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China has lifted a ban on imports of Australian live rock lobsters, Canberra said Friday, demolishing the final barrier in a broader, multibillion-dollar trade war between the countries. Beijing has banned or slapped retaliatory tariffs on more than US$12 billion worth of Australian exports, from wine to timber, during years of soured ties with Canberra. […]

Sexual violence survivors are often reluctant to report their cases to authorities for fear of reliving the trauma as the police investigate and during court proceedings, a Hong Kong NGO has said as it released an animation shedding light on the issue. Anti-sexual violence group RainLily on Thursday published the video based on the true […]

By Holmes Chan Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday presided over the inauguration of new Macau leader Sam Hou-fai, capping off a three-day visit as the former Portuguese colony marks 25 years since being returned to China. Sam, who served as president of Macau’s apex court since the 1999 handover, was the sole candidate in October’s […]

Hong Kong’s drug users are starting younger, an NGO has warned, after a survey showed 46 per cent of respondents began taking drugs between the ages of 12 and 17, and 73 per cent before age 21. Hong Kong Christian Service (HKCS), which provides treatment and support for drug users, said the survey also showed […]

Jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai has said tensions between China and the West grew after Xi Jinping became leader and could only be resolved if he were to step down, while denying that such a claim amounted to inciting hatred against Xi. Lai, 77, told his national security trial on Thursday that he thought Xi […]

Hong Kong has spent around HK$640 million on a “baby bonus” scheme that hands out HK$20,000 to families having children, part of an initiative to boost the city’s low fertility rate. A total of 32,811 applications have been received from last October, when the scheme was announced, to the end of November, Deputy Chief Secretary […]

The Hong Kong government’s watchdog has called on various departments to set up a one-stop website offering information to the bereaved on after-death arrangements. Authorities could “significantly reduce” the pressure and emotional stress on people handling the loss of a family member by digitalising or personalising the procedures for death registration and related applications, the […]

Corruption in China’s military has led to the removal of top leaders and may hamper the country’s efforts to modernize its armed forces, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. In 2023, Beijing’s forces “experienced a new wave of corruption-related investigations and removals of senior leaders which may have disrupted its progress toward stated 2027 modernization goals,” […]

An independent media outlet in Macau has taken down a report about various facilities being shut down before Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to the territory to mark the 25th anniversary of its handover to Beijing. Online news outlet All About Macau on Tuesday evening issued an apology for taking down the report, just […]

A 60-year-old man pleaded guilty on Wednesday for his role in running a clandestine Chinese “police station” in New York as part of a campaign to monitor and harass US-based dissidents. Chen Jinping, 60, faces up to five years in prison for conspiring to act as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, the Justice […]

A total of 25 people have been arrested over the past three years over using fake credentials to apply to Hong Kong’s universities, with one of them sentenced to a 17-week jail term. Acting security minister Michael Cheuk told the legislature on Wednesday the Immigration Department had been strictly checking applications for student visas or […]

The Hong Kong government has spent around HK$21 million annually on wild boar management work over the past three years, as veterinary officers culled more than 630 wild pigs between January and November. There had been a “gradual improvement” of the situation regarding wild pig nuisance in Hong Kong in recent years, with the overall […]

Jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai has told his national security trial that he believed the UK had a “moral responsibility” to lead international support of Hong Kong, but denied that he requested specific policy measures other than granting Hongkongers the right of abode in the country. Lai, 77, on Wednesday denied that he was seeking […]

Hong Kong activist Wong Ji-yuet has filed an appeal against her sentence in a landmark subversion case involving 47 prominent pro-democracy figures. Wong, 27, was jailed for four years and five months last month along with 44 others convicted of “conspiracy to commit subversion” over their roles in an unofficial primary election that aimed to help them secure a […]

By Holmes Chan Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Macau on Wednesday for a three-day visit as the casino hub prepares to celebrate 25 years of Beijing rule. Xi landed at the Macau International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The former Portuguese colony was handed over to China on December 20, […]

Hong Kong authorities have scaled back a plan to use ballot scanners in next year’s Legislative Council election, less than a week after the proposal was introduced to the legislature. The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB) told local media on Tuesday evening that it would not implement the usage of the “smart” ballot boxes […]

A woman accused of “political interference” in the UK on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party lost a legal claim on Tuesday against Britain’s domestic intelligence services. Christine Lee had sued the country’s MI5 security services for racial discrimination after they issued an alert in 2022, warning that she was a Chinese agent who had […]

A 67-year-old painter has been found dead at the Shek Kong Barracks, a military base in the New Territories used by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Police said on Tuesday that an initial investigation suggested the woman had fallen from a ladder while working at the location. Police received a report at 6.35 am on Tuesday saying […]

Hong Kong’s bus fares will rise by up to 7.5 per cent next year, the government has announced though it said the majority of customers would not see fares rise by more than HK$1. In a press release on Tuesday, the government said Chief Executive John Lee and the Executive Council had approved applications from […]

Jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai has testified that he thought the Hong Kong police had begun to “twist the facts” in making arrests after a Beijing-imposed security law came into effect in 2020. Lai, 77, made the claim on Tuesday as he was asked to explain comments made in August 2020, after pro-democracy former lawmaker […]

Cutting the salaries of Hong Kong’s civil servants was not the best option to tackle a looming budget deficit as it would impact the earnings of the general public, finance sector legislator Chan Chun-ying has said. Meeting the press on Tuesday, Chan said that the private and non-profit sectors referred to civil servants’ remuneration when […]

Hong Kong’s Coroner’s Court has ruled the death of a government-employed arborist an accident, rejecting her family’s claims of gross negligence. Tsang Choi-yu, a 55-year-old arborist employed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, died on August 18, 2021. She was trimming trees at the intersection of Des Voeux Road West and Water Street in […]

By Peter Catterall and Matthew Walsh China on Tuesday said claims that a businessman had used his links with Britain’s Prince Andrew to spy for Beijing were “preposterous”, after the UK government voiced mounting concerns over the allegations. Details emerged last week about Andrew’s relationship with Yang Tengbo, a businessman and alleged spy, who had been […]

Hong Kong leader John Lee has said that upcoming election arrangements would be “satisfactory” after lawmakers expressed concerns that a plan to introduce “smart” ballot boxes might dissuade voters from casting blank ballots amid privacy concerns. Legislators on Monday discussed the plan to use scanners to ensure voters’ ballots were validly marked in next year’s […]