~hong-kong-free-pres | Bookmarks (754)

The Chinese embassy in the UK lambasted “anti-Chinese rhetoric” of some British politicians, who criticised Beijing after a Chinese group said it would shut down the UK’s last two steel furnaces. The UK has swooped in to prevent the closure of British Steel’s main plant in Scunthorpe, northeast England, after its Chinese owner Jingye said […]

Hong Kong’s Consumer Council has received 94 complaints related to obstructed views at British band Coldplay’s concerts last week at the new Kai Tak Stadium. Speaking on an RTHK radio programme on Tuesday, the Consumer Council chief executive, Gilly Wong, said the watchdog had recorded almost 100 complaints from concertgoers at Coldplay’s shows saying that […]

Hong Kong has imported more than 54,000 non-local workers over the past 18 months under the city’s “enhanced” labour scheme, according to the government. Chris Sun, the Hong Kong labour and welfare chief, told the Legislative Council (LegCo) on Wednesday that the government approved a total of 54,278 non-local workers between early September 2023, when […]

By Sam Davies with Danny Kemp and Beiyi Seow in Washington. China told Washington on Wednesday to “stop threatening and blackmailing” after US President Donald Trump said it was up to Beijing to come to the negotiating table to discuss ending their trade war. Trump has slapped new tariffs on friend and foe but has […]

China said Wednesday that it had appointed a new trade envoy, as the world’s second-largest economy pushes back against US President Donald Trump’s swingeing tariffs on imports that sent global markets tumbling. Li Chenggang has assumed the role of representative for international trade negotiations and vice minister of commerce, Beijing’s human resources ministry said in […]

Hongkong Post will halt the acceptance of parcels for delivery to the US, the city has said ahead of the imposition of fresh tariffs by American president Donald Trump that will kick in next month. The government said in a statement on Wednesday that Hongkong Post would reject US-bound surface mail parcels with immediate effect, […]

A Hong Kong court has blocked an independence activist jailed under the national security law from appealing for a shorter sentence. The High Court’s Court of Appeal on Tuesday denied Joseph John, also known as Wong Kin-chung, permission to challenge his five-year jail term. The activist was the leader of the now-dissolved Hong Kong Independence […]

By Alice Philipson China’s President Xi Jinping urged Vietnam to join forces in upholding free trade, before wrapping up a visit to Hanoi on Tuesday which President Donald Trump said was aiming to “screw” the United States. Xi visited Vietnam as part of a Southeast Asia tour that will include Malaysia and Cambodia, with Beijing […]

Hong Kong’s education minister has said that schools are on the “frontline” of preventing the spread of “soft resistance,” as students may develop “extreme, biased” values due to online rumours. Schools in Hong Kong should cultivate patriotism among students and step up training for teachers to prevent “hostile forces from infiltrating schools,” Secretary for Education Christine Choi […]

Beijing’s top official on Hong Kong affairs has taken aim at the United States, warning that the country “is after our survival” and calling the imposition of steep tariffs on Chinese goods “arrogant and shameless.” Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO), made the remarks during a televised keynote […]

Chinese security officials said Tuesday they had implicated three US “secret agents” in cyberattacks during February’s Asian Winter Games in the northeastern city of Harbin, offering a reward for information on the alleged spies. Harbin police released a statement on Weibo accusing three US National Security Agency (NSA) agents of attacks on “key information infrastructure”. It […]

Hong Kong’s current predicament amid the US-China trade war “is unfortunate” because the city has a trade deficit with Washington, an American chamber of commerce has said. “The recent U.S. trade policy decisions and worldwide reactions have had great ramifications on the global economy. Hong Kong, a long-time supporter of free economy and trade, is […]

Hong Kong authorities have defended their immigration policy after a British lawmaker said she was refused entry to the city last week. “The Immigration Department will deal with each case in accordance with the relevant law and immigration policy,” the government said in a statement on Monday night. “It is the duty of [an] immigration […]

Amnesty International’s Hong Kong office has reopened overseas after it pulled out of the city in 2021, citing the onset of the Beijing-imposed national security law. Ex-lawmaker Fernando Cheung and former student activist Joey Siu are among the board members. Siu is one of 19 “wanted” Hong Kong activists with HK$1 million bounties placed on […]

Over half of Hongkongers said they did not support the government’s public healthcare subsidy reform, a Liberal Party survey has found. According to survey results announced by the Liberal Party on Monday, more than 53 per cent of the respondents said they did not endorse the government’s plan to increase fees for non-critical Accident & […]

Prison authorities have defended their trousers-only rules for female inmates, telling a Hong Kong court that they are based on “inherent” gender differences. Detained activist Chow Hang-tung, 39, is challenging the Correctional Services Department (CSD) prison rules that mandate female inmates to wear trousers throughout the summer, while men may wear shorts. Representing the activist, […]

Hong Kong police have said they made three arrests during British band Coldplay’s final show in the city after a man who worked at the concert venue allegedly sneaked in his friends. Three men, aged between 21 and 23, were apprehended at Kai Tak Stadium on Saturday evening, police said in a statement on Monday. […]

Chinese exports soared more than 12 percent last month, according to data Monday, beating expectations as businesses rushed to get ahead of swingeing tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on his so-called “Liberation Day”. Beijing and Washington have been locked in a fast-moving, high-stakes game of brinkmanship since Trump launched a global tariff assault […]

By Alice Philipson with Mary Yang in Beijing Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned that protectionism “leads nowhere” and that a trade war would have “no winners”, state media said, as he arrived in Vietnam on Monday on the first leg of a Southeast Asia tour. Xi will visit Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia on his first […]

The Hong Kong government has said that it will review public broadcaster RTHK’s operations following lawmakers’ criticism over its budget. At a Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting on Friday, legislator Junius Ho urged RTHK to “reform” its operations because it only reached a small number of viewers despite having a big budget. RTHK has been allocated […]

Hong Kong Chief Secretary Eric Chan has slammed steep US tariff hikes on Chinese goods, calling them “blackmail” and suggesting they are a matter of national security. In an interview with local newspaper Sing Tao, published on Monday, Chan said the tariffs disregarded the law and did not comply with international practices. Chan’s remarks come […]

Hong Kong’s Air Quality Health Index (AQI) health risk category reached “very high” at 8 of the Environmental Protection Department’s (EPD) 18 monitoring stations on Sunday. The EPD warned that the risk may reach the “high” category or above at some stations into Monday. “Very high” is the second most severe AQI classification below “serious,” […]

Hong Kong’s Democratic Party has passed a motion bringing it closer to disbandment, following reports that Chinese officials warned its senior members to shut down the opposition party before the upcoming legislative elections. Democratic Party members on Sunday approved the motion to mandate the central committee to proceed with disbanding during an extraordinary general meeting, […]

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Sunday said that he was deeply concerned after a UK lawmaker was denied entry to Hong Kong, and that he would be urgently raising the issue with the Chinese authorities. Wera Hobhouse claimed she was the first British MP to be refused entry on arrival in Hong Kong since […]