https://www.scmp.com/rss/324656/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Beijing Enterprises made history 20 years ago when it debuted on Hong Kong’s stock exchange 1,300 oversubscribed, as the most sought-after initial public offering in the city’s history. The IPO, which drew huge crowds of people scrambling for application forms underscored the average Hong Kong investor’s sentiments and the fever pitch frenzy for a large, well-connected mainland government-backed company. Raising HK$2.5 billion, it was the biggest amount at the time from any listing of the... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2102527/beijing-enterprises-makeover-traces-chinas-evolution-capitalism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2102527/beijing-enterprises-makeover-traces-chinas-evolution-capitalism?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Jul 2017 01:31:22 +0000 Beijing conceded on Saturday that the Sino-British Joint Declaration was legally binding, but insisted the 1984 treaty to enable Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997 did not give Britain the right to interfere in the city’s affairs. Xu Hong, director general of the Chinese foreign ministry’s treaty and law department, sought to clarify a colleague’s recent remarks suggesting the irrelevance of the treaty. He also assured Hong Kong that Beijing was committed to upholding the “one country, two... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2101823/we-still-recognise-sino-british-joint-declaration-legally?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2101823/we-still-recognise-sino-british-joint-declaration-legally?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Jul 2017 08:15:45 +0000 While Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was being lauded for her striking cheongsam during her inauguration on Saturday, few will have been aware of the deeper meaning and blessing it conveyed. Designer Barney Cheng Siu-leung said the dusty pink outfit and long white coat, made of four layers of different fabric including lace and chiffon, signified multicultural Hong Kong and Lam’s desire to accommodate the interests of all sectors in the city. First lady lets new Hong Kong leader reign on day in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2101103/revealed-subtle-meaning-behind-carrie-lams-outfit-swearing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2101103/revealed-subtle-meaning-behind-carrie-lams-outfit-swearing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jul 2017 00:33:52 +0000 Confusion broke out early Monday morning as representatives started giving out queue numbers to people waiting in line for tickets to see the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, hours before the official time. By 9.40am, all numbers had been given out at one of the distribution points, the Gun Club Hill Barracks, leaving many disappointed members of the public standing by the side of the road. Ticket distribution was originally scheduled to be from 1pm to 3pm. Representatives waved their... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2100995/hongkongers-disappointed-tickets-see-liaoning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2100995/hongkongers-disappointed-tickets-see-liaoning?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Jul 2017 03:30:45 +0000 President Xi Jinping warned Hong Kong on Saturday not to cross the “red line” of undermining Chinese sovereignty, urging consensus instead of conflict to solve major problems, as he mapped out his clearest, most comprehensive direction for the city. Wrapping up his landmark three-day visit by swearing in the city’s first female chief executive, ­Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, on the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China, Xi struck a tough yet tempered tone in his 31-minute speech before a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100895/president-xi-jinping-marks-red-line-warning-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100895/president-xi-jinping-marks-red-line-warning-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2017 16:37:13 +0000 President Xi Jinping adopted a speak-softly-but-carry-a-big-stick approach yesterday, offering a chance for dissenters to be engaged but also warning that those who threatened national sovereignty would not be tolerated – and those who heard him took note. While he said the central government was ready to talk to anyone regardless of their political views, Xi spent a significant part of his 30-minute speech warning against challenges to sovereignty and urging the city to improve its system to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100890/xi-jinping-sends-warning-advocates-hong-kong-independence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100890/xi-jinping-sends-warning-advocates-hong-kong-independence?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2017 15:15:30 +0000 Innovation and technological developments in Hong Kong will be boosted under an agreement on the Greater Bay Area project signed by local and mainland officials on Saturday and witnessed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The city will also continue to strengthen its role as the region’s financial and shipping hub, according to the framework agreement. It also provided clarity and assurance to counter uncertainties in recent months on what role Hong Kong will play under the plan and how it will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100883/technology-boost-reinforce-hong-kongs-status-finance-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100883/technology-boost-reinforce-hong-kongs-status-finance-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2017 13:45:45 +0000 President Xi Jinping on Saturday urged Hong Kong’s new administrators to seize the opportunities before them or risk missing out on “an entire era” of economic development and global changes, as he delivered Beijing’s clearest message yet on their work ahead in the coming five years. He told them to come up with “a brilliant report card”, considering national interest, standing firm in the face of pressure and maintaining unity in fulfilling their duties. The president’s detailed speech... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100882/put-national-interests-first-xi-jinping-tells-hong-kongs-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100882/put-national-interests-first-xi-jinping-tells-hong-kongs-new?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2017 13:30:00 +0000 An auxiliary police sergeant escaped injury when he accidentally fired his gun in Tuen Mun police station on Saturday afternoon. Police are investigating whether the part-time officer was unloading his revolver and if he followed proper guidelines. The incident happened at the loading bay of the station in Pui To Road shortly after 2.30pm. Hong Kong pro-democracy march takes over streets on anniversary of city’s handover “One shot was fired as the officer accidentally pressed the trigger,” a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2100870/sergeant-accidentally-fires-gun-hong-kong-police-station?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2100870/sergeant-accidentally-fires-gun-hong-kong-police-station?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2017 10:00:27 +0000 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists have accused police of breaching their human rights, claiming they were taken away in handcuffs without being accused of any crimes, and assaulted, ahead of an annual protest on Saturday morning. Chairman of the League of Social Democrats Avery Ng also claimed he was physically assaulted and sworn at repeatedly by a police inspector after being dragged into a police vehicle. A photograph, seen by the Post, taken by online news outlet HK01, seemed to show Ng... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100861/hong-kong-protesters-claim-they-were-assaulted-police-annual?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100861/hong-kong-protesters-claim-they-were-assaulted-police-annual?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2017 07:51:58 +0000 The July 1 anti-government march on Saturday saw its size shrink by almost half to a two-year low of about 60,000, with organisers blaming the low turnout on perceived aggressive tactics by police towards protesters in recent years and heavy rain. Police put the turnout at 14,500 – the lowest number since official records of the turnout began in 2003. Researchers from the University of Hong Kong public opinion programme said about 27,000 to 35,000 people took part. The Civil Human Rights... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100860/hong-kong-pro-democracy-march-sets-anniversary-citys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100860/hong-kong-pro-democracy-march-sets-anniversary-citys?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2017 07:15:00 +0000 President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on Saturday July 1, after he inaugurated the new Hong Kong administration led by Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the first woman to lead the city. He issued the clearest warning yet against challenges to China’s sovereignty by forces in Hong Kong, calling it a “red line”. He also asked the new administration to focus its energies on development, which he said would be the key to resolving Hong Kong’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100856/full-text-president-xi-jinpings-speech-one-country-two?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100856/full-text-president-xi-jinpings-speech-one-country-two?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2017 07:13:14 +0000 The insurance sector in Hong Kong has expanded ninefold over the past two decades, when measured by value of premiums, thanks to a mainland buying spree targeting life insurance products and the companies selling them. The gross value of insurance policy premiums in 2016 stood at HK$448.8 billion (US$57.55 billion), up 763 per cent from HK$52 billion in 1997, according to government statistics. By taking over Hong Kong insurance companies, mainland companies find it easier to obtain the licences... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2099525/mainland-appetite-fuels-ninefold-growth-hong-kongs-insurance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2099525/mainland-appetite-fuels-ninefold-growth-hong-kongs-insurance?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2017 04:31:52 +0000 It is traditional in Hong Kong for dignitaries to attend a special flag-raising event on the morning of July 1 – the anniversary of the 1997 handover. This one was special as it was the first one presided over by the city’s new leader, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. However, not far away, police cleared more than 20 activists trying to get to the site after they encounterd a far larger group of pro-Beijing supporters. The invitation-only event at Golden Bauhinia Square saw the Hong Kong and Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100830/incoming-leader-carrie-lam-leads-handover-anniversary-flag?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100830/incoming-leader-carrie-lam-leads-handover-anniversary-flag?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2017 01:15:15 +0000 Two Hong Kong opposition lawmakers held a brief meeting with a Beijing official on Friday on the sidelines of the banquet for visiting President Xi Jinping in which they voiced their concerns at the “distorted” implementation of the “one country, two systems” policy. Dennis Kwok of the Civic Party described the 15-minute chat with Huang Liuquan, deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, as a “start” but “far from enough”. “I hope they will interpret us going to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100811/two-hong-kong-pan-democrats-pass-protest-letters-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100811/two-hong-kong-pan-democrats-pass-protest-letters-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 16:41:49 +0000 It was a day of frustration for activists calling for greater democracy in Hong Kong and the release of prominent mainland dissident Liu Xiaobo as they were unable to catch visiting President Xi Jinping’s eye or make their voices heard by him. They ended up complaining that the unprecedented security blanket had turned Hong Kong into a “police state”. A separatist group planning a public rally to “mourn the fall of Hong Kong” was forced to call off its plans. On Friday night, about 20 activists... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100807/frustration-hong-kong-protesters-trying-catch-xis-eye?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100807/frustration-hong-kong-protesters-trying-catch-xis-eye?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 16:12:03 +0000 Hong Kong’s insurance market may be crowded, but there is still room for newcomers thanks to Asia’s expanding middle class, particularly in mainland China. Growing levels of individual wealth have fuelled demand for life insurance and pension products in Hong Kong during the past two decades, according to Tay Keng Puang, managing director and chief executive of MassMutual Asia. “The market is very competitive as there are many insurance companies in Hong Kong. But we believe offering the right... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2100613/still-room-newcomers-hong-kong-insurance-market-says-massmutual?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2100613/still-room-newcomers-hong-kong-insurance-market-says-massmutual?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 16:02:36 +0000 Hong Kong’s soon-to-be “first husband” finally opened up on Friday evening, the eve of his wife Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s swearing-in as the next chief executive, declaring that he will “be the man behind her”. At the welcome banquet for President Xi Jinping, Lam Siu-por was relaxed and candid when the media scrambled to talk to him. The shy mathematics scholar who had so far studiously tried to avoid the limelight shared his sentiments as the couple embark on a new chapter of their... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100797/supportive-avoiding-disturbances-far-less-travelling-carrie?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100797/supportive-avoiding-disturbances-far-less-travelling-carrie?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 14:24:35 +0000 China’s government will allow foreign investors to trade in the country’s US$9.3 trillion bond market, a vital step in helping to internationalise the yuan and help deepen the capital market. A scheme called the Bond Connect (債券通) will use Hong Kong as the staging point to access China’s interbank bond market, one of several economic gifts that Beijing has bestowed on the city to mark the 20th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to mainland China’s rule. The scheme will officially... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/2100758/hong-kong-be-staging-point-plan-draw-100-billion-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/2100758/hong-kong-be-staging-point-plan-draw-100-billion-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 11:45:45 +0000 The Chinese Foreign Ministry has declared the Sino-British Joint Declaration, that laid the groundwork for Hong Kong’s handover, a “historical document that no longer has any realistic meaning”, after Britain and the United States spoke of the binding effect of the 1984 treaty on China and the city. Ministry spokesman Lu Kang hit back at remarks from the two countries on Friday, hours after they issued statements on the political condition of the city, as it marks 20 years since that handover,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100779/sino-british-joint-declaration-hong-kong-no-longer-has-any?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100779/sino-british-joint-declaration-hong-kong-no-longer-has-any?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 11:43:12 +0000 President Xi Jinping has called on Hongkongers to “believe in themselves, in Hong Kong, and in the country”, as he painted a bright outlook for a city that was occasionally left in confusion and uncertainty. “The road ahead is not always smooth, but our original intent is unchanged, our determination unwavering,” Xi said in a keynote speech in a banquet the night before the 20th anniversary of the city’s handover from British to Chinese sovereignty. While noting the country’s “strong backing”... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100766/watch-all-eyes-chinese-president-xi-jinping-he-addresses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100766/watch-all-eyes-chinese-president-xi-jinping-he-addresses?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 10:00:30 +0000 With everyone wondering about the fate of the city some 20 years after its return to China, several Hong Kong feng shui masters appear to have the answers. Applying the Taoist theories of yin and yang and the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water, the ­fortune-tellers offer a variety of predictions regarding politics, society and economic development. While some are confident about the city’s future because of its “blessed location”, others warn the good luck it has enjoyed for so... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2097766/will-hong-kong-be-speculators-paradise-soaring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2097766/will-hong-kong-be-speculators-paradise-soaring?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 07:00:45 +0000 Two members of a radical pro-democracy party have claimed they were tailed by strangers after being released from police custody on Thursday morning. The pair were among 26 protesters arrested on Wednesday night, less than a day before President Xi Jinping arrived in Hong Kong for his three-day visit to mark 20 years since the city was handed from British rule to Chinese. They had protested at the symbolic bauhinia statue in Wan Chai – a gift from the central government to mark the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100710/two-hong-kong-pro-democracy-campaigners-claim-they-were?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100710/two-hong-kong-pro-democracy-campaigners-claim-they-were?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 06:07:53 +0000 Soldiers at Hong Kong People’s Liberation Army garrison broke with a tradition dating back more than 30 years to offer a more personalised welcome to President Xi Jinping during his inspection on Friday. Instead of shouting “hello, commander”, as would be the usual case at official inspections, PLA troops instead shouted “hello, chairman” – a welcome that has never been heard at such an event. Analysts believed the new greeting was a gesture by the PLA to assert its sovereignty in the city, as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100703/hello-chairman-hong-kong-pla-troops-break-tradition-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100703/hello-chairman-hong-kong-pla-troops-break-tradition-new?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 05:30:30 +0000 The Hong Kong garrison has tried to polish the People’s Liberation Army’s international image in the two decades since the handover, but observers warn that changes in the city’s political landscape have raised a less sympathetic spectre. That’s because many older Hongkongers remain haunted by images of the PLA’s role in the bloody crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Beijing that started late on the night of June 3, 1989, during which an unconfirmed number of unarmed civilians died. Such... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2095157/chinas-military-puts-its-best-foot-forward-charm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2095157/chinas-military-puts-its-best-foot-forward-charm?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 00:03:03 +0000 Parts of Hong Kong ground to a standstill on Thursday as police threw an unprecedented ring of security around President Xi Jinping and his entourage to shield them from all, including protesters – who were nowhere in sight after more than two dozen were detained the previous night. Workers in their office blocks had to wait as Xi’s motorcade passed by, while pedestrians were steered away from pavements and drivers from several roads ­before Xi and wife Peng Liyuan ­arrived in the city at noon... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100644/hong-kong-police-leave-nothing-chance-xi-jinping-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100644/hong-kong-police-leave-nothing-chance-xi-jinping-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2017 16:57:27 +0000 Mainland scientists and three astronauts mingled with Hong Kong students to discuss rocket science and space exploration as part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the city’s handover to China. The astronauts met 300 primary school pupils, urging the youngsters to discover the universe as proud Chinese people. Pro-Beijing group given priority for July 1 march venue at Victoria Park over annual event organiser Speaking at a science and technology exhibition in Victoria Park in Causeway... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2100627/chinese-astronauts-urge-hong-kong-pupils-discover?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2100627/chinese-astronauts-urge-hong-kong-pupils-discover?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2017 12:45:30 +0000 Children at a kindergarten in an upscale neighbourhood in Hong Kong went back to class on their day off on Thursday, as China’s first lady was expected to visit the preschool. Yau Yat Chuen School in Kowloon Tong is one of the stops during President Xi Jinping and wife Peng Liyuan’s three-day visit in Hong Kong. The first couple arrived in the city on Thursday. Ken Auyeung, whose six-year-old daughter attends the kindergarten, said the girl had been practising how to say “welcome” in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100558/hong-kong-kindergarten-gears-visit-xis-wife-peng-liyuan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100558/hong-kong-kindergarten-gears-visit-xis-wife-peng-liyuan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2017 06:44:37 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping has been steadfast in his commitment to the “one country, two systems” principle in the governing of Hong Kong, according to two articles from People’s Daily – the Communist Party’s top mouthpiece – hours ahead of Xi’s arrival to the city for a landmark three-day visit. One of the reports in the newspaper set out about 20 things Xi had said or done to support the city since he became the party’s supreme leader in 2012. Among the highlights were Xi’s various meetings... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100535/chinese-newspaper-peoples-daily-lauds-xis-commitment-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100535/chinese-newspaper-peoples-daily-lauds-xis-commitment-one?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2017 05:00:15 +0000 Hong Kong’s wealthiest are not what they used to be. Where and how fortunes were made very much charted how quickly they grew their billions in the two decades since Hong Kong returned to Chinese power in 1997. Just as the property business was the mainstay to their rise and success in the 1980s and 1990s, diversification into other industries and geographies became the key to their wealth. No other tycoon exemplifies the change as well as Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong’s richest man. Li’s estimated net... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2100424/secret-hong-kong-tycoons-success-one-word-diversify?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2100424/secret-hong-kong-tycoons-success-one-word-diversify?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2017 04:30:45 +0000 Twenty years ago, when Hong Kong waved farewell to Britain’s 156 years of colonial rule, the city’s stock market was still in a bubble fuelled by rising household wealth and inflows of hot money. The Asian financial crisis of 1997 was just around the corner, but nobody could foresee the subsequent bursting of the dotcom bubble in 2000, the 2002 penny stock collapse, the 2003 SARS epidemic, the euphoric boom and bust of 2007, the 2008 global financial crisis, the 2011 European debt crisis, and... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2100313/two-decades-hong-kongs-stock-market-sees-china-everywhere?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2100313/two-decades-hong-kongs-stock-market-sees-china-everywhere?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2017 00:00:45 +0000 President Xi Jinping begins his three-day visit to Hong Kong on Thursday under an ­unprecedented security blanket and on a tight schedule that ­includes reaching out to youth and other groups, as well as inaugurating a new government on the 20th ­anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain to China. According to state television, he will make a speech on arrival at the airport, ahead of his keynote address at the main ceremony on Saturday. Roads are closed and parts of Wan Chai and Admiralty... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100457/security-lockdown-xi-jinpings-visit-hong-kong-begins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100457/security-lockdown-xi-jinpings-visit-hong-kong-begins?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jun 2017 16:15:15 +0000 Business and political heavyweight Peter Woo Kwong-ching said Hong Kong must realise what was in its interests and reject the “negative and passive monitoring” of government that had ­hindered progress in recent years. Woo, former chairman of property giants Wheelock and Wharf Holdings, also said there was plenty to do in terms of social and economic development as he expressed confidence in incoming chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. He supported Lam’s election bid earlier this year as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100454/heavyweight-beijing-adviser-urges-hong-kong-reject-negative?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100454/heavyweight-beijing-adviser-urges-hong-kong-reject-negative?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jun 2017 16:00:39 +0000 China is further opening its doors to Hong Kong investors after two bilateral trade agreements were signed on Wednesday, a day before President Xi Jinping’s arrival to mark the 20th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule. With immediate effect, the agreements grant local businesses most preferential investment access to the world’s second largest economy – in both service and non-services sectors – and pave the way for the city to further participate in China’s go global strategy. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2100442/china-and-hong-kong-sign-two-trade-agreements-giving-local?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2100442/china-and-hong-kong-sign-two-trade-agreements-giving-local?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jun 2017 13:56:38 +0000 Pro-democracy activists called on their supporters to rally outside the North Point police station on Thursday morning after 26 of them were arrested for besieging a symbolic statue in protest at the Chinese Communist Party’s regime hours ahead of President Xi Jinping’s arrival in Hong Kong. For the second time in three days, some 20 protesters from Demosisto, People Power and the League of Social Democrats climbed up and inside the Golden Bauhinia statue – a gift from Beijing to mark the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100439/hong-kong-activists-stage-second-protest-handover-statue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100439/hong-kong-activists-stage-second-protest-handover-statue?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jun 2017 13:50:03 +0000 Hong Kong’s role as a global financial hub may be under threat unless the city can embrace technology and adapt quickly to the tectonic changes that have taken place in the financial landscape in the two decade since its return to Chinese rule, experts say. The future may very well be in the combination of technology with the key pillars of finance, wealth management, insurance, legal and compliance services of Hong Kong’s economy. Three words will be crucial to this future: fintech for... https://www.scmp.com/tech/enterprises/article/2100306/hong-kongs-future-learning-new-words-fintech-regtech-wealthtech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/enterprises/article/2100306/hong-kongs-future-learning-new-words-fintech-regtech-wealthtech?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jun 2017 09:00:15 +0000 Banished from Hong Kong’s elite sports structure in 1997 for underperforming, the world’s most popular game has made such insignificant progress it appears to be going backwards. The decision to exclude soccer from the Hong Kong Sports Institute 20 years ago has had a far-reaching impact on soccer development – or the lack of it, say players and coaches. “I can’t say Hong Kong soccer has made no progress in the years since the handover, but the progress is so insignificant that when compared to... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2100368/we-look-were-moving-backwards-how-hong-kong-soccer-has-struggled-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2100368/we-look-were-moving-backwards-how-hong-kong-soccer-has-struggled-its?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jun 2017 08:15:00 +0000 In his policy address as Hong Kong’s first chief executive in October 1997, Tung Chee-hwa outlined his vision to make the city “a leader, not a follower, in the information world of tomorrow”. That initiative was eventually manifested in the Hong Kong Science Park in Sha Tin to help foster a vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem in a city otherwise known as a major international shipping, trading and financial centre. The following year saw the government promoting Tung’s vision with the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/2100308/when-will-hong-kongs-next-octopus-moment-occur?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/2100308/when-will-hong-kongs-next-octopus-moment-occur?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jun 2017 04:00:45 +0000 Local fans will part with a staggering HK$7,800 for the best seats in the house when a group of NBA players compete in Hong Kong for the first time, but organisers are yet to confirm the line-up for the July 30 exhibition at the Coliseum, which forms part of the territory’s handover 20th anniversary celebrations. Around 10 players from teams including the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are expected to feature in an NBA team who will play a team from the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/2100299/best-seats-will-fetch-staggering-hk7800-see-nba-stars-during-handover?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/2100299/best-seats-will-fetch-staggering-hk7800-see-nba-stars-during-handover?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jun 2017 01:48:02 +0000 Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao said on Tuesday that Hong Kong had an irreplaceable role to play in national development, urging the city to divert energy from political controversies to economic issues. In a meeting with a delegation of Hong Kong businessmen in Beijing, Li said the most outstanding and important problem facing the city was how to speed up its development. He was later quoted as saying that the city needed to transform and innovate, as it had spent a lot of energy on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100258/focus-economy-not-politics-chinese-vice-president-tells-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100258/focus-economy-not-politics-chinese-vice-president-tells-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jun 2017 13:19:45 +0000 People have been spending their whole lives trying to live longer, but to 93-year-old Sum Shuet longevity is nothing but a curse. “I hope my son will fall asleep soon so I can also sleep,” Sum said, referring to the Chinese metaphor which essentially means death. “I do not want to live any more.” The nightmare dates back 13 years when Sum’s then 55-year-old son, an electronics repairman and the breadwinner of the family, had a stroke which left him staying in a care home. Instead of being taken... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2099749/hong-kongs-ageing-time-bomb-cause-concern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2099749/hong-kongs-ageing-time-bomb-cause-concern?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jun 2017 09:02:12 +0000 For security reasons, President Xi Jinping and his wife could break with the tradition of leaders staying in a top hotel and opt for the Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel in Wan Chai during their three-day visit to the city, the Post has learnt. His delegation will be in the adjacent, more exclusive, Grand Hyatt and both hotels will be closed to other guests. The key factor favouring the Renaissance is that the site allows the president to get into a bulletproof limousine under cover of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100138/barricades-building-halt-and-bulletproof-windows-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100138/barricades-building-halt-and-bulletproof-windows-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jun 2017 05:45:15 +0000 Kwun Tong district councillor Yip Hing-kwok received a phone call one warm evening earlier this month as he was back home after a day’s work. On the other end of the line was a familiar voice, inviting him and some residents to Government House for a gathering – the June 10 farewell tea party Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying had with a score of Amoy Gardens residents. “That is the CY I have known,” said Yip, recounting his talk with Hong Kong’s outgoing leader. “He and the residents were... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100053/five-years-hits-and-misses-leung-chun-ying-steps-down-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100053/five-years-hits-and-misses-leung-chun-ying-steps-down-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jun 2017 12:45:15 +0000 The head of the Beijing government department that handles Hong Kong matters has called for “new thinking” from all members of incoming chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s cabinet. But Wang Guangya, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, sidestepped questions on whether it had turned down some of Lam’s original picks for ministerial posts, saying only that here had been “two-way communication” in vetting the list. Attending the opening of a National Museum... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100011/top-beijing-official-hong-kong-affairs-calls-new-thinking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2100011/top-beijing-official-hong-kong-affairs-calls-new-thinking?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jun 2017 07:49:00 +0000 The judges have voted and the verdict is in – Donald Ho’s moody image of fog rolling into Victoria Harbour beat more than 8,700 entries to be named our #myhkmoment competition winner. Ho wrote on his Facebook entry: “Beneath the Lion Rock mountain is a city under sweeping change of tides.” The image was voted a clear winner by our judging panel of Edward Barnieh, Daniel Lau, Elaine Li, Vivien Liu and Kyle Yu - who have more than 771,000 combined followers on Instagram - as well as South China... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2099956/winners-revealed-myhkmoment-photo-competition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2099956/winners-revealed-myhkmoment-photo-competition?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jun 2017 06:30:45 +0000 A top Chinese diplomat said that the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong had been “fully protected” and that democracy had “steadily progressed” since the handover 20 years ago. State Councillor Yang Jiechi said the central government would stand firm on its “one country, two systems” principle in ruling Hong Kong. The diplomat was speaking at the opening ceremony of a high-profile exhibition on the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover at the National Museum of China in the heart of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2099965/hongkongers-rights-and-freedoms-fully-protected-handover-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2099965/hongkongers-rights-and-freedoms-fully-protected-handover-top?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jun 2017 04:57:53 +0000 Members of three radical pan-democratic groups covered an iconic symbol of Hong Kong’s handover in black cloth on Monday in protest against the administration ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit later this week. Protesters including Demosisto secretary-general Joshua Wong Chi-fung, People Power activist Tam Tak-chi and representatives from the League of Social Democrats swathed the Golden Bauhinia statue in Wan Chai – a gift from the central government to mark the city’s 1997 transfer of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2099940/joshua-wong-and-other-activists-cover-iconic-golden-bauhinia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2099940/joshua-wong-and-other-activists-cover-iconic-golden-bauhinia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jun 2017 01:54:16 +0000 When first lady Peng Liyuan joins her husband, President Xi Jinping, on a visit to Hong Kong to mark the 20th anniversary of the handover, she will not be a stranger to such festivities. The well-known soprano has performed at two previous celebrations – in 2004 and 2007. At the 2004 concert held for the seventh anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China, she sang the famous tune My Motherland, a moving tale of a Chinese soldier fighting for his country and pining for his home and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2099915/xi-jinpings-wife-peng-liyuan-add-dash-glamour-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2099915/xi-jinpings-wife-peng-liyuan-add-dash-glamour-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jun 2017 00:32:22 +0000 A Hong Kong police squad responsible for protecting the vehicles of state leaders has developed anti-terror tactics based on recent overseas truck attacks, ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit. Police said the Force Escort Group would guard the cars used by Xi, who arrives in Hong Kong on June 29 for a three-day visit to attend celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the city’s handover to China and the swearing in of the new ­government on July 1. Details revealed of massive Hong Kong police... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2099900/vip-protection-squad-adopts-anti-terror-tactics-xi-jinpings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2099900/vip-protection-squad-adopts-anti-terror-tactics-xi-jinpings?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jun 2017 00:32:21 +0000 It has been nine years since President Xi Jinping made an official visit to Hong Kong. During his last tour in July 2008, then vice-president Xi opted not to arrive by plane but came and left by car through the Lok Ma Chau border checkpoint. He had just visited Guangdong, but the choice of route was seen as a way to say Hong Kong was truly connected to the mainland. A key highlight of his visit then was to inspect the city’s preparations for the equestrian events that Hong Kong was to host as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2099914/president-xi-jinping-no-stranger-hong-kong-following-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2099914/president-xi-jinping-no-stranger-hong-kong-following-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jun 2017 00:30:15 +0000