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US President-elect Donald Trump named political ally and former Georgia senator David Perdue as his pick to be ambassador to China, a key trade partner the Republican has promised to impose punishing tariffs on. “Tonight, I am announcing that former U.S. Senator, David Perdue, has accepted my appointment as the next United States Ambassador to […]

A Ferris wheel in Hong Kong’s Central district has resumed operations following a system failure that left 190 people trapped on Thursday night. The Hong Kong Observation Wheel said in a statement on Thursday evening that a backup system failure left 190 people trapped on the ride for about 40 minutes. They were all evacuated […]

A pro-Beijing lawmaker has urged Hong Kong’s government to override the top court’s rulings in favour of same-sex married couples by inviting China to interpret the city’s constitution. Speaking at a forum on Wednesday, lawmaker Junius Ho said the Court of Final Appeal had handed down “bombshell” rulings last week in affirming same-sex married couples’ housing […]

Hong Kong’s former culture and tourism minister Kevin Yeung has said he will begin “another stage in life,” after he was sacked in an unexpected cabinet reshuffle alongside the transport chief Lam Sai-hung. Less than two hours after state news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday morning that he had been removed as secretary for culture, […]

Jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai has said he was “too optimistic” about Hong Kong people’s willingness to resist a Beijing-drafted national security law before it was imposed in June 2020. Lai, 76, told his national security trial on Thursday that it was “wishful thinking” on his part to believe that the law would not be […]

Three more Hong Kong democrats are seeking to challenge their convictions and sentences in Hong Kong’s largest national security case, which ended with the jailing of 45 prominent pro-democracy figures. Gordon Ng, Lam Cheuk-ting and Michael Pang have separately applied to the Court of Appeal for leave to appeal, two weeks after the High Court […]

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te spoke to Republican US House Speaker Mike Johnson, Lai’s office told AFP Thursday, as he visits the American territory Guam during a Pacific tour that has angered China. Taiwan calls itself a sovereign nation, but Beijing insists the democratic island is part of its territory and opposes any official exchanges with […]

A 24-year-old man has been jailed for 10 weeks for assaulting Hong Kong police on two occasions, once outside a court and one on the anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown. Fok Shun-yin, described as unemployed, pleaded guilty at Eastern Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to three counts of assaulting police. Magistrate Don So Man-lung passed the […]

Hong Kong’s culture and transportation ministers have been sacked, by recommendation of Chief Executive John Lee, state news agency Xinhua has reported. Lee evaded questions during a Thursday press briefing as to why the duo were fired. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung has been replaced by Mable Chan, the permanent secretary for the bureau. Meanwhile, Secretary for Culture, […]

President Joe Biden’s national security advisor warned Wednesday that the United States could quickly run out of munitions in a war with China as he called for more sustained defense production. Jake Sullivan appealed to the incoming administration of Donald Trump to sustain the ramp-up of the domestic defense industry spurred by the war in […]

The Hong Kong government has proposed implementing time-varying tolls for private cars using the Tai Lam Tunnel starting next May. The adjustment could slash the current fees by up to almost 70 per cent. The new toll system, subject to the “patriots only” legislature’s scrutiny and approval, would take effect after the government takeover of […]

Jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai has said that Hong Kong “is beyond redemption” and that “it is useless to fight” after a national security law imposed by Beijing came into effect in 2020. Lai, 76, on Wednesday told his national security trial that Hong Kong was left with “no room to fight” after the legislation […]

Cathay Pacific has pulled a Family Guy episode from its inflight entertainment system which referenced the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. It has apologised to customers and vowed an investigation. A complaint was raised against the flagship carrier on social media, in light of the city’s national security laws: “We emphasise that the content of the programme […]

Hong Kong saw 169 in-flight theft cases in the first ten months of the year, most of which were on short-haul flights arriving in the city from Southeast Asia, the Security Bureau has said. That compares to 92 cases last year, and 147 cases in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to police records cited […]

President Xi Jinping on Tuesday told Nepali Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli that China will offer more support to develop the country’s infrastructure, Chinese state media reported. The leader of the Himalayan republic was in Beijing on Tuesday to meet Chinese leaders, including Xi and Premier Li Qiang, seeking to expand infrastructure cooperation after […]

Beijing said Tuesday it would restrict exports to the United States of some key components in making semiconductors, after Washington announced curbs targeting China’s ability to make advanced chips. Among the materials banned from export are metals gallium, antimony and germanium, Beijing’s commerce ministry said in a statement that cited “national security” concerns. Exports of […]

Hong Kong has seen a rise in local residents lured to Southeast Asia to engage in illegal work, with 12 Hongkongers still being held overseas, security chief Chris Tang has said. Tang told the legislature on Tuesday afternoon that authorities had received reports of Hongkongers being trafficked in Southeast Asia since the second quarter of […]

Lawmakers have questioned the sustainability of Ocean Park’s water park after the theme park revealed a HK$200 million deficit in its latest financial year. Ocean Park chairperson Paulo Pong said during an economic development panel meeting at the Legislative Council on Tuesday that Water World had only been operating for two years and that things […]

Hongkongers in South Korea have been advised to attend to their personal safety after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday, a move that was unanimously overturned by lawmakers, and later lifted by the government in a matter of hours. According to Hong Kong’s Travel Industry Council, more than 300 Hong Kong residents […]

Chief Executive John Lee has said he is “confident” that investors in the government’s Northern Metropolis development project will see good returns, after the city’s business sector signed a letter of intent to support the large-scale development scheme. Lee said on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting with his Executive Council: “We have organised visits and […]

Jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has said it was his “honest belief” that the West could force Beijing to halt the enactment of a national security law in Hong Kong in 2020 by imposing sanctions on top Chinese officials. The tycoon’s national security trial on Tuesday heard that he accepted several interviews from […]

Taiwan has launched hotlines for travellers seeking information about their “safety risks” while in China, which recently published tough criminal sentencing guidelines for supporters of the island’s independence. The enhanced “emergency assistance services” aim to help address “personal safety risks associated with travelling” to China, Hong Kong and Macau, Taiwan’s top China policy body, the […]

Construction for a new MTR line in Hong Kong’s south is expected to begin in 2027, linking neighbourhoods including Cyberport and Aberdeen with Wong Chuk Hang. In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council by the Transport and Logistics Bureau on Monday, authorities estimated that the South Island Line (West) will span around 7.5 kilometres […]

The resumption of multiple-entry Hong Kong visas for Shenzhen residents is unlikely to give rise to the smuggling practices that once brought overcrowding to northern districts, leader John Lee has said as he cited changes in consumer habits. Lee made the comments at his weekly press conference on Tuesday morning in response to authorities reviving […]