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/us-state-department-calls-former-envoy-kurt-tongs-speech-hong-kong-csis/article/3018324?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jul 2019 09:04:32 +0000 The outgoing United States consul general has used a farewell address to express concern over the violence of recent protests in Hong Kong and offer assurances to the city’s embattled leader. Kurt Tong, speaking in his last public address on Tuesday, said the US was “disappointed” to see the violence and vandalism by protesters in the Legislative Council on Monday evening. “The US view is that the right for freedom of expression is most effective and proper when it’s exercised peacefully,” Tong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3017005/us-consul-general-kurt-tong-expresses-concerns-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3017005/us-consul-general-kurt-tong-expresses-concerns-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jul 2019 15:24:40 +0000 Key foreign envoys to Hong Kong on Monday raised the stakes in their opposition to the city’s controversial extradition bill, with some saying they would consult their governments on what action to take if the local administration insisted on pushing it through the legislature. After a closed-door lunch attended by more than 30 consuls general and other consular representatives, along with 21 lawmakers, at the Legislative Council, one opposition politician quoted some diplomats as saying a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3011931/hong-kong-extradition-row-rages-diplomats-and-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3011931/hong-kong-extradition-row-rages-diplomats-and-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 May 2019 05:04:28 +0000 The United States has had a diplomatic mission in Hong Kong for 175 years, longer than any other country and America’s oldest in Asia. US Consul General Kurt Tong, in laying out the history in a recent presentation marking the anniversary, also pointed out that there are substantial American economic interests in the city and for good reason; just as when the first consul arrived, there is no better place from which to tap the Chinese market. That reality should be comforting for those worried... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2186702/strong-ties-us-provide-comfort-city-during-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2186702/strong-ties-us-provide-comfort-city-during-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Feb 2019 14:30:30 +0000 The United States consulate office in the heart of Hong Kong is getting a facelift after the country’s top man in the city said the building was bad. Located in Central district, the compound has been upgraded several times since it was first built in 1954, but according to Consul General Kurt Tong most of the work was unsightly. The prime site at 26 Garden Road, estimated to be 308,595 square feet and valued at HK$7.7 billion (US$989 million), was first given to the US in 1950. “Since the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2186207/bad-us-compound-hong-kong-get-facelift-says-consul-general?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2186207/bad-us-compound-hong-kong-get-facelift-says-consul-general?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Feb 2019 23:04:46 +0000 The United States’ top envoy in the city said on Wednesday Hong Kong would continue to enjoy differential treatment under an existing policy even though it was caught in the crossfire of the US-China trade war. Washington would honour its Hong Kong Policy Act while the city remained a special administrative region of China, consul general Kurt Tong said. Under the policy, trade tariffs against mainland China do not automatically apply to the city. Tong said the next two days would be crucial for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2186052/differential-treatment-hong-kong-will-continue-even?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2186052/differential-treatment-hong-kong-will-continue-even?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Feb 2019 15:41:24 +0000 Pakistan’s diplomats claimed bragging rights over their Indian counterparts by beating them to win the Commonwealth Cup in Hong Kong on Friday. The six-a-side cricket tournament, which featured representatives from six Commonwealth countries – Britain, Australia, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa – was held to mark the 150th anniversary of The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS). Leading players, including Anshuman Rath, Hong Kong’s captain, who played for India, took part in the event... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174773/pakistan-claim-early-cricket-world-cup-bragging-rights-16?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174773/pakistan-claim-early-cricket-world-cup-bragging-rights-16?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Nov 2018 04:00:15 +0000 The summer holiday in Hong Kong has always been the peak season for transfers to and from foreign consulates. Last July and August, two diplomat friends returned to their home countries at the end of their terms, both expressing their reluctance to leave Hong Kong. One praised Hong Kong for its efficiency, for all the things that can be done here in one day. The other appreciated the highly developed transport network of Hong Kong, a rare metropolis with a one-hour living circle. But when I chat... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2168240/hong-kong-hardship-posting-liaison-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2168240/hong-kong-hardship-posting-liaison-office?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Oct 2018 23:02:42 +0000 The United States’ top envoy in Hong Kong has brushed aside a local separatist party’s call for the country to apply its China-targeted tariff and trade policies to the city. Kurt Tong, the US consul general in Hong Kong, reaffirmed the “very good relationship” between Washington and the city’s government. His remarks came after the Hong Kong National Party (HKNP) wrote to the US Department of State calling on Washington to suspend the differential treatment on trade between the city and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2162862/us-consul-general-kurt-tong-denies-hong-kong-national-partys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2162862/us-consul-general-kurt-tong-denies-hong-kong-national-partys?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Sep 2018 07:30:30 +0000 New details have emerged about the history of a deal with the Hong Kong government that gave the United States what is believed to be the longest land lease in China. The US consulate sits on prime real estate in the city’s Central district, land that could be worth billions of dollars and which the US informed the Hong Kong government it intended to acquire just six months before the city was handed from British rule to Chinese in 1997. On Friday, the government revealed the US request to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2159256/land-deal-us-consulate-site-hong-kong-was-proposed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2159256/land-deal-us-consulate-site-hong-kong-was-proposed?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Aug 2018 17:00:00 +0000 The US consulate in Hong Kong said on Tuesday that it had no plans to move from its current location – after it was revealed the mission likely has the longest land lease in China and could make billions of dollars from selling the site. The Hong Kong government granted the consulate a rare 999-year lease in the 1990s and lifted restrictions at that time on selling the location on Garden Road in Central. “We have been at our current location for decades, and we don’t have plans to relocate,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2158709/us-consulate-hong-kong-staying-put-billion-dollar-site-lease-has?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2158709/us-consulate-hong-kong-staying-put-billion-dollar-site-lease-has?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Aug 2018 17:00:00 +0000 After three years in his post, French Consul General Eric Berti will return to Paris at the end of August, bringing with him memories of tasty dim sum, the efficient MTR system and the city’s iconic trams. But there are also more serious matters that weigh heavily on his heart: Hong Kong’s environmental issues. According to Berti, the city, drawing 60 million visitors annually, should do more in waste management, especially in the handling of glass and plastics. Define a fixed ‘red line’ on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2157322/french-envoy-eric-berti-says-goodbye-hong-kong-after-three?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2157322/french-envoy-eric-berti-says-goodbye-hong-kong-after-three?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jul 2018 07:30:19 +0000 France’s top envoy in Hong Kong has waded into the debate on the city’s freedom of speech and urged the government to draw a “red line” that “must not always be changing” to define limits of expression. Consul General Eric Berti, 59, who is due to finish his three-year term by the end of August, said a clearly laid-out framework on the matter was needed, much like in other countries. He added that any such legislation should fully comply with the International Covenant on Civil and Political... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2157318/define-fixed-red-line-limits-expression-frances-top-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2157318/define-fixed-red-line-limits-expression-frances-top-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jul 2018 06:00:30 +0000 Major recent controversies such as the missing booksellers case and interpretation of the Basic Law to disqualify pro-independence lawmakers have left some Hongkongers anxious and doubtful about Beijing’s respect for their autonomy, the United States’ top envoy in the city has warned. US Consul General to Hong Kong and Macau Kurt Tong said yesterday that he sensed a “palpable and persistent note of anxiety” in discussions with some locals. Tong also attributed the anxious sentiment to factors... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2060926/locals-left-questioning-beijings-respect-hong-kongs-autonomy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2060926/locals-left-questioning-beijings-respect-hong-kongs-autonomy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jan 2017 10:04:10 +0000 Pull together and tackle the challenges ahead, that’s the message the departing US consul general has for Hongkongers. Clifford Hart made the call yesterday in a wide-ranging interview that was broadcast live on Facebook in the run-up to the end of his tenure as Washington’s top man in the city. The social media savvy diplomat also revealed in answers to internet users that he will take up a post in the private sector after stepping down as envoy to Hong Kong and Macau later this month. During a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1988834/hongkongers-must-pull-together-us-diplomat-clifford-bb-urges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1988834/hongkongers-must-pull-together-us-diplomat-clifford-bb-urges?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jul 2016 04:59:13 +0000 Hong Kong can learn from Finland's education system by easing the homework burden on students so both they and their parents have less stress in their lives, the Nordic country's top diplomat in the city said. Jari Sinkari, Finland's consul general in Hong Kong, said he had gained first-hand experience of the workload imposed on children in Hong Kong when his 18-year-old daughter studied at an international school in the city in the last academic year. "My daughter was here in the last school... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1861947/ease-homework-load-hong-kong-children-finlands-top-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1861947/ease-homework-load-hong-kong-children-finlands-top-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Sep 2015 18:36:49 +0000 Clinging to stone walls and steep slopes as they thrive in a tough urban environment with the odds stacked against them, the Chinese banyan tree is the perfect metaphor for the indomitable spirit of Hongkongers, Finland's top diplomat in the city says. The trees, commonly found in Hong Kong but not seen in the subarctic climate of the Nordic country, have long fascinated the envoy, and he considers them representative of the city's "can-do spirit". "Hong Kong people are like banyan trees because... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1861928/hongkongers-are-chinese-banyan-trees-says-citys-finnish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1861928/hongkongers-are-chinese-banyan-trees-says-citys-finnish?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Sep 2015 15:30:00 +0000 Years of armed conflict have not put off Israel's entrepreneurs, with the country's IT industry ripe for investment from Hong Kong and mainland China, the country's top envoy in the city says. Sagi Karni, Israel's consul general to Hong Kong and Macau, admitted the country "suffered" as the media focused on tensions with Palestinians, but said "sophisticated investors" could not fail to appreciate the economic achievements of the "start-up nation" in the face of decades of geopolitical... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1860020/sophisticated-investors-look-beyond-headlines-start-nation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1860020/sophisticated-investors-look-beyond-headlines-start-nation?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2015 21:56:10 +0000 "Those who don't know the past, have no future," proclaims Israeli consul-general Sagi Karni, which is why he spends so much time getting to know the background and culture of each new posting. "You're being exposed really to different cultures - it's most fascinating," he says. "In the diplomatic field, we try to understand the culture, the people and to learn about the history of the place, more than just the business. It makes life interesting." The learning process has become a routine as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1859996/its-culture-makes-life-interesting-israeli-envoy-sagi-karni?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1859996/its-culture-makes-life-interesting-israeli-envoy-sagi-karni?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2015 16:00:30 +0000 Ireland's top diplomat in Hong Kong hopes to establish the first direct flights from the Emerald Isle to the city of skyscrapers in a bid to see bilateral relations soar to new heights. "My number one ambition here is to get a direct flight between Ireland and Hong Kong," said Peter Ryan, the first Irish consul general in Hong Kong. "There are more than 50 flights a week to Britain and it's about time there was a flight to Ireland. It [would] open up tourism and education, and a whole bunch of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1859257/direct-flights-hong-kong-ireland-would-really-see-bilateral?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1859257/direct-flights-hong-kong-ireland-would-really-see-bilateral?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2015 17:00:45 +0000 Hong Kong definitely gives New York City a run for its money as a vibrant place, says Peter Ryan, Ireland's first consul general in Hong Kong and Macau. And he should know, having finished a three-year stint as deputy consul general at the Irish consulate in New York. "If Manhattan is the city that never sleeps, then this place could teach a thing or two to Manhattan," Ryan, 49, said this week, ahead of today's official opening of Ireland's first consulate in Hong Kong, which is seen by many as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1859164/where-streets-have-irish-names-irelands-first-consul-general?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1859164/where-streets-have-irish-names-irelands-first-consul-general?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:00:00 +0000 Anti-mainland sentiment in the city is understandable but Hongkongers might take reference from the experience of Australia, where an openness to outside influence has proved vital to the country's success, its top diplomat here says. The multiracial land of immigrants has undergone pressures like those Hong Kong is under, such as an infusion of foreign investment in real estate, said Paul Tighe, Australia's consul general to Hong Kong and Macau. "So I can understand that in a place like Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1857811/australian-consul-general-suggests-sensible-approach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1857811/australian-consul-general-suggests-sensible-approach?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Sep 2015 23:02:06 +0000 Exploitation of those who combine work and holiday while visiting Australia is "isolated" and those who are underpaid should immediately complain to the authorities, the country's top diplomat in the city said. A task force set up to tackle allegations of underpayment under the working holiday scheme, which drew 11,667 young people from Hong Kong last year, has compelled some employers to compensate their holiday-making staff. The scheme allows travellers aged 18 to 30 from selected countries to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1857895/slave-labour-working-holiday-scheme-isolated-hong-kong-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1857895/slave-labour-working-holiday-scheme-isolated-hong-kong-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Sep 2015 18:58:15 +0000 South Korea's top diplomat in the city says a two-month travel warning issued by the Hong Kong government against his country during the Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) outbreak was "excessive". Kim Kwang-dong, South Korea's consul general in Hong Kong and Macau, said the move had had a huge economic impact on both places, and his country had lost a lot of opportunities to work with Hongkongers. He also defended South Korea's decision a month later to issue a travel alert for Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1857136/hong-kongs-mers-travel-alert-was-excessive-says-south-korean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1857136/hong-kongs-mers-travel-alert-was-excessive-says-south-korean?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Sep 2015 18:45:15 +0000 Doctors from South Korea have been eyeing the Hong Kong market to expand the country's love of plastic surgery to elsewhere in Asia, according to the consul general for Hong Kong and Macau. "Lots of plastic surgeons have contacted me asking how they can enter the Hong Kong market, or asked tips on how they can start a business here," said Kim Kwang-dong. "But I discourage them since local regulations have been very straight." South Korea has been dubbed the world's capital of cosmetic surgery,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1857028/south-korean-plastic-surgeons-have-hong-kong-their-sights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1857028/south-korean-plastic-surgeons-have-hong-kong-their-sights?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Sep 2015 16:00:15 +0000 South Korea's top diplomat in Hong Kong remembers clearly the grim side of local aspirations for upward mobility during his first posting to the city. It was at the height of a financial crisis that drove dozens to despair. "In 2001, sadly, many Hong Kong people committed suicide because of the plummeted prices of apartments," Kim Kwang-dong, South Korea's consul general in Hong Kong, said. READ MORE: Middle-aged men most likely to commit suicide during economic downturn, Hong Kong helpline... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1857030/hong-kongs-year-suicides-2001-sticks-mind-south-korean-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1857030/hong-kongs-year-suicides-2001-sticks-mind-south-korean-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Sep 2015 16:00:15 +0000 Austria's top diplomat in the city has called on Hongkongers to drop their obsession with competitiveness and GDP growth and focus instead on improving quality of life. Claudia Reinprecht, the Austrian consul general to Hong Kong and Macau, said policymakers and civic leaders should place greater emphasis on cultivating more family-friendly environments and tackling housing once and for all. Today's most prosperous cities look first and foremost at creating the conditions that attract people to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1855888/its-not-all-dollars-austrian-consul-general-urges-city-focus-quality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1855888/its-not-all-dollars-austrian-consul-general-urges-city-focus-quality?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Sep 2015 19:15:45 +0000 Austrian Airlines is in talks with the Hong Kong government to start operating a direct flight to Vienna from next summer, the country's top diplomat in the city says. But a shortage of take-off and landing slots at Hong Kong International Airport has created a stumbling block for the route, billed as a gateway to central and eastern Europe. "It is a technical problem in that the capacity of Hong Kong airport is limited," said Claudia Reinprecht, Austria's consul general to Hong Kong and Macau.... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1855781/hong-kong-vienna-flights-would-allow-rapid-access-eastern-europe-and-black-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1855781/hong-kong-vienna-flights-would-allow-rapid-access-eastern-europe-and-black-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Sep 2015 14:45:45 +0000 As thousands of refugees last week attempted to cross Hungary's borders into Austria, the reported tales of desperation recalled an earlier life for Claudia Reinprecht, Vienna's top envoy in Hong Kong. In her formative years the diplomat witnessed a massive influx of East Germans after the Berlin Wall fell; as a human rights lawyer she processed cases of displaced people from Kosovo and Afghanistan; ahead of the outbreak of the bloody Syrian civil war, she travelled to Damascus while posted at... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1855782/were-more-sound-music-and-mozart-says-austrias-top-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1855782/were-more-sound-music-and-mozart-says-austrias-top-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Sep 2015 14:45:45 +0000 The European Union's top envoy in Hong Kong has called for the city to resume its electoral reform process as soon as possible and predicted lively debate on the issue in the run-up to the 2017 chief executive election. Vincent Piket, head of the European Union office to Hong Kong and Macau, said he believed electing the city's leader and the Legislative Council by universal suffrage would help create a government strong enough to tackle thorny issues in the years ahead. Citing the EU's... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1855169/restart-hong-kong-political-debate-soonest-says-european?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1855169/restart-hong-kong-political-debate-soonest-says-european?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 19:00:45 +0000 "Does Hong Kong belong to the People's Republic?" As obvious as the answer might sound, the European Union's top envoy to the city says he is often asked the question on his travels around the continent. "Whenever I travel in Europe, I'm often struck by how little people actually know about Hong Kong," Vincent Piket, head of office of the European Union to Hong Kong and Macau, said. "They often have some general ideas - the photographs of Victoria Harbour, the high-rises and the Star Ferry... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1855072/soaring-rents-and-hefty-school-fees-hong-kongs-cost-living?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1855072/soaring-rents-and-hefty-school-fees-hong-kongs-cost-living?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2015 16:00:15 +0000 Since the horrific abuse of Erwiana Sulistyaningsih shocked the world and raised awareness of the plight of some domestic helpers in Hong Kong, the number of Indonesians seeking help from their consulate in the city over employment disputes has almost halved. The country's consul general in Hong Kong, Chalief Akbar, said the drop reflected the efforts his office had made to ensure Indonesian citizens were protected. "We don't want that kind of case to be repeated in the future," Akbar said. Read... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1853971/we-do-not-want-second-erwiana-says-indonesias-top-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1853971/we-do-not-want-second-erwiana-says-indonesias-top-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Aug 2015 20:45:30 +0000 Indonesia's top diplomat in Hong Kong, Chalief Akbar, feels at home walking along the streets of Causeway Bay. Every Sunday thousands of domestic helpers, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, gather at Victoria Park and line the nearby streets of the district in the heart of the city. They sit on colourful pieces of cloth where they share food, drinks and laughter. Read more: We do not want a second Erwiana, says Indonesia's top diplomat in Hong Kong as complaints almost halve since abuse... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1853930/they-consider-me-father-indonesian-envoy-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1853930/they-consider-me-father-indonesian-envoy-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Aug 2015 15:30:00 +0000 Improving English proficiency among citizens and increasing the use of renewable energy are essential to Hong Kong's continuing development, Germany's top diplomat in the city says. "It seems to me that in general English skills are not improving in Hong Kong, for objective, understandable reasons," Nikolaus Graf Lambsdorff says. "I think that is a fact and probably not a good development." English, he says, is "the only one official language" when foreigners come to Hong Kong. READ MORE: I'm... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1853175/german-consul-general-hong-kong-touts-citys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1853175/german-consul-general-hong-kong-touts-citys?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Aug 2015 16:00:30 +0000 Investors from Hong Kong's biggest trade partner in Europe were not put off by last year's Occupy protests, Germany's top envoy to the city says, contradicting rhetoric local officials used to criticise the pro-democracy movement. Rather, a politically active youth contingent was "good for Hong Kong", said Consul General Nikolaus Graf Lambsdorff, who believes some protest leaders could use their skills to become successful in business. "Most people follow the political debate in Hong Kong with a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1853269/hong-kongs-political-protests-didnt-put-german-investors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1853269/hong-kongs-political-protests-didnt-put-german-investors?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Aug 2015 16:00:30 +0000 Nikolaus Graf Lambsdorff had two images of Hong Kong before he arrived as Germany's top envoy two years ago. "In Hong Kong, it's mostly about making money and spending money. They [Hongkongers] are not really interested in politics," he tells the South China Morning Post. "The first, of course, is very true. The second could hardly be further from the truth." This latter point was confirmed for the 61-year-old diplomat when tens of thousands of people camped out last year in Admiralty - where... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1853172/im-optimistic-about-future-if-hong-kong-plays-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1853172/im-optimistic-about-future-if-hong-kong-plays-its?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Aug 2015 16:00:30 +0000 Vietnam is lobbying Hong Kong to allow its citizens to work as domestic helpers in the city, the country's top diplomat here has revealed, saying he hopes it will do so within a year or two. Hoang Chi Trung, Vietnam's consul general in Hong Kong and Macau, said he has talked to officials from the Labour Department and Immigration Department about letting Vietnamese people work as helpers in the city several times since he took up the top post last year. "I have told them on several occasions... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1852015/let-vietnamese-work-hong-kong-maids-consul-general-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1852015/let-vietnamese-work-hong-kong-maids-consul-general-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Aug 2015 18:15:30 +0000 Vietnam's top diplomat in Hong Kong enjoys the city so much he could barely name anything he does not like about the place - except the notorious queues. "I don't like queuing. You go for lunch and you queue for half an hour for the table - sometimes I give up because I don't have enough time to wait. So you go to another [restaurant] but you have to queue again," said Hoang Chi Trung, Vietnam's consul general in Hong Kong and Macau. "And you know, not only do you have to queue for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1851943/vietnams-consul-general-loves-hong-kong-not-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1851943/vietnams-consul-general-loves-hong-kong-not-its?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Aug 2015 16:00:00 +0000 India's top diplomat in Hong Kong has called on the business community here to do in his country what it has done in China for 30 years: help transform it into a manufacturing powerhouse. Prashant Agrawal, the Indian consul general to Hong Kong and Macau, spoke in an interview after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government vowed last year to put up US$1 trillion worth of infrastructural projects for overseas ventures as part of its five-year plan. Hong Kong enjoyed an important position in New... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1851313/india-looks-hong-kong-direct-investment-akin-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1851313/india-looks-hong-kong-direct-investment-akin-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Aug 2015 18:00:45 +0000 Prashant Agrawal came to Hong Kong in January last year to lead a diplomatic institution for India for the first time in his career, after having executed foreign policies on lower levels for more than a decade. Home for the consul-general, who represents the world's largest democracy, is a lovely, almost hidden corner of The Peak, an area once reserved for top British colonial officials, who governed his own country until 1947. Despite the rarified location, he is fully aware of grievances on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1851169/indian-diplomat-hong-kong-cherishes-pursuit-common-ground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1851169/indian-diplomat-hong-kong-cherishes-pursuit-common-ground?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Aug 2015 16:00:30 +0000 Before he arrived here to take up the post as consul general to Hong Kong and Macau, Arnaud Barthelemy had little idea of what the city would be like, other than what he'd seen in films and art. Images from the works of Wong Kar-wai flitted through his mind, as friends described an "Asian New York". But he has since realised the city is much more complex than any of his preconceived notions. "I was very excited when they first proposed me to come. But to be fair, I didn't have a very precise... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1850058/outgoing-french-diplomat-recalls-cultural-exchange-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1850058/outgoing-french-diplomat-recalls-cultural-exchange-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Aug 2015 21:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong needs to develop innovation and creative industries to continue to play a role as an international city, the outgoing French consul general says. Arnaud Barthelemy also urged the building of more housing to bring down flat prices, which are three times higher than in Paris. He was speaking to the South China Morning Post ahead of his departure from the French diplomatic service at the end of the month. "Hong Kong is already a world city. To be a world city, you need creativity, you... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1850072/push-creative-industries-hong-kong-stay-world-city-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1850072/push-creative-industries-hong-kong-stay-world-city-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Aug 2015 21:00:00 +0000 Images of the 79-day protest that played out right outside her office window have been burnt into the memory of the Philippines' top diplomat in Hong Kong. "During the Occupy Central, you can view [the students] from here," says Consul General Bernardita Catalla as she gestures towards the window which offers panoramic views over Harcourt Road, where thousands of students camped out for weeks to fight for greater democracy. It was less than two hours after midnight on September 28 when... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1849275/philippine-consul-hong-kong-had-front-row-seat-occupy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1849275/philippine-consul-hong-kong-had-front-row-seat-occupy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Aug 2015 16:00:30 +0000 After years of strained ties, Hong Kong and Manila have put aside differences arising from the bus hostage crisis of 2010, the top Philippine diplomat in the city says - even though few Hongkongers are visiting the Southeast Asian country. Consul General Bernardita Catalla said she received a warm reception from Hong Kong officials when she took office in June last year after years of chilly ties amid disputes over the crisis. "When I called on the chief executive [Leung Chun-ying], he said 'we... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1849356/ties-improved-after-years-tension-following-manila-hostage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1849356/ties-improved-after-years-tension-following-manila-hostage?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Aug 2015 15:15:00 +0000 The top US representative in Hong Kong has called on the city to return to the "pragmatic and moderate mainstream" path and work towards the goal of achieving full democracy. Clifford Hart, US consul general to Hong Kong and Macau, said the rights guaranteed to Hongkongers under the "one country, two systems" principle had remained strong since the handover and rejected the suggestion that the city had become ungovernable. Hart was speaking to the South China Morning Post in a wide-ranging... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1848106/return-moderate-mainstream-path-achieve-democracy-us-consul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1848106/return-moderate-mainstream-path-achieve-democracy-us-consul?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Aug 2015 18:30:30 +0000 The city's diplomatic corps has flourished since the handover with global movers and shakers in the consular world flocking to Hong Kong, propping up its inimitable status as a territory within China but also distinctly separate from it. Coupled with Beijing's recent large-scale crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists amid a backdrop of its increasingly tight grip on dissenting views, Hong Kong's community of career diplomats - one of the largest communities of foreign representatives in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1848094/diplomatic-surge-how-hong-kongs-appeal-forging-business-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1848094/diplomatic-surge-how-hong-kongs-appeal-forging-business-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Aug 2015 18:30:30 +0000