Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, will visit Hong Kong for two days to inspect the city's alignment with the national 15th five-year plan and the advancement of the Northern Metropolis megaproject. His visit coincides with the start of a public consultation for Hong Kong's first five-year plan.
Hong Kong's HK$20,000 newborn baby bonus, launched in 2023, is set to expire in October. The government will consult the public on whether to continue the incentive, which has benefited over 65,000 babies and cost HK$1.3 billion.
Hong Kong's government has issued a strong rebuttal to a US newspaper's commentary titled "Hong Kong’s nightmare gets darker," which described new national security legislation as "repressive." The government stated the new regulation clarifies offenses and ensures fair trials.
Industry leaders in Hong Kong are calling for the government to expand its planned mandate for driver-monitoring systems on public buses to other transport modes and upgrade road infrastructure to reduce traffic accidents.
Hong Kong's government has proposed subsidiary legislation to clarify what constitutes national security cases, introducing a certification mechanism by the Chief Executive to classify such cases, affecting trial procedures.
Hong Kong's Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Unit (GISOU) received only seven discrimination complaints from 2015-2025, a figure advocacy groups deem unrealistic. The unit lacks legal authority and publicity efforts, focusing on "important tasks" instead.
Hong Kong government to assume responsibility for insurance claims of Wang Fuk Court residents selling flats under a buy-back plan following a fire, though key questions on compensation timing and process remain unanswered.
Hong Kong government will lift resale restrictions on replacement homes for Tai Po fire victims, offering two-year vouchers for second-hand subsidized housing and allowing immediate sale of new flats at negotiated prices.
An infectious disease expert has urged Hong Kong authorities to issue a travel alert and enhance preventive measures against Ebola, citing outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda and frequent business exchanges with the region.
Lau Siu-kai advises Hong Kong to learn from mainland China's public consultation methods for its upcoming five-year plan, emphasizing the need for broad-based engagement beyond a publicity blitz.
Hong Kong residents can enjoy 11-day and 10-day holidays in 2027 by taking only 4 days of leave, leveraging Easter, Ching Ming, Christmas, and New Year holidays.
Hong Kong government to launch consultation exercise in June, with focus on aligning local policies with China's 15th five-year plan
The Hong Kong government has appointed veteran politician Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung to chair the board of directors of the Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company – the first entity established to accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis project. The Development Bureau said on Friday that the board of directors comprises five bureau chiefs and five non-official members, tasked with formulating a “forward-looking development positioning and strategy” for the 23-hectare logistics park, the...
The Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Centre (HKGAI) is set to release HKGAI-V3, a sovereign AI model built on DeepSeek architecture optimized for domestic Chinese chips like Huawei's Ascend 910C.
Hong Kong government announces additional tax waiver for residents displaced by the deadly Tai Po fire, exempting them from final tax for 2025-26 assessment year. The November 2025 fire killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000 residents, making it the city's deadliest inferno since 1948.
The Hong Kong government is confident that at least 75% of homeowners in Wang Chi House – the only block unscathed in the Wang Fuk Court fire – will accept its buy-back package by end of June. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun said 77% of owners have expressed initial interest in selling their property rights. The offer requires 75% of owners to sign an official letter of acceptance by June 30 and agreement for sale and purchase by October 15.
Hong Kong government has condemned attempts by anti-China forces and foreign media to defend jailed former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying after the city ranked 140th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index. Authorities issued a strongly-worded statement slamming attempts to 'slander, smear and attack' the city, saying some media organisations had 'conflated the criminal acts in the Lai Chee-Ying case with freedom of the press'. Reporters Without Borders said a 'draconian national security law' had allowed authorities to imprison Lai, who was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The Hong Kong government plans to implement legislation on July 31 allowing terminally ill patients to refuse life-sustaining treatment. In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council, authorities said that the Advance Decision on Life-sustaining Treatment Ordinance, passed in November 2024, would provide legal status to patients’ advance care planning while offering protection to healthcare and rescue personnel. The two instruments covered under advance care planning – advance medical...
The Hong Kong government will implement the Advance Decision on Life-sustaining Treatment Ordinance on July 31, granting formal statutory status to advance medical directives and DNACPR orders for terminally ill patients.
An Audit Commission report released Wednesday found that EdCity, a Hong Kong government-funded online portal for teachers and students, failed to meet its user number targets with thousands of teaching resources and assessment items never downloaded or used. The platform had 272 teaching resources never downloaded, about 20 items not viewed at all, and more than 2,700 online assessment items for teachers never used. In 2023-24, EdCity's income was HK$64.6 million with expenditure of HK$64.5 million. The executive director attributed low usage to Hong Kong's shrinking student population.
Hong Kong authorities have pledged to intervene in landlord-tenant disputes preventing residents from retrieving belongings from the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court estate, as packing efforts enter their 10th day. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing stated the government would make alternative arrangements if consensus on entry quotas cannot be reached. Residents of four blocks have been visiting their flats under government arrangements over the past nine days.
The Hong Kong government will include Wang Chi House, the only block spared in the deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze in Tai Po that killed 168 people in November, in its resettlement plan after 75% of homeowners indicated a preference to sell their flats to authorities. The block was originally excluded from the February proposals, but Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun had said authorities would consider acquiring flats if owners reached a high degree of consensus. The original plan involved HK$6.8 billion to buy back damaged homes.
Hong Kong's justice secretary has applied to take control of media tycoon Jimmy Lai's assets, seeking to seize 62 personal and corporate bank accounts holding HK$56.5 million and shares in 17 companies. The application includes Next Digital, the parent company of defunct Apple Daily, in which Lai holds a 71.26% stake. Shares in two companies could be worth HK$71.4 million.
Hong Kong's government will launch a public consultation this quarter on the city's first five-year plan aligned with China's 15th five-year plan (2026-2030). Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the blueprint would bring abundant development opportunities and enhanced competitiveness. Under the national plan, Hong Kong has been tasked with building a commodity trading ecosystem, a high-quality supply chain service centre, and a global hub for high-end talent.
