Hong Kong has signed 96 agreements with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan worth US$1.65 billion during city leader John Lee Ka-chiu’s visit to Central Asia, which he hailed as a “successful” mission setting the stage for closer government and business ties with the region. Lee on Thursday also said Hong Kong had initiated an agreement with Uzbekistan…
Becoming an astronaut and exploring space has been the dream of generations of young people and Hong Kong has welcomed this pioneering moment. Dr Lai Ka-Ying, who studied computer science at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has become the first astronaut from Hong Kong, and the fourth female astronaut from China, to journey into…
Direct flights between Hong Kong and Kazakhstan could save business travellers up to 10 hours and open the city’s shorelines to tourists from landlocked Central Asia, lawmakers have said after the flag carrier announced plans to launch an Almaty route next year. Lawmaker Jonathan Stuart Lamport, who represents the business sector, on Thursday said the…
Hong Kong and Uzbekistan have begun talks on a reciprocal agreement that would allow visitors from both sides visa-free access for up to 30 days. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu arrived in Tashkent from Kazakhstan on Wednesday evening and met Uzbekistan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, with the two witnessing officials from both sides confirm…
Xenophobia and financial woes in the West have created tremendous opportunities for higher education institutions in Hong Kong and the broader Eurasian region, the head of a leading university in Kazakhstan has said. Professor Waqar Ahmad, the president of Nazarbayev University, also revealed on Wednesday that the institution would soon launch another joint undergraduate programme…
Two Hong Kong media organisations have joined forces with one of Kazakhstan’s largest state-owned conglomerates to strengthen collaboration in journalism and information exchange. The South China Morning Post also signed a partnership with Kazakhstan’s special financial zone to boost ties between Central Asia, Hong Kong and mainland China. The agreements are among 13 memorandums of…
Hong Kong Legislative Council president Starry Lee Wai-king has urged officials to respect lawmakers’ dissenting views amid a recent rise in government pushback, stressing that public policies “always have pros and cons”. Speaking at a media gathering on Tuesday, Lee said she had relayed lawmakers’ concerns to the government regarding officials’ recent rebuttals. She described…
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has held talks with Kazakhstan’s president at the start of a visit to Central Asia, highlighting the city’s role as a “superconnector” bridging businesses with global markets, as his delegation sealed a wide range of partnership deals with the nation. Lee began his five-day trip on Monday by discussing…
A Hong Kong-born biomedical imaging expert and founding dean of a US institution has been appointed to head the city’s third medical school. According to the University of Science and Technology on Monday, King Li King-chuen, dean emeritus of Carle Illinois College of Medicine, said he would draw on his experience to work closely with…
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu met lawmakers on Friday to discuss a “highly targeted, substance-heavy” report they compiled outlining proposals on how the city’s first five-year plan should proactively align with national development. The closed-door meeting took place ahead of the government’s planned launch of a public consultation on Hong Kong’s five-year plan in…