On February 10, China’s State Council Information Office released a white paper titled “Hong Kong: Safeguarding China’s National Security Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems”. This is the third white paper issued by the Chinese central government on Hong Kong-related affairs since 2014. It reviews Hong Kong’s efforts in safeguarding national security, elaborates…
Two former leaders of a now-disbanded alliance behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil have a case to answer in a high-profile trial after judges ruled the evidence supported prosecutors’ allegations that the activists incited others to overthrow the Communist Party leadership. Three High Court judges on Friday found that the evidence appeared to suggest…
Hong Kong should step up education on Chinese history and culture while highlighting security threats to cultivate public awareness about the need to defend the country, experts have said, as the nation’s legislature is set to pass a law promoting ethnic unity. The expert’s comments came ahead of the closing session of the 14th National…
A Hong Kong court has jailed a retiree for eight months for posting speeches on his social media account in which he seditiously criticised authorities and called on voters to boycott last year’s Legislative Council election. Lam Ming-chung, 68, on Friday admitted to posting seditious content on his Facebook account between September 2024 and November…
After being sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for national security offences on February 9, Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying will decide if he wishes to appeal. He may challenge his convictions and/or sentences and has about two weeks to make up his mind. Given the length of his trial (156 days), the mountain of…
A Hong Kong court has dismissed all appeals by 12 opposition activists to overturn their convictions or reduce their sentences in the city’s largest national security case, upholding that an unofficial 2020 primary election was subversive and that the seven-year starting point for jail terms was not “manifestly excessive”. The Court of Appeal on Monday…
Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal on Monday dismissed the appeal by 12 opposition activists seeking to overturn their convictions or have their sentences reduced, following the city’s largest national security trial to date. The appellate court also upheld the acquittal of one of 47 defendants prosecuted in the high-profile case of conspiracy to subvert state…
The acquisition price for properties damaged in Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po fire will be “far lower” if homeowners reject the government’s buy-back offer and authorities are forced to use legislation to acquire the remaining properties, a senior official has said. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun on Sunday dismissed claims that the government was…
When Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director Xia Baolong recently described Hong Kong’s executive-led system as a distinct governance model, he elevated it from an administrative arrangement to constitutional doctrine. A doctrine is not merely about structure. It is about how governance power is exercised. In Hong Kong’s executive-led system, that exercise begins with…
Simon Leung has been without a full-time job since his contract ended in March 2024, after the Hong Kong government cut its budget for NGOs by 7 per cent. The social work event coordinator, who is in his late forties, now makes ends meet through gig jobs. With word spreading that the city’s coming budget…