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POLITICS4h agoWhy Hong Kong’s economic future still hinges on national securityIn any conversation about Hong Kong’s future, one question often emerges: when will the city pivot away from national security and back to economic development? To most, Hong Kong is fundamentally a commercial hub. After the turmoil of 2019, most reasonable people agreed that restoring public order was imperative. Today, the orchestrators of that unrest and the radicals are largely imprisoned or have fled. While occasional flare-ups and various forms of “soft resistance” persist, society at...South China Morning Post
POLITICS5h agoHong Kong’s next policy address is just around the corner. Here’s what to expectHong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu’s coming policy address will introduce measures to remove hurdles for businesses setting up shop in the Northern Metropolis and include proactive initiatives to strengthen innovation hubs, research efforts and tech applications, the South China Morning Post has learned. Government sources said measures supporting the megaproject in the northern New Territories and backing innovation were expected to be major highlights of the chief executive’s policy address on...South China Morning Post
POLITICS16h agoHong Kong district councillor remanded in custody after underage sex convictionA Hong Kong court has remanded a district councillor in custody pending sentence after convicting him of unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl 15 years ago, rejecting his claim that the allegation was politically motivated. Yuen Long District Council member Sei Chun-hing, 39, is set to become the first elected officer to face imprisonment for a criminal offence since a Beijing-led electoral overhaul in 2021, which ensured only those endorsed by authorities as “patriotic” can assume public...South China Morning Post
POLITICS16h agoFoundation collects tributes to Hong Kong’s Tung Chee-hwa for online memorialThe China-United States Exchange Foundation has launched a permanent tribute webpage to Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong’s first chief executive, and collected more than 100 reflections from political and business heavyweights around the world. The foundation, established by Tung in 2008, said the webpage, which launched on Monday, included tributes from Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and Max Baucus, former United States ambassador to China. “This permanent tribute not only placemarks his remarkable...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS16h agoMan arrested over alleged HK$2.8 million Hong Kong school admission scamA man has been arrested for allegedly defrauding an education consultant out of nearly HK$3 million (US$382,500) by claiming he could secure dozens of places at a Hong Kong school, the South China Morning Post has learned. A police source said on Monday that the suspect, a 51-year-old Hongkonger who claimed to be a businessman, had signed a contract with a 45-year-old woman working as an education consultant on March 1, 2024, claiming he could provide dozens of places at a “Kiangsu-Chekiang...South China Morning Post
POLITICS18h agoHong Kong urged to overhaul ecotourism planning and expand bookings for hotspotsHong Kong should overhaul its ecotourism planning and allow visitors to book ahead at more of its popular countryside attractions, a lawmaker has said, after a survey found most residents believed the city had strong potential for nature-focused experiences but lacked enough quality options. A poll of 651 residents commissioned by lawmaker Perry Yiu Pak-leung’s office and think tank New Youth Forum found 71.8 per cent agreed Hong Kong’s countryside resources could be developed into high-quality...South China Morning Post
POLITICS18h agoHong Kong to sweeten school merger deals, offer housing measures to lift birthsHong Kong authorities are expected to provide more incentives to encourage under-enrolled public schools to merge to survive, while announcing housing measures and tax reductions to tackle the falling birth rate in this week’s policy address, the South China Morning Post has learned. A government source told the South China Morning Post that the policy address by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Wednesday would offer additional incentives to encourage the merger of subsidised schools amid the...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS20h agoHong Kong’s HK$500b silver economy by 2034 offers ‘blue ocean’ prospects: Paul ChanHong Kong’s silver economy is set to become a HK$500 billion (US$63.8 billion) market by 2034, the city’s finance chief has said, urging the elderly care industry to deploy technology and explore cross-border opportunities. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Monday that Hong Kong’s ageing population presented both a challenge and a “promising blue ocean” market opportunity for the city, which could serve as a model for other regions. In a speech at an event to mark the 30th anniversary...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS20h agoForms Syntron draws Hong Kong’s next-gen tycoons in HK$940 million IPOHong Kong’s younger generation of tycoons is becoming increasingly active in the city’s initial public offering market through family offices and private investments. But their investments extend beyond the property and traditional financial sectors associated with their predecessors, into technology and digital finance. Prominent business leaders Cheng Chi-heng of New World Development and Peter Lee Ka-kit of Henderson Land participated as cornerstone investors in Shenzhen Forms Syntron...South China Morning Post
CYBER21h agoHong Kong’s iPhone scam: how to protect your credit card from online fraudMore than 700 Hongkongers were shocked to discover that their credit cards had been used to place unauthorised orders for Apple’s new iPhone 18 Pro series handsets over the weekend. Although banks reassured victims they would not be charged as long as the cards were used with due care and the transactions were proven to be unauthorised, the incident still caused widespread concern over credit card security. The South China Morning Post asked information technology experts for practical tips on...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS22h agoHong Kong faces pressure to speed up trading hours review after South Korea’s moveHong Kong’s stock market is facing fresh pressure to accelerate its review of longer trading hours after South Korea’s main bourse extended its session by four hours on Monday, according to an industry player. The Korea Exchange, South Korea’s bourse operator, launched a real-time after-market from 4pm to 8pm in addition to regular trading from 9am to 3.30pm. It also signalled ambitions to expand to nearly 24-hour trading, following similar plans by Nasdaq and the London Stock Exchange. The...South China Morning Post
WORLD22h agoPolice open investigation after 2 men found dead at Hong Kong public flatHong Kong police are investigating the discovery of the bodies of two men at a public housing estate flat in Ap Lei Chau. The force said a security guard alerted authorities after detecting a foul smell coming from the flat at Lei Tung Estate’s Tung Yip House at around 2pm on Monday. Rescue personnel forced their way into the flat and discovered the bodies of the two men. Paramedics confirmed their deaths at the scene. One of the men was believed to be in his fifties. Police have sealed off the...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS22h agoHong Kong consumer watchdog questions supermarkets’ buy-one-get-one-free dealsHong Kong shoppers may have saved less than they expected – or nothing at all – through supermarkets’ “buy-one-get-one-free” and bulk-buy promotions, the city’s consumer watchdog has warned, urging residents to compare unit prices instead of relying on promotional labels. The Consumer Council on Monday released the findings of a survey of 222 products sold by AEON, ParknShop and Wellcome between September 2025 and July this year. It found that the actual discounts offered in some promotional...South China Morning Post
WORLD1d agoHong Kong Mark Six jackpot dispute, Brics finds common ground: 5 weekend reads you missedWe have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Brics members find common ground on AI, trade and de-dollarisation push 2. China urges US to ‘stop all’ spying activities, slams ‘gangster logic’ 3. Police freeze HK$30 million in account of man who refused to share Mark Six prize 4. India-Pakistan water row deepens after Hague court ruling 5....South China Morning Post
CYBER1d agoApple should bear responsibility for Hong Kong iPhone card fraud, lawmaker saysApple is reviewing all current orders for suspicious transactions after more than 700 unauthorised credit card charges were reported in Hong Kong involving orders for its latest iPhone models. “All current orders are being reviewed before they are processed, and we are working to quickly identify and cancel any fraudulent transactions that may have been placed,” an Apple spokesman said on Monday. Over the weekend, many Hong Kong social media users reported unauthorised credit card transactions...South China Morning Post
POLITICS1d agoHong Kong 5-year plan to stick with capitalism, uphold ‘one country, two systems’: John LeeHong Kong’s inaugural five-year plan will not change the capitalist system and instead fully exploit its advantages to map the city’s long-term development, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said. In an opinion piece published in the South China Morning Post on Monday, the city leader also stressed that the blueprint, in focusing on the economy, would ultimately “enable citizens to flourish” by creating employment opportunities and upward mobility. Lee will unveil Hong Kong’s first-ever...South China Morning Post
POLITICS1d agoHow the five-year plan can serve the nation and deliver for Hong KongThis year marks the opening year of the national 15th five-year plan. Faced with accelerating change globally and significant opportunities brought by national development, Hong Kong must better integrate into and serve the overall national development, enabling our economic progress to reach new heights while enhancing people’s livelihood and well-being. This February, I announced that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government would formulate the city’s first five-year plan. I led...South China Morning Post
POLITICS1d agoBeijing’s ‘trust issue’ with Hong Kong and what the city can promise in its 5-year planIn the final instalment of our series of previews on the five-year plan and policy address, to be announced on September 16, Natalie Wong and Matthew Cheng look at how national security spans areas such as finance and technology and what Hong Kong must do to earn Beijing’s trust. Read part one here, part two here, part three here and part four here. With the recent sentencing of former leaders of Hong Kong’s Tiananmen Square vigil concluding a key high-profile subversion case, it would be easy...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS1d agoHong Kong aims to scale its tech ecosystem and nurture more unicorns: HKSTP CEOHong Kong is intensifying efforts to attract technology start-ups and nurture unicorns through expanded financial support via a key government-backed platform, leveraging the city’s booming fundraising activities and world-class financial infrastructure. Investors are displaying an increased appetite for the local tech scene compared with a decade ago – a trend that Terry Wong Ping-sau, CEO of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), said was a positive sign for the city’s...South China Morning Post
POLITICS1d agoChief Executive article: Written before the release of Hong Kong's First Five-Year PlanThis year marks the opening year of the National 15th Five-Year Plan. Faced with accelerating change globally and significant opportunities brought by national development, Hong Kong must better integrate into and serve the overall national development, enabling our economic progress to reach new heights while enhancing people's livelihood and well-being.thestandard_hk · hong kong
POLITICS1d agoWill Hong Kong’s educators learn from sliding Pisa results?The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) results are out and unfortunately for the Education Bureau, Hong Kong’s performance looks bad. Is this the outcome of not learning from the last assessment? In the 2022 Pisa assessment, a metric for creative thinking was introduced to measure the ability to generate, evaluate, improve and communicate ideas, as well as social and scientific problem-solving. Hong Kong scored below the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and...South China Morning Post
SCI & TECH1d agoHong Kong teen battling rare disease creates AI avatar to ensure his story lives onA Hong Kong teenager with a rare muscle-wasting disease has created an AI version of himself, hoping the digital twin can continue sharing his life story and message of perseverance even after he is gone. Chen Tsz-kin, 17, unveiled “AI Tsz-kin” at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on Sunday, weeks before his 18th birthday – an age the student said he had long feared reaching because he was once told it was the average life expectancy for people with his disease, Duchenne muscular...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS1d agoHong Kong to deepen ties with Global South and Middle East, finance chief saysHong Kong will deepen ties with emerging economies worldwide, expanding connections with the Middle East and belt and road countries, from finance to innovation and technology, according to the finance chief. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also said the city aims to build “networked and institutionalised” connectivity with the Global South – a broad term for developing less-industrialised countries, primarily located in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Belt and road countries are nations...South China Morning Post
POLITICS1d agoTung Chee-hwa remembered for foresight in developing Hong Kong’s tech sectorHong Kong’s first leader Tung Chee-hwa, who died last week, has been remembered by former colleagues for his foresight in developing technology and actively engaging with mainland China to boost the city’s economic development during his tenure. Political heavyweights praised the former chief executive for being able to foresee developmental trends before others could, citing Tung’s decisions to establish Cyberport and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park. “He proposed developing Cyberport...South China Morning Post