https://www.scmp.com/rss/324197/feed Hong Kong celebrates the 20th anniversary of its handover from Britain to China on July 1, 2017. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The year 2019 has put Hong Kong into unknown territory, with a collapse of government decision-making, extrajudicial terror attacks on civilians, and radical police-baiters negatively impacting the economy. No less a figure than Paul Chan Mo-po, the financial secretary, has admitted that it is difficult to be optimistic in the city’s short-term economic growth because of the impact of the protests. Bravo to him for being one of the few top government figures to come out of the bunker in recent... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3020831/hong-kong-going-through-five-stages-grief-acceptance-fate-part?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3020831/hong-kong-going-through-five-stages-grief-acceptance-fate-part?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Aug 2019 08:00:05 +0000 I refer to Ms Gauri Venkitaraman’s letter (“How a city demanding its rights can leave Singapore puzzled”, July 4) in response to Mr Leslie Fong’s article (“The view from Singapore: Hong Kong is a city tearing itself apart”, June 21). There are enough Singaporeans who empathise with the frustrations of the average Hongkonger over a slew of issues, including the extradition bill, and understand why around a third of the city’s population has taken to the streets to vent collective anger and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3018807/hong-kong-extradition-bill-protests-blurring-lines-between-peaceful?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3018807/hong-kong-extradition-bill-protests-blurring-lines-between-peaceful?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jul 2019 00:00:07 +0000 I refer to “Singaporeans support Hong Kong protests against extradition bill” (July 9). I want to put the facts in the right perspective and emphasise that the survey cited does not represent the majority of Singapore. It is just a random survey of a minority who may not be fully aware of the facts and different historical backgrounds of Hong Kong and Singapore, although both are former British colonies. Yes, Singaporeans do sympathise with the Hong Kong protesters for their beliefs, but... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3018188/singapore-feels-hong-kong-protesters-wont-support-violence-harmony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3018188/singapore-feels-hong-kong-protesters-wont-support-violence-harmony?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jul 2019 00:00:12 +0000 I refer to “Liberal studies to blame for protests claims ex-Hong Kong leader” (July 3), and here Tung Chee-hwa seems to be desperately clutching at straws. Perhaps he is now wishing that he had made the study of Confucian values a compulsory subject instead. To the contrary, I think that introducing liberal studies was one of the better moves of the Tung administration, as it gave students some relief from the stifling rote-learning methods that dominate local education, and gave them some room... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017693/no-hong-kongs-problems-were-not-created-liberal-studies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017693/no-hong-kongs-problems-were-not-created-liberal-studies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jul 2019 23:45:05 +0000 I have been living in Hong Kong for more than 20 years and I have never seen Hong Kong people lose their spirit in this way (“Extent of rampaging protesters’ destruction in legislature revealed”, July 3). Projecting such a bad image to the whole world will discredit both China and Hong Kong in the long run. China as a rising power has its concerns; and Hong Kong has his own fears – but I believe these are groundless. In any case, the solution to this dilemma cannot be through hasty action or... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017310/hong-kongs-july-1-nightmare-was-heartbreaking-watch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3017310/hong-kongs-july-1-nightmare-was-heartbreaking-watch?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jul 2019 10:00:05 +0000 The flag-raising ceremony on July 1 could be moved indoors for the first time since the city returned to Chinese rule if there is rain and thunderstorms, Hong Kong’s No 2 official said. Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung’s comment came a day after the government said the event, which marks Hong’s Kong 1997 handover after more than a century as a British colony, will be scaled down due to security concerns. The official, however, dodged the question of whether extradition bill protests... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3016566/july-1-flag-raising-ceremony-marking-citys-return-china-set?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3016566/july-1-flag-raising-ceremony-marking-citys-return-china-set?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jun 2019 13:38:39 +0000 I am writing to express my support for China and the calm way in which the government and its officials have acted in the face of the one-sided, biased and racist media in Britain and the United States. Unfounded allegations and scare stories about Chinese companies appear on news channels in the US and UK every day. Chinese businesspeople are arbitrarily arrested while in transit at airports. Countries are threatened and put under economic siege if they do business with Chinese technology... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3014668/huawei-and-china-tech-feeling-effects-modern-day-opium-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3014668/huawei-and-china-tech-feeling-effects-modern-day-opium-war?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jun 2019 23:25:08 +0000 I don’t quite remember the last time I cried. But on Sunday, the tears welled up when I saw on TV hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers take to the streets once again. I could not make sense of my emotions until my wife joined me. I was not alone in my grief and what got me, as I later realised, was the feeling of pity for the people of Hong Kong. I wonder if the scene got to our Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and other government officials. Hong Kong people have suffered enough. We... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3014234/cost-forcing-new-extradition-law-hong-kong-may-be-simply-too-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3014234/cost-forcing-new-extradition-law-hong-kong-may-be-simply-too-high?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jun 2019 00:00:10 +0000 As the senior official of the Hong Kong government responsible in the early 1990s for negotiating extradition treaties between the future Hong Kong special administrative region and various states, including the United Kingdom and United States, I have been following the current situation in Hong Kong concerning the draft extradition law with keen interest (“Why did Hongkongers join ‘million-strong’ protest march? It’s in their DNA”, June 10). For more than a century, advanced jurisdictions have... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3013801/why-hong-kong-must-not-rush-matters-extradition-deal-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3013801/why-hong-kong-must-not-rush-matters-extradition-deal-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Jun 2019 00:00:09 +0000 Strange silence from Chris Patten and his fellow politicians who love to characterise police actions against the “umbrella movement” in Hong Kong as an infringement of the right to protest. Why haven’t they said anything about the use of considerable police force to dismantle the Extinction Rebellion climate change protests in Britain and elsewhere in Europe? French police used pepper spray on peaceful protesters at close range. Does this mean it’s not OK to use tear gas in Hong Kong but pepper... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3007161/chris-patten-and-silent-hypocrisy-police-action-against-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3007161/chris-patten-and-silent-hypocrisy-police-action-against-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Apr 2019 05:00:12 +0000 I refer to Kevin Rafferty’s op-ed (“Lam should stand up for Hong Kong”, November 18), in which he made some unfair criticisms against Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor for not standing up for Hong Kong. It is true that many British and local officials did serve the city with Hong Kong’s interests uppermost in their minds. Yet, Mr Rafferty may not be aware that they had to be overruled by the United Kingdom government when Hong Kong’s interests clashed with national interests, or... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2173960/hong-kong-vs-uk-interests-there-was-only-one-choice-colonial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2173960/hong-kong-vs-uk-interests-there-was-only-one-choice-colonial?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Nov 2018 22:08:38 +0000 As Hong Kong grinds to a halt, it’s going to be a long, long day, with nowhere to go. In case you are planning to use the time to catch up on some quality reading, we’ve got you covered. To help you get through the day, our editors have curated a dozen of our best reads since This Week in Asia launched two years ago. We have kept the list short (wasn’t easy) and as eclectic as possible, from popular culture and economy to history and society, from the curious phenomenon of ‘silver porn’ and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/long-reads/article/2164309/super-typhoon-mangkhut-dozen-must-reads-while-youre-stuck-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/long-reads/article/2164309/super-typhoon-mangkhut-dozen-must-reads-while-youre-stuck-home?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Sep 2018 00:30:45 +0000 I am writing in response to your article on BN(O) passports, published on August 1 (“What is a British National (Overseas) passport and what is a holder entitled to?”). The article stated that “ … there have been cases when the British Consulate has stepped in to help BN(O) holders outside Hong Kong”. This wording risks leaving a misleading impression with the reader. In fact, BN(O) passport holders outside Hong Kong are entitled to, and routinely receive, the same levels of help from UK... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2158630/hong-kongs-bno-passport-holders-entitled-same-consular-services?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2158630/hong-kongs-bno-passport-holders-entitled-same-consular-services?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Aug 2018 09:20:05 +0000 Former Hong Kong governor David Wilson could hardly believe it when he heard runners can now complete his namesake trail in a matter of hours. Wilson, who was elevated to a life peerage in 1992 after serving as the 27th governor of Hong Kong, set up a 78-kilometre trail from south to north Hong Kong with punishing climbs and descents through some of the Country Parks’ most scenic areas. When he was told about the likes of the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge, which sees participants run the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/trail-running/article/2156738/why-david-wilson-started-wilson-trail-former-governor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/trail-running/article/2156738/why-david-wilson-started-wilson-trail-former-governor?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Jul 2018 03:45:15 +0000 Britain repeatedly put pressure on Portugal not to grant nationality to its colonial residents in Macau to prevent Hongkongers asking for the same treatment ahead of the two cities’ return to Chinese rule, recently declassified documents have revealed. Tensions between the countries in 1985 – as Portugal prepared to join the European Community, now the European Union – came to light via British cabinet files from the National Archives in London, which were made available in July. Activists in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2156385/britains-disgraceful-pre-handover-efforts-deny-nationality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2156385/britains-disgraceful-pre-handover-efforts-deny-nationality?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Jul 2018 23:01:36 +0000 I am writing in response to the article, “Government rewrites history of Hong Kong’s 1997 handover, one inconvenient phrase at a time”, May 1. The article referred to how the Hong Kong government amended the text on an official website to erase mention of the 1997 “handover of sovereignty”, citing correction of terminology. We are the incoming generation of adult citizens of Hong Kong. We have studied different subjects in school to learn more about the world. We know that Hong Kong used to be... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2146037/hong-kong-must-protect-its-history-safeguard-own-respect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2146037/hong-kong-must-protect-its-history-safeguard-own-respect?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 May 2018 09:12:30 +0000 Using the word “handover” to describe Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 “does not accurately reflect the substance or description of this momentous historical occasion” and falls short of official guidelines on terminology, the city’s No 2 official said on Thursday. In a letter to the  Post  published online on Thursday, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung defended the decision by the government’s Protocol Division to remove any mention of a “handover of sovereignty” from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2144478/calling-1997-event-handover-belies-substance-momentous?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2144478/calling-1997-event-handover-belies-substance-momentous?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 May 2018 05:34:10 +0000 The Hong Kong government is rewriting the city’s history, one phrase at a time. After the proposed removal of the words “taking back” from school textbooks to describe the return of the city to China in 1997, the Post has learned that the official protocol office has changed its website to erase any mention of a “handover of sovereignty”. The Protocol Division, which is responsible for receiving foreign dignitaries and consuls general, was found to have made the changes after the Post filed an... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2144200/government-rewriting-history-hong-kong-one-inconvenient?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2144200/government-rewriting-history-hong-kong-one-inconvenient?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 May 2018 11:00:30 +0000 I refer to the article, “Nothing wrong with school history textbooks reflecting Chinese view of Hong Kong handover, Carrie Lam says” (April 24). The issue of whether Chinese history should be promoted as a subject and introduced to the secondary school syllabus has caused controversy in Hong Kong.  In recent years, the authorities in Beijing have become increasingly proactive in Hong Kong affairs and elections, including on the promotion of national education. This has raised fears among many... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2143702/how-chinese-history-lessons-can-benefit-hong-kong-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2143702/how-chinese-history-lessons-can-benefit-hong-kong-students?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Apr 2018 02:30:27 +0000 I am writing in response to the articles, “British report warns Beijing is increasing pressure on Hong Kong’s basic rights and freedoms” (April 18) and “In China’s embrace, Hong Kong people face a stark choice: money or freedoms” (April 18). Earlier this year, a Washington-based human rights NGO said the freedom score of Hong Kong had hit a seven-year low, citing Beijing’s “ever greater influence” on the special administrative region. I live in Hong Kong and, although our government always says... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2142570/what-hong-kong-people-can-do-if-they-feel-beijing-tightening-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2142570/what-hong-kong-people-can-do-if-they-feel-beijing-tightening-its?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Apr 2018 02:17:52 +0000 I am writing in response to your report on the study by City University researchers, who have warned that Hongkongers are being pushed into rejecting their national identity because the local and Beijing governments are “misdiagnosing” the problem and equating localism with being unpatriotic (“Beijing ‘confuses Hong Kong localism with being anti-China’”, April 17). To start with, some Hong Kong people refuse to admit to even being Chinese. I believe the main reason for this rejection of their... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2142414/why-hong-kong-youth-struggle-chinese-identity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2142414/why-hong-kong-youth-struggle-chinese-identity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Apr 2018 07:51:33 +0000 I refer to China’s reaction to the British foreign secretary’s latest half-yearly report to the UK parliament (“China tells UK to back off after Boris Johnson warns of Beijing’s increasing influence over Hong Kong”, March 16). After Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson expressed concern that the “one country, two systems” principle was under threat, and urged respect for “the established constitutional framework for any change to the Basic Law”, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said: “Britain... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2140891/how-hong-kong-balances-one-country-two-systems-relations-britain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2140891/how-hong-kong-balances-one-country-two-systems-relations-britain?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Apr 2018 08:05:02 +0000 I was shocked to see the recent photographs in the local newspapers of the artificial island at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge. These seemed to show that the tetrapod wave barrier placed as protection around the perimeter of the island is collapsing to a major degree. Some reports surmise that waves have displaced these tetrapod concrete interlocking “‘jacks”. This would be impossible. The story about the movement at the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (HKBCF) reclamation was first... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2140876/hong-kongs-mega-bridge-zhuhai-and-macau-did-white-elephant-just-get?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2140876/hong-kongs-mega-bridge-zhuhai-and-macau-did-white-elephant-just-get?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Apr 2018 06:38:41 +0000 I congratulate Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on the creation of the Task Force on Land Supply and would like to express my appreciation for the time and effort volunteered by the many professionals on the task force. I also believe that the efforts by groups such as the Liber Research Community (“Public ‘misled’ on land available for 84,000 flats”, March 16) are to be applauded. However, we employ over 4,000 professional civil servants in the Lands Department and, while volunteers... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2140514/hong-kongs-land-supply-task-force-praiseworthy-has-lands-department?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2140514/hong-kongs-land-supply-task-force-praiseworthy-has-lands-department?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Apr 2018 04:47:31 +0000 I refer to Hong Kong barristers’ comments on mainland law being applied at the joint immigration checkpoint for the West Kowloon terminus of the high-speed cross-border rail link to Guangzhou (“Bar Association raps officials for ‘flawed’ argument, says mainland laws at the joint checkpoint will affect all Hongkongers”, March 30) I agree with the Bar Association. The Hong Kong government says mainland law will only apply to travellers in a designated area of the West Kowloon terminus. However,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2140053/joint-checkpoint-west-kowloon-terminus-would-raise-doubts-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2140053/joint-checkpoint-west-kowloon-terminus-would-raise-doubts-about?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Apr 2018 06:26:50 +0000 I’m amused to see Peter Kammerer write another article about the age-old perceived “rivalry” between Singapore and Hong Kong (“Stop comparing Hong Kong with Singapore”, March 27), without adding anything new. Having lived in each city for several years, it seems to me that you’d be hard pressed to find two more different places in Asia. Apart from a similar colonial past (which ended in Singapore more than 30 years earlier), and having a predominantly Chinese population (even though Singapore is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2140031/singapore-vs-hong-kong-true-melting-pot-vs-once-uniquely-cantonese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2140031/singapore-vs-hong-kong-true-melting-pot-vs-once-uniquely-cantonese?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Apr 2018 05:32:13 +0000 One Thursday afternoon in January 1995, Jonathan Fenby, then the editor of The Observer, a British Sunday newspaper, lost his job. Eighteen months earlier, to the delight of its journalists, The Observer had been taken over by The Guardian, a left-wing daily newspaper. The idea was that both papers would continue to operate separately under the benevolent proprietorship of the Scott Trust – what you might call the one owner, two systems principle. It didn’t work out. From a certain angle, it... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2124455/we-are-both-filth-former-post-editor-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2124455/we-are-both-filth-former-post-editor-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jan 2018 12:03:04 +0000 The New Year didn’t exactly start with a bang: protesters clashing with police at the newly “reopened” East Wing Forecourt, popularly known as “Civic Square”, was a harsh reminder that new beginnings take time and effort. Then, the 41st annual Gallup International Global End of Year Survey results came out, and Hong Kong placed 7th for unhappiness. In our despair, may we find comfort in the fact that the rest of world has been feeling quite depressed as well. Last year was undoubtedly a tough... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2127013/unhappy-hongkongers-must-learn-accept-imperfect-solutions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2127013/unhappy-hongkongers-must-learn-accept-imperfect-solutions?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jan 2018 05:02:08 +0000 On the first day of 2018, Hongkongers were delightfully surprised by Nicholas Tse Ting-fung’s appearance at the 30th annual Commercial ­Radio music awards show. Dressed in a black top and armed with an electric guitar, Tse joined local bands Supper Moment and Chochukmo on stage as a guest performer, driving the crowd wild, singing Jade Butterfly and Living Viva, two of his most memorable hits from the early 2000s, and a brand new Canto-pop song, (I) Have Fire. The last time he ­released a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2126956/rise-and-fall-canto-pop-and-it-hong-kongs-cultural-identity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2126956/rise-and-fall-canto-pop-and-it-hong-kongs-cultural-identity?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jan 2018 05:52:41 +0000 The end of 2017 is upon us, and every passing year brings about its share of memorable stories, events and newsmakers. In the past 12 months we have seen people from all corners of Hong Kong make invaluable contributions to the community. Two decades after the transfer of sovereignty from Britain to China, the city is still known worldwide for its blend of the traditional and modern, iconic skyscrapers and staggering array of cuisines. But it is Hongkongers themselves – hardworking, versatile... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2126037/pain-sacrifice-and-hope-inspiring-hong-kong-moments-2017?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2126037/pain-sacrifice-and-hope-inspiring-hong-kong-moments-2017?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Dec 2017 01:30:42 +0000 The European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs last week released a landmark report on Hong Kong. Its strident recommendations are a clear warning sign of how the city’s rule of law and human rights environment are rapidly deteriorating in the eyes of the international community. The report cites grave concerns with Hong Kong’s trajectory, 20 years after its handover. Identifying the link between Hong Kong’s success and an open society, the report “condemn[s] the constant interference of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2124882/why-hong-kong-must-heed-eu-warning-over-constant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2124882/why-hong-kong-must-heed-eu-warning-over-constant?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Dec 2017 05:09:27 +0000 Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor made her first duty visit to Beijing last week. For two decades, our chief executives have made “bearing gifts” somewhat of a tradition for their duty visits. To have them traverse afar for this is very Christmas-appropriate. But these duty visits don’t guarantee words of good cheer filling the air. Leaders in Beijing have generally been generous with words of good cheer. But, back in 2004, our first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, received a shockingly strong rebuke... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2124473/carrie-lams-stand-legco-rule-book-wont-spread-any-christmas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2124473/carrie-lams-stand-legco-rule-book-wont-spread-any-christmas?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Dec 2017 01:03:27 +0000 Cities are evolving. In the future, they will become larger, more populated, and more compact, because of a new wave of urbanisation. In North America, younger generations are choosing to give up suburban living in favour of the environmentally sustainable, culturally rich, and more ­socially oriented way of life they find in cities. As young people move out of the suburbs, their populations drop, leading to the closure of malls and plazas that used to serve as supply outposts. The stress on... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2124179/why-hong-kong-and-new-york-are-still-worlds-apart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2124179/why-hong-kong-and-new-york-are-still-worlds-apart?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Dec 2017 06:04:22 +0000 When 40 coaches brought guests to the tightly-secured flag-raising gala in Wan Chai on July 1 as the city celebrated the 20th anniversary of the handover, one busload of elderly guests and philanthropists missed the ceremony after their security check could not be completed in time. This little-known incident was revealed as the police search team told the media on Thursday about the limited time they were often given to complete security procedures ahead of major events due to the high... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2123701/race-against-time-hong-kongs-police-search-team-reveal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2123701/race-against-time-hong-kongs-police-search-team-reveal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Dec 2017 23:03:02 +0000 In Hong Kong to address the Asia Society this weekend, one of the things that strikes me again is that amid the profusion of colonial buildings in this teeming city, there is one startling absence. There is no museum to Hong Kong’s colonial history. The story of Hong Kong for 156 years was the story of colonial rule, but it is not commemorated. Tales may be told of the British magnates who passed through here and made their fortunes in this port city. But a museum that reflects the stories of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2122508/hong-kong-india-needs-remember-truth-about-british-colonialism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2122508/hong-kong-india-needs-remember-truth-about-british-colonialism?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Dec 2017 04:00:15 +0000 The UK government was called upon to fulfil its “very special duty” to Hong Kong, as a British political grandee said on Tuesday that the city’s interests are “non-negotiable” when London speaks to Beijing about post-Brexit trade deals. Paddy Ashdown, in the city for a two-day fact-finding mission, added that it was important for China to respect the Sino-British Joint Declaration as well as to avoid a “repressive” attitude towards the city if President Xi Jinping wants the country to be seen as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2121914/uks-duty-hong-kong-non-negotiable-post-brexit-trade-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2121914/uks-duty-hong-kong-non-negotiable-post-brexit-trade-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Nov 2017 06:00:33 +0000 Remember the fanciful talk just four months ago? We can finally have a grand reconciliation after five dark years of the loathed Leung Chun-ying as chief executive. No more hate talk, political knives and gridlock. Opposition and establishment forces would together heal our split society. That was top of then incoming Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s wish list. I knew at the time only those living in never-never land would believe in such fantasy. Reconciliation will never happen because Lam’s wish... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2119977/how-one-country-two-systems-tearing-beijing-and-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2119977/how-one-country-two-systems-tearing-beijing-and-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Nov 2017 05:00:13 +0000 Hong Kong may be criticised by some as a cultural desert, but it has in recent months enjoyed a boom in museum visitor numbers, thanks to grand exhibitions of rare artefacts and relics brought in to mark the 20th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule. Among more than 1,200 local celebratory events planned for the whole of 2017, two museum shows already attracted more than 1.2 million visitors – roughly a third of total attendance at six major public museums in the city in the 2016-17... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2117500/mummy-exhibition-wraps-year-boom-hong-kong-museum-visits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2117500/mummy-exhibition-wraps-year-boom-hong-kong-museum-visits?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 09:56:53 +0000 I have been pondering how to leverage diplomatic strength to serve the development of Hong Kong and the whole nation since my arrival in the city in late June. The July 1 signing of the framework agreement to deepen cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau in the development of the Greater Bay Area, witnessed by visiting President Xi Jinping, provided an answer to my question. As a result, our office will, in the coming years, focus its efforts on promoting tripartite cooperation... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2114685/how-hong-kong-can-help-greater-bay-area-become-landmark?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2114685/how-hong-kong-can-help-greater-bay-area-become-landmark?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Oct 2017 08:56:51 +0000 This year marks the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover. In that time, many would say Hong Kong has gone from being one of the brightest pearls of the Orient to a sour lemon with no direction. From then-chief executive Tung Chee-hwa’s resignation, citing “health” issues, to Donald Tsang Yam-kuen’s bribery trial and the warning clouds over the whole of Leung Chun-ying’s administration, many Hongkongers are angry and crave change. So, is independence the way out? I’m afraid not; any... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2114104/are-hongkongers-just-bunch-angry-protesters-or-do-they-want?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2114104/are-hongkongers-just-bunch-angry-protesters-or-do-they-want?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Oct 2017 03:10:29 +0000 Hong Kong’s last governor, Chris Patten, was recently in town to promote his new book, First Confession. Patten is a charming, energetic and experienced politician, and his polished speeches hold great fascination for his audience. This time, he praised Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor for doing a better job than Leung Chun-ying, and eulogised the new generation for adhering to their principles. Patten’s pertinent comments on Hong Kong’s political environment have won him worldwide... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2114136/if-chris-patten-truly-cares-hong-kong-he-should-fight-equal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2114136/if-chris-patten-truly-cares-hong-kong-he-should-fight-equal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Oct 2017 09:46:33 +0000 Three years after the ­Occupy protests, Hong Kong’s constitutional system is undergoing a subtle change, where “one country” has become more important, while “two systems” is under integration. The “full autonomy” movement launched by the opposition – with the support of local and foreign ­forces – is in a quandary, rendering them frustrated and powerless. “Hong Kong Independence” banners put up at university campuses were an expression of this frustration, while cold-blooded attacks on... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2113926/how-hong-kong-can-have-democracy-under-one-country-two?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2113926/how-hong-kong-can-have-democracy-under-one-country-two?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Oct 2017 09:05:14 +0000 In “Tale of the Wonderland” at Blindspot Gallery, Hong Kong artists reflect on the 20 years since the city returned to Chinese rule, an experience the exhibition compares to Alice falling down the rabbit hole. One of the most powerful works in the group show is Sarah Lai’s White Glove (2017). It is a simple, yet perfect encapsulation of how Hong Kong people feel about a different queen: Britain’s Elizabeth II.   Piper Marshall’s debut Hong Kong show Trip of the Tongue has plenty to sink your... https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2113668/hong-kong-artists-reflect-life-20-years-chinese-rule-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2113668/hong-kong-artists-reflect-life-20-years-chinese-rule-over?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Oct 2017 10:00:15 +0000 As we celebrate National Day, and watch curiously the leader of the free world’s obsession with professional sportsmen kneeling in protest when the US national anthem is played, it seems like a good time to think about our notions of and feelings about national identity. Taking a knee certainly isn’t that offensive a gesture. Some of us in Hong Kong, who can’t bear the thought of being grouped with our mainland compatriots as a people, would never ever kneel before the Chinese flag. But it’s... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2113389/what-hong-kong-needs-feel-it-belongs-chinese-nation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2113389/what-hong-kong-needs-feel-it-belongs-chinese-nation?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Oct 2017 01:15:37 +0000 The freedom of speech, one of the most important rights protected by law in Hong Kong, has been much used, abused, maligned and misunderstood during the ongoing debate over the placing of pro-independence banners and posters at universities. What began as a provocative statement of opinion by a small number of students at the start of the new academic year has led to confrontation, personal abuse and calls for the prosecution of those who advocate independence. Battle lines have been drawn.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2111979/one-country-two-systems-demands-hong-kong-discuss?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2111979/one-country-two-systems-demands-hong-kong-discuss?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Sep 2017 08:59:14 +0000 To understand the relevance for Hong Kong of the Belt and Road Initiative and the proposed Greater Bay Area, it is helpful to first look at the strategic challenges facing China, on the one hand, and Hong Kong on the other. China faces challenges on multiple fronts, including an ageing population and shrinking workforce, slowing growth, a shift towards ­domestic consumption (including services), environmental and health concerns, internal inequality, and growing global protectionism... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2111672/innovation-and-vision-can-make-hong-kong-shine-pan-pearl?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2111672/innovation-and-vision-can-make-hong-kong-shine-pan-pearl?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Sep 2017 09:28:46 +0000 Several adjectives could be applied to the British government’s performance in handling visa applications from Hong Kong students this summer. My personal favourite is shambolic, but chaotic and shameful would also be strong contenders. More than 1,000 students and their families were seriously inconvenienced and obliged to incur collectively hundreds of thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenditure. Some students were even in danger of losing their places in British educational institutions.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2110364/visa-fiasco-not-first-time-uk-failed-hong-kong-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2110364/visa-fiasco-not-first-time-uk-failed-hong-kong-students?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Sep 2017 03:01:10 +0000 Following a sizeable protest march in support of Hong Kong’s recently jailed young democracy activists, shrill cries of foul play were heard in certain leading Western media, over perceptions of Beijing’s pressure on local judges and references to “Hong Kong’s political prisoners”. Hong Kong as a British colony was noted for its political apathy: any anti-colonial stirrings were firmly suppressed. The city’s raison d’etre was to make money. Now, under “one country, two systems”, the people of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2109789/hong-kong-must-safeguard-one-country-sake-two-systems?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2109789/hong-kong-must-safeguard-one-country-sake-two-systems?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Sep 2017 05:35:33 +0000 Intuition leads us to believe that the grass is always greener on the other side. But Chinese philosopher Yanzi used the parable of “sweet orange trees can only bear sour fruit if moved to the wrong soil” to remind us that things can turn sour if the environment is not right. While many Singaporeans were admiring the wonderful performance of Hong Kong’s MTR, and the city’s vibrant financial markets backed by mainland China listings, new Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor spoke about... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2108997/why-hong-kong-can-never-be-singapore-just-blame-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2108997/why-hong-kong-can-never-be-singapore-just-blame-history?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Sep 2017 02:13:27 +0000 As Hong Kong celebrates the 20th anniversary of its return to the mainland, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has embarked on several official trips in her first two months at the helm, including to Shanghai and Hangzhou. On meeting Han Zheng, the party secretary of Shanghai, she expressed a desire to take the bilateral relationship to new heights. Shanghai is back on the radar screen because our closest neighbour, Shenzhen, has eclipsed virtually every other Chinese city, including... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2108930/hong-kong-still-has-edge-over-shanghai-how-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2108930/hong-kong-still-has-edge-over-shanghai-how-long?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Aug 2017 05:40:58 +0000