https://www.scmp.com/rss/510381/feed Cat Wang joined the Post as a Graduate Trainee reporter in 2021. She graduated with a degree in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles. Based in Hong Kong, Cat was previously an intern for the New York Times’ T Brand Studio and for CNN International. She was a member of the 2021 Student Newsroom and Innovation Lab of the Online News Association, and prior to that, the recipient of a 2018 Columbia Journalism School Fellowship from the Asian American Journalists... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com China has long trumpeted its claim that this year’s Winter Olympics will be the greenest Games ever, and even proposed a flameless cauldron at the opening ceremony as a nod to being environmentally friendly. And even for the International Olympic Committee, who are very vocal about their commitment to being carbon-neutral, and insist hosts are equally climate conscious, that was a step too far. As it was, the tiny Olympic flame still raised eyebrows, as did famed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3166352/tiny-olympic-flame-shines-light-beijing-claim-will-be-greenest-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3166352/tiny-olympic-flame-shines-light-beijing-claim-will-be-greenest-games?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Feb 2022 23:15:26 +0000 Since curling became an official sport at the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998, the complex game of “chess on ice” has become a staple of the Games. The sport has been dominated by Canada, Sweden, and Great Britain, who have won six, three, and two Olympic gold medals respectively. Competition for curling got under way at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on Wednesday night, with China’s mixed doubles curling team delighting fans following a dramatic 7-6 victory over Pyeongchang silver medallists... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3165642/winter-olympics-who-are-big-guns-chinas-curling-team-beijing-2022?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3165642/winter-olympics-who-are-big-guns-chinas-curling-team-beijing-2022?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Feb 2022 02:41:46 +0000 While unveiling plans for the Winter Olympics this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the event marked an opportunity to develop winter sports across Chinese society, from rich or poor. “The enthusiasm brought about by Beijing 2022 should be maintained to promote the sustainable development of winter sports at both elite and grass roots levels,” Xi said, quoted in People’s Daily, the official mouthpiece of China’s Communist Party. The goal to increase “grass roots” involvement in winter... https://www.scmp.com/beijing-winter-olympics-2022/article/3165294/winter-olympics-how-china-trying-make-winter-sports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/beijing-winter-olympics-2022/article/3165294/winter-olympics-how-china-trying-make-winter-sports?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Jan 2022 02:15:09 +0000 Before she became Belgium’s first Winter Olympian in the sport of skeleton, Kim Meylemans came out as gay. “Being true to myself, instead of hiding or changing who I am, improved my sport performance,” Meylemans told Out For The Win, a non-profit she serves that shares the stories of LGBT athletes. “Hiding your true colours takes a lot of energy and I decided to use my energy for my sport instead.” Meylemans will compete in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, where she will be one of several out,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3165292/winter-olympics-approach-where-are-chinas-gay-athletes-beijing-2022-set?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3165292/winter-olympics-approach-where-are-chinas-gay-athletes-beijing-2022-set?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:15:19 +0000 Daily tests, health app tracking and sequestered living facilities await thousands of athletes, coaches, officials and more when they arrive in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The entire event, which starts next week, will take place within a Covid-19 bubble – or “closed loop” as it’s called in China – that encompasses living quarters, competition venues and other official facilities, where everyone inside is isolated from the public. As the world’s second “pandemic Games”, the Winter... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3164912/winter-olympics-covid-control-chinese-characteristics-what-beijing-has?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3164912/winter-olympics-covid-control-chinese-characteristics-what-beijing-has?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jan 2022 06:47:23 +0000 Organisers of February’s 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing said they were confident its coronavirus prevention measures “will not be compromised”, as the Chinese capital tightens Covid-19 rules ahead of the Games. International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Director Christophe Dubi told the Post there would be no transmission between those inside and outside the “closed loop”, a sealed-off area where the Games will take place across three zones. “The measures that [Beijing’s organisers] have... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3163507/beijing-2022-winter-games-closed-loop-impenetrable-ioc-director?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3163507/beijing-2022-winter-games-closed-loop-impenetrable-ioc-director?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jan 2022 04:53:36 +0000 More than 2,000 sets of athlete uniforms manufactured in Xinjiang have been delivered to China’s team for the Winter Olympics, amid continuing tensions about the alleged use of forced labour in the region. The sets of winter clothing, which incorporate cotton and camel hair sourced from Xinjiang, were unveiled by Yaju Bedding Co Ltd, a textiles company based in Habahe County. Ski suits, gloves, hats, and ear protectors for athletes arrived on Wednesday, according to Beijing Daily, less than a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3162459/beijing-2022-2000-china-uniforms-made-xinjiang-delivered-olympic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3162459/beijing-2022-2000-china-uniforms-made-xinjiang-delivered-olympic?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Jan 2022 03:15:20 +0000 The official designs for the Beijing Olympics’ medal ceremonies have been unveiled by organisers, prompting widespread criticism among Chinese online users who described the costumes to be worn by staff as “unbearably ugly”. The costumes debuted in a post on the organising committee’s Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like online networking tool, gaining more than 366,000 likes and 17,000 comments. As athletes receive their medals, supporting staff will be wearing one of these three different designs... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3162110/beijing-2022-unbearably-ugly-chinese-uniforms-go-viral-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3162110/beijing-2022-unbearably-ugly-chinese-uniforms-go-viral-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jan 2022 11:41:34 +0000 The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which went ahead this year, marked the first instance of the landmark sporting event taking place amid a global pandemic, while previously the 1920 Games in Antwerp happened only months after the Spanish Flu had subsided. Given China’s zero-Covid approach, next month’s Beijing Games is expected to feature stricter virus control measures than ever seen before, which some critics have suggested defeats the purpose of the Olympics entirely. Key among these measures is... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3160761/beijings-covid-playbook-sets-out-rules-athletes-heading-2022?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3160761/beijings-covid-playbook-sets-out-rules-athletes-heading-2022?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Dec 2021 09:15:21 +0000 The confirmation that the United States was going ahead with its diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing shocked the international community, largely because boycotts of the landmark sporting event have been rare. Washington’s stance means it will not send top officials to Beijing, in protest against China’s human rights record, but athletes will still compete. This approach contrasts starkly with the last time the US boycotted the Games, when it declined to send any delegation to... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3158808/us-decision-boycott-winter-olympics-rare-move-what-does-it-mean-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3158808/us-decision-boycott-winter-olympics-rare-move-what-does-it-mean-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Dec 2021 12:41:53 +0000 China’s CDC has issued sanitation guidelines for package and food delivery companies after the coronavirus was detected on several parcels earlier this month. The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that the companies should disinfect delivery equipment and ensure workers had hygienic supplies throughout their shifts. The guidelines were issued even though those who came in direct contact with the packages, from the shippers to the recipients, tested negative for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3156836/coronavirus-china-tells-delivery-firms-step-disinfection?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3156836/coronavirus-china-tells-delivery-firms-step-disinfection?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Nov 2021 07:30:14 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden both emphasised the importance of cooperation when they met for a virtual summit on Tuesday. While a full transcript of the meeting, which lasted over 3½ hours and covered a wide range of topics, has not been released, the Chinese foreign ministry and the White House have published readouts summarising the proceedings. Here’s how they addressed key issues discussed by the two leaders. Bilateral relations China: Xi emphasised that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3156280/how-xi-and-biden-tackled-hot-button-issues-virtual-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3156280/how-xi-and-biden-tackled-hot-button-issues-virtual-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Nov 2021 17:00:26 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden met in a virtual summit on Tuesday, their first “face-to-face” meeting since Biden entered the White House. The meeting lasted more than 3½ hours, and statements issued by both sides described it as a candid exchange. Here are some of the main points each leader raised, based on readouts from the Chinese foreign ministry and the White House. Xi Jinping: “In the next 50 years, the most important thing in international relations is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3156252/us-china-relations-key-quotes-xi-jinping-and-joe-bidens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3156252/us-china-relations-key-quotes-xi-jinping-and-joe-bidens?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Nov 2021 16:00:13 +0000 China is one of more than 100 nations that pledged at the COP26 climate talks this month to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030. But that has not stopped criticism of the country’s role in global deforestation. China’s commercial supply chains lean heavily on so-called forest-risk commodities, or agribusiness materials such as palm oil, soy beans and beef cattle, which involve forest destruction, Rod Taylor, global director of the forests programme at the World Resources... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3155704/china-signs-combat-forest-destruction-critics-say-its-not-enough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3155704/china-signs-combat-forest-destruction-critics-say-its-not-enough?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Nov 2021 02:00:15 +0000 Astronomer Ye Shuhua played an instrumental role in China’s space programme in the 20th century. But the well-known scientist, who is now 94 and still working, says she had to overcome restrictive gender stereotypes to do it. “If you want to get something, you have to fight for it. You must show your ability,” Ye told the World Laureates Association’s SHE Forum in Shanghai last week. “If we do better and try our best, then I think women’s positions will become more and more equal, or even... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3155893/meet-scientist-behind-beijing-time-she-also-has-asteroid-named?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3155893/meet-scientist-behind-beijing-time-she-also-has-asteroid-named?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Nov 2021 13:00:28 +0000 On Monday, top officials of China’s Communist Party will consider and likely adopt a “historical resolution” at the Central Committee’s most important meeting ahead of next year’s national congress. The “Resolution of the CCP Central Committee on the Major Achievements and Historical Experiences of the Party’s Centennial Struggle”, to be discussed at the sixth plenary session of the party’s highest governing body, is set to look back at key events in the party’s 100-year history and enshrine... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3154996/xi-jinpings-historical-resolution-what-it-and-why-it-important?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3154996/xi-jinpings-historical-resolution-what-it-and-why-it-important?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Nov 2021 01:00:23 +0000 A Chinese LGBT advocacy group has suspended operations indefinitely and closed its social media accounts amid a nationwide tightening of social controls. LGBT Rights Advocacy China, a non-profit providing legal support for the LGBT community, announced the move early on Friday. Its final message on WeChat, one of the country’s leading social media platforms, said: “We are grateful for all your companionship and support over the years. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3155070/chinese-lgbt-support-group-shuts-down-operations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3155070/chinese-lgbt-support-group-shuts-down-operations?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Nov 2021 14:00:13 +0000 Shanghai Disneyland will remain closed until at least Tuesday after a Covid-19 case was linked to the park, with nearly 34,000 people tested before they were allowed to leave the site on Sunday. It comes as China reported 59 locally acquired cases on Monday – a new daily high since the latest outbreak began on October 17. The managers of Shanghai Disneyland and Disneytown, an extension of the park that includes shops and restaurants, announced at 6pm on Sunday that entry to all facilities would... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3154432/coronavirus-link-confirmed-case-closes-shanghai-disneyland-visitors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3154432/coronavirus-link-confirmed-case-closes-shanghai-disneyland-visitors?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Nov 2021 07:40:38 +0000 Taiwan’s top official in charge of cross-strait relations called on Beijing to renounce hostility towards the island and said Taipei would consider relaxing restrictions on exchanges with mainland China after the Covid-19 pandemic. But the comments by Chiu Tai-san, head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, were rejected by Beijing, which called it a “deception tactic”. In a speech at a symposium on China’s modernisation on Friday, Chiu said Taiwan was planning a “gradual easing of controls” on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3154211/taiwan-talks-cross-strait-exchanges-urges-beijing-renounce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3154211/taiwan-talks-cross-strait-exchanges-urges-beijing-renounce?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Oct 2021 11:09:23 +0000 Police are searching for the murderer of seven people, including a local official who was killed at his home, in Wuhan in central China in the early hours of Monday morning. Xiaosi township’s acting party secretary Zhang Qihong was killed along with four members of his family, including two children. The district’s Public Security Bureau alleges a 39-year-old resident surnamed Gao of Luohan village, in Xiaosi township, used a knife to murder the party secretary and others before fleeing Zhang’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3153697/police-wuhan-hunt-murderer-after-local-official-and-six-others-killed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3153697/police-wuhan-hunt-murderer-after-local-official-and-six-others-killed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Oct 2021 05:25:24 +0000 Visitors to a retirees’ social club in a Kwun Tong public housing estate are greeted by Tung Zai, the voice-activated robot receptionist. They can ask a question in Cantonese about the day’s activities at the centre by pressing a button on its head. Press a button on its stomach, and Tung Zai will make a random comment, offering healthy lifestyle tips, perhaps, or deliver a compliment such as: “You are very pretty!” It can also tell jokes and quote Chinese poetry. “I’ve never seen anything like... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3153483/hong-kong-elderly-centre-gets-robot-receptionist-who-answers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3153483/hong-kong-elderly-centre-gets-robot-receptionist-who-answers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Oct 2021 06:00:32 +0000 Zhu Genghui is new to online shopping but she has taken to it like someone a third of her age. In between taking care of her grandchildren and square dancing in the park, the 67-year-old spends an average of three hours a day on her phone looking for clothing, home goods, and health supplements. “The quality is better than most things I can get at a supermarket, and it’s easier, especially when there are lots of good deals,” Zhu said. The retiree also shares links for items with a group of her... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3153456/older-chinese-consumers-turning-silver-e-commerce-gold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3153456/older-chinese-consumers-turning-silver-e-commerce-gold?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Oct 2021 02:00:27 +0000 Former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying has warned against the “flames of irresponsible journalism” as he hit back at a news outlet that raised questions about his public financial disclosures based on the Pandora Papers, the biggest leak yet of data about tax haven secrecy. In a series of Facebook posts on Monday, Leung accused Stand News of misrepresenting the facts and being either ignorant of the laws governing what the city leader must disclose about his finances or driven by ulterior... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3151162/former-hong-kong-leader-caught-pandora-papers-hits-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3151162/former-hong-kong-leader-caught-pandora-papers-hits-back?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Oct 2021 12:15:01 +0000 Beijing’s top representative in Hong Kong stressed the need to solve the city’s housing problems on Thursday as he kicked off a week-long community outreach drive by his office to “listen directly to the grass roots” on the eve of the country’s National Day. Luo Huining, director of Beijing’s liaison office in the city, visited at least five places on the first day of the effort, meeting a range of people such as young tech entrepreneurs, elderly residents seeking free medical help, fishermen... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3150810/beijings-top-man-hong-kong-visits-cage-home-and-medical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3150810/beijings-top-man-hong-kong-visits-cage-home-and-medical?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Sep 2021 16:37:40 +0000 The international organisers behind the Gay Games have expressed confidence the event will go ahead in Hong Kong in 2023 after it was postponed a year over concerns linked to Covid-19 travel restrictions. The Federation of Gay Games said on Thursday the additional time would allow for more marketing and commended the local organisers for developing contingency plans. “Smaller events leading up to the Games will now happen over the next two years, so that we can go and get everyone really excited... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3150792/international-backers-gay-games-confident-hong-kong-event?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3150792/international-backers-gay-games-confident-hong-kong-event?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Sep 2021 13:26:27 +0000 A 13-year-old maths prodigy is taking in stride the pressure that comes with being the youngest student in the history of City University of Hong Kong. Sean Kong Ko-lun is used to being younger than his classmates. He skipped his last year of kindergarten and then four grades after that before acing his GCE A-level exams. “Even though I was admitted at a younger age than normal, I don’t feel much pressure because I interact with other students very well in a friendly manner,” he said. “So I feel... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3150637/meet-sean-kong-13-year-old-maths-prodigy-who-youngest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3150637/meet-sean-kong-13-year-old-maths-prodigy-who-youngest?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Sep 2021 15:41:23 +0000 Two public hospital doctors in Hong Kong have been given suspended sentences after they were found guilty of professional misconduct for failing to prescribe an important antiviral drug to a liver patient who later died. The Medical Council on Thursday spared the duo from immediate suspension of their licences, ruling that Lam Chi-kwan and Chan Siu-kim of United Christian Hospital be struck off the doctors’ general register for five months and three months respectively if they reoffended within... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3149853/2-hong-kong-doctors-get-suspended-sentences-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3149853/2-hong-kong-doctors-get-suspended-sentences-over?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Sep 2021 12:10:07 +0000 After more than 18 months of gloom brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival is lighting up Hong Kong, with illuminated installations springing up all around town. A glowing, three-dimensional moon 15 metres across sits on a tugboat in the Kwun Tong typhoon shelter, right next to the Kai Tak cruise terminal. On the adjacent promenade, just below the Kwun Tong Bypass, are rabbit figurines of various sizes – also illuminated. At Wan Chai’s temporary promenade,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3149603/amid-pandemic-gloom-hong-kong-lights-mid-autumn-festival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3149603/amid-pandemic-gloom-hong-kong-lights-mid-autumn-festival?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Sep 2021 12:34:37 +0000 Two current and former leaders of the alliance behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil have urged the group’s members to support its disbandment, just days after nine people were jailed over their roles in last year’s banned event. Writing from behind bars, chairman Lee Cheuk-yan and former vice-chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan on Monday called on members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China to back the dissolution at an emergency general meeting to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3149457/hong-kong-national-security-law-2-jailed-leaders-tiananmen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3149457/hong-kong-national-security-law-2-jailed-leaders-tiananmen?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Sep 2021 11:47:24 +0000 The 2022 Gay Games, which Hong Kong was to host in just over a year, have been postponed until 2023 due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions. Founder and co-chair Dennis Philipse told the Post the decision to delay the event, which has never been held in Asia, was unrelated to recent attacks by a small group of lawmakers and made “purely from a Covid perspective”. Postponing also gave organisers more time to secure venues and for athletes to train, he said. We cannot have quarantine rules... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3148801/hong-kongs-gay-games-pushed-2023-due-strict-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3148801/hong-kongs-gay-games-pushed-2023-due-strict-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Sep 2021 05:38:00 +0000 A prisoners’ rights group in Hong Kong has announced it will disband after the city’s security chief warned that inmates arrested on national security charges were being encouraged by people outside prison walls to fight on for their causes. Wall-fare, a non-profit group led by former opposition lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun, took to social media on Tuesday to say it would be dissolved with immediate effect. “Even if we are crushed in the end, the time in between was worth it,” the group wrote in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3148693/hong-kong-rights-group-behind-prison-letter-writing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3148693/hong-kong-rights-group-behind-prison-letter-writing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Sep 2021 08:38:15 +0000 Hong Kong’s welfare minister has thrown his weight behind a Law Reform Commission suggestion to create a new criminal offence punishing those who fail to protect children or other vulnerable people from death or serious harm. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said on Monday that strict penalties for those who failed to report child abuse were necessary to prevent cases from falling through the cracks, though he did not say if he supported the commission’s proposed maximum jail term... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3148589/hong-kong-welfare-minister-throws-support-behind?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3148589/hong-kong-welfare-minister-throws-support-behind?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Sep 2021 11:09:23 +0000 A group of Hong Kong academics and community leaders has come together to provide emotional support to young people arrested over the anti-government protests of 2019 and their family members. About 180 have received help so far from Project Change, which was set up last year and describes itself as apolitical, law-abiding and willing to reach out to young people regardless of their political stance. “For Project Change, we walk with you, whatever conditions there are,” said Pauline Sung Chan... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3148407/hong-kong-academics-community-leaders-start-apolitical-ngo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3148407/hong-kong-academics-community-leaders-start-apolitical-ngo?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Sep 2021 07:33:27 +0000 Mooncake counterfeiters are targeting prominent labels such as Louis Vuitton, Hong Kong customs has revealed, after an operation that included the seizure of 114 boxes of such items bearing forged trademarks of well-known brands. It is the first time that suspects have been caught faking Louis Vuitton mooncakes. The bust included counterfeit mooncakes from catering company Maxim’s and Peninsula Hotel, and more than 2,000 other suspected bootleg household and fashion items. The total estimated... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3148353/louis-vuitton-among-brands-being-forged-mooncake-scam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3148353/louis-vuitton-among-brands-being-forged-mooncake-scam?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Sep 2021 12:16:16 +0000 The group behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil and three of its leaders have been charged with inciting subversion against state power under the national security law. A spokesman for the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China on Thursday evening said it was told by police the justice department would charge chairman Lee Cheuk-yan, vice-chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan and vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung, as well as the group itself. Chow, along with... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3148114/national-security-law-hong-kong-police-search-june-4?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3148114/national-security-law-hong-kong-police-search-june-4?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Sep 2021 05:46:03 +0000 Hong Kong’s financial services chief has dismissed lawmakers’ suggestions he did not act quickly enough against a fund set up to help anti-government protesters. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu was questioned by pro-establishment legislators about the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which has paid out more than HK$243 million (US$31.2 million) to those facing criminal prosecution or financial hardship as a result of the 2019 unrest. In response to a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3148038/hong-kong-lawmakers-take-financial-services-chief-task-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3148038/hong-kong-lawmakers-take-financial-services-chief-task-over?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Sep 2021 12:03:27 +0000 Hong Kong authorities must work with businesses to make the most of Beijing’s ambitious plan to integrate the financial hub with its mainland Chinese neighbours, including by encouraging young talent to seize career opportunities across the border, a panel of local business leaders has said. The panellists – taking part in a Redefining Hong Kong event hosted by the South China Morning Post on Tuesday – were discussing how to cement and amplify the city’s strategic role in the Greater Bay Area... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3147864/right-time-time-be-hong-kong-officials-businesses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3147864/right-time-time-be-hong-kong-officials-businesses?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Sep 2021 09:07:14 +0000 Beneath a rainbow-coloured umbrella, tour guide Michael Tsang Chi-fai addresses a rapt audience about a four-hour walk ahead. “We’re going to visit different places you may have never been to, but they’re each significant to the LGBT community,” he said. On a humid Saturday morning, more than 20 people gathered for a walking tour centred on the lives of LGBT people in Hong Kong, featuring seven different stops across Central. First up was the Court of Final Appeal, where Tsang noted that this... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3147602/local-walking-tour-takes-deep-dive-world-hong-kongs-lgbt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3147602/local-walking-tour-takes-deep-dive-world-hong-kongs-lgbt?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Sep 2021 15:11:35 +0000 At a bar in Hong Kong’s nightlife hub Lan Kwai Fong, 22-year-old Joanne Li* said she was not vaccinated against Covid-19 but that had not stopped her enjoying an evening out. She had not been asked to show proof of vaccination to get into her favourite bars, and had been allowed to stay past midnight. “I think Hong Kong is safe from the coronavirus because there are not many local cases,” said Li, who works in the financial industry and is not vaccinated because she is afraid of possible side... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3147569/clubbing-age-covid-19-false-vaccine-records-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3147569/clubbing-age-covid-19-false-vaccine-records-new?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Sep 2021 03:43:59 +0000 Senior mainland Chinese officials have expressed confidence in Hong Kong’s future as a global financial hub and stressed the central government will continue to back the city’s membership in the world’s largest free-trade deal. The city should also tap opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ambitious plan to grow global commerce, they told a forum in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Speaking via videoconferencing, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3147134/beijing-will-back-hong-kongs-entry-worlds-biggest-free?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3147134/beijing-will-back-hong-kongs-entry-worlds-biggest-free?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Sep 2021 05:55:08 +0000 More than 70 per cent of rooms in Hong Kong’s only designated quarantine hotel for foreign domestic workers have been booked in the past 24 hours, according to a representative of the property – but some employers cancelled contracts because of the high costs. Helpers returning from the Philippines and Indonesia under the government’s plan to allow fully vaccinated workers back into the city must stay at the four-star Silka Tsuen Wan hotel, at a cost of HK$800 (US$103) a night. That makes the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3146588/coronavirus-hong-kong-employers-say-new-helper?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3146588/coronavirus-hong-kong-employers-say-new-helper?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Aug 2021 04:32:26 +0000 Broad powers allowing Hong Kong’s national security police to demand private information from groups they accuse of having foreign ties have raised fears among some lawyers and activists over how they will be used. The application of that power against an opposition group this week has sparked debate over the effect on Hong Kong’s criminal system, with voices from both sides weighing in. Some analysts said it essentially allowed law enforcement agencies to label any group as “foreign agents”,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3146542/hong-kong-national-security-law-police-information-grab?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3146542/hong-kong-national-security-law-police-information-grab?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Aug 2021 00:00:24 +0000 A minister has rejected suggestions the appointment of a former transport official as head of Hong Kong’s aviation academy represents a conflict of interest, insisting the government is sticking to rules restricting senior civil servants from taking up private sector posts following their departure. Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen said his department’s decision to allow Simon Li Tin-chui, former director general of civil aviation, to assume the company position was made on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3146052/hong-kong-minister-rejects-conflict-interest-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3146052/hong-kong-minister-rejects-conflict-interest-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Aug 2021 10:17:00 +0000 Travellers needing to book three weeks of hotel quarantine in Hong Kong will probably have to wait until mid-September for availability, according to a Post analysis, after the sudden imposition of stricter rules triggered a scramble for rooms at designated facilities. But high demand has prompted the government to request that the existing hotel network make hundreds more rooms available to the travelling public, providing a glimmer of hope to those overseas and struggling to enter the city. Of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3145850/coronavirus-hong-kongs-21-day-quarantine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3145850/coronavirus-hong-kongs-21-day-quarantine?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Aug 2021 14:23:50 +0000 China’s top legislative body has appointed a hardline Beijing loyalist to the committee that advises on Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the first addition to the group in two years. Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, chairman of the University of Hong Kong’s governing council and a member of the Executive Council, the city leader’s de facto cabinet, will join the Basic Law Committee, which operates under the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee. A spokesman for Li’s office said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3145807/university-hong-kong-chairman-arthur-li-honoured-be-named?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3145807/university-hong-kong-chairman-arthur-li-honoured-be-named?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Aug 2021 09:58:19 +0000 A political appointee to the Hong Kong government resigned on Thursday, the fourth to quit since Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor took office in July 2017. Kenneth Ng King-tsun, the political assistant to the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, is also the second official to step down since Tsang took office in April last year. In a statement, a government spokesman said Ng would go on leave on Friday and departs the government with effect from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3145680/top-hong-kong-political-appointee-leave-government-job?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3145680/top-hong-kong-political-appointee-leave-government-job?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Aug 2021 12:29:51 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader has expressed confidence that the city can continue to attract quality immigrants and nurture talent as she brushed aside concerns over the departure of nearly 90,000 residents since the national security law was introduced. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also cautioned on Tuesday that the census figures, which showed the population had decreased by the greatest number of people since 2003, did not give a complete demographic picture. Data released last week by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3145353/hong-kong-remains-magnet-talent-leader-says-after-data?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3145353/hong-kong-remains-magnet-talent-leader-says-after-data?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Aug 2021 09:49:11 +0000 A planned expansion of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council complex to accommodate an additional 20 lawmakers’ offices following Beijing’s overhaul of the city’s electoral system is expected to cost HK$1.17 billion (US$150 million). Speaking after a closed-door meeting on Monday, Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen revealed that construction on a new, triangular 10-storey building and an addition of four floors to the existing one was expected to begin by the middle of 2022 at earliest and be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3145218/building-extensions-hong-kongs-legislative-council-will?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3145218/building-extensions-hong-kongs-legislative-council-will?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Aug 2021 10:38:52 +0000