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Hong Kong’s economic growth this year is forecast to be 2.4 per cent, lower than the 3.2 per cent in 2023, as businesses remained pessimistic about 2025 amid fears of a trade war between Beijing and Washington, according to a survey by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. The chamber, releasing the results of […]

Jailed Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai has denied that he promoted hostility towards China by posting online about a speech made by then-US state secretary Mike Pompeo, a Hong Kong court has heard as Lai’s national security trial continued. Under defence counsel Steven Kwan’s questioning on Thursday, Lai said he only praised parts of a […]

Hong Kong police recorded more than 36,000 fraud cases with over HK$7 billion in losses between January and October, including almost 900 involving swindlers posing as government officials. The force also received the first-ever report from a victim who was tricked into travelling abroad by scammers purporting to be authorities. The city recorded 36,405 fraud […]

Ex-lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting and six others have been found guilty of rioting during a mob attack in Yuen Long in July 2019, a watershed moment during the 2019 protests that sparked widespread criticism of police over their response to the incident. Lam was one of seven convicted at the District Court on Thursday after a […]

A Chinese citizen has been charged with flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California where he is alleged to have recorded images of the military facility, the US Justice Department said Wednesday. Yinpiao Zhou, 39, was arrested as he readied to board a flight to China from San Francisco, authorities said. “This […]

Hong Kong police are considering using drones for routine patrols and analysing their images with artificial intelligence, the city’s security chief has said, amid broader government plans to ease restrictions on the aerial vehicles. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said on Wednesday that the plan to allow drones to patrol designated routes had been discussed […]

The United States firmed up tariff hikes Wednesday on more Chinese imports including crucial solar panel components, capping recent efforts by the world’s biggest economy to guard its growing green energy sector. The latest moves announced by the US Trade Representative’s office cap a review of tariffs imposed during President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration. Rates […]

The Hong Kong zoo where 12 monkeys died from a bacterial infection will fully reopen to the public on Friday. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced on Wednesday that the mammals section of the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens would reopen on Friday, two months after it was closed following the discovery […]

Hong Kong’s top officials will earn more than HK$177 million taxpayer dollars this year, even as the city expects its budget deficit to double from earlier forecasts to more than HK$100 billion. Erick Tsang, the director for constitutional and mainland affairs, said in a written reply to legislator Regina Ip on Wednesday that politically appointed […]

Media mogul Jimmy Lai urged Hongkongers to be “flexible” after the enactment of Beijing’s national security law, the newspaper founder testified in his collusion trial, but denied he was encouraging active resistance against the authorities. Under the direction of defence counsel Steven Kwan, 77-year-old Lai on Wednesday spent his 15th day giving evidence at the […]

A Hong Kong lawmaker has criticised the lack of a fixed time frame for disclosing suspected cases of sexual assault at residential care homes. It came after an operator waited two months to announce a suspected abuse in August. It was “not suitable” for the government to require residential care home operators to disclose suspected […]

The chair of a US Senate committee has introduced a bill that would end Hong Kong’s special treatment under US law. Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the Hong Kong Policy Act of 2024 on Monday. “The Hong Kong Policy Act of 2024 equips our country with the tools […]

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev is visiting Beijing this week for talks with leaders of the key Moscow partner, China’s foreign ministry said Wednesday. “The visit to China by Mr. Medvedev… is an important high-level exchange between China and Russia,” said foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning at a regular press conference. Mao did not provide […]

Hong Kong authorities have no plans to challenge the jail terms handed down to 45 pro-democracy figures convicted in the city’s largest national security case, the Department of Justice (DoJ) has said after the government warned it may appeal for longer sentences for some. In an emailed response to HKFP on Wednesday, the DoJ said […]

By Joy Chiang China has expanded military drills around Taiwan with dozens of warplanes and a huge maritime exercise aimed at drawing “a red line” for the next US president, Taipei authorities said Wednesday. Beijing’s biggest maritime drills in years involve about 60 warships and 30 coast guard vessels deployed around the southern islands of […]

Beijing has announced it will impose visa restrictions on US officials that it said had “interfered” in Hong Kong affairs after Washington last months said it was “taking steps” to impose visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials. Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, said during a weekly press conference on Tuesday that the […]

Ben Ng has the look of a stereotypical Lonely Planet-wielding globetrotter. Sporting blonde highlights tied up in a half-ponytail, colourful beads around his neck, and a moustache and goatee, Ben recounts tales from his most recent travels: to South Sudan, as an anaesthetist with Médecins Sans Frontières.   And like all Hongkongers, he brought back a […]

Hong Kong authorities have said there are “no loopholes” in its scheme for attracting talent to the city, after a news outlet’s investigation found that agents were fabricating documents for mainland Chinese applicants to renew the visas. Local media outlet HK01 published an investigation on Monday, in which a Guangzhou-based agent told an undercover reporter […]

Elderly Hong Kong activist “Grandpa Chan” has been acquitted of displaying banners without a permit, after a judge ruled that a broad interpretation of the offence would infringe upon the right to free expression. Siding with 78-year old Chan Ki-kau at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday, Magistrate Kestrel Lam rejected the prosecution’s argument […]

Jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai has told a national security trial that his WhatsApp group involving former US diplomat James Cunningham was not meant to be a “collusion group.” The ex-US ambassador created a group chat on WhatsApp during the 2019 extradition bill protests, with Hong Kong’s “father of democracy” Martin Lee, Lai […]

More Hong Kong residents than ever perceived the city’s news outlets to be self-censoring and shying away from criticising local and Beijing authorities, a survey has found. The Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (HKPORI) on Tuesday released the results of a survey that has tracked residents’ appraisal of the media since 1997. The institute […]

China on Monday launched an investigation into US chip giant Nvidia for allegedly violating its anti-monopoly laws, a top government agency said, as the two countries race for global chipmaking dominance. Beijing’s state administration for market regulation, the authority on antitrust issues, launched the probe “in accordance with the law,” according to a statement shared […]

Taiwan said Tuesday that dozens of Chinese warships and other vessels have been deployed around the island, in one of China’s biggest-ever military exercises. Taiwanese forces were on high alert in anticipation of Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army staging war games in response to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s visits to the United States last week. “Nearly […]

The installation of surveillance cameras in all Hong Kong taxis will help drivers and passengers handle disputes and will not intrude on personal privacy, an industry leader has said. The government on Monday said all taxis in the city will be required to install surveillance cameras, as well as GPS, dashcams, and electronic payment systems […]