Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to align with national strategies outlined in China’s latest five-year plan and transform the city’s “new positionings, functions and missions” assigned by Beijing into “tangible outcomes” to drive economic growth. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Thursday that he would lead the local government in fulfilling its primary…
The head of Hong Kong’s oldest university has vowed to inject more resources into humanities programmes, praising them as a source of creativity and imagination, even as some institutions outside the city cut courses amid the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Professor Xiang Zhang, president of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), made the pledge…
A Hong Kong property tycoon has called for a more prudent approach to the city’s development rather than accelerating projects amid global uncertainties, saying the industry’s willingness to invest in the Northern Metropolis hinges on the health of the market. Far East Consortium chairman David Chiu Tat-cheong also described the megaproject’s new land disposal approach…
Hong Kong is not just China’s economic sandbox but also a driver of the country’s development, the finance chief has said, calling the city the nation’s international financial centre. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Monday that Hong Kong must move swiftly to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and “get empowered” in its use, as…
The annual “two sessions” in Beijing are under way, and this year the annual ritual of reading tea leaves in this city has been made easier for politics watchers. That is because Beijing has been blunt about the problems it thinks our city faces. There is the usual praise for the Hong Kong government and…
Escalating geopolitical tensions will not derail Hong Kong’s goal set out in the country’s 15th five-year plan and its efforts to implement the blueprint, former leader Leung Chun-ying has said, describing agility and adaptability as in the city’s DNA. The vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top political advisory body, also…
Hong Kong has adequate safeguards to prevent any misuse of the Exchange Fund, according to the economist known as the “father of the city’s dollar peg”, who called concerns over the government’s decision to draw from the de facto sovereign wealth fund “a little overblown”. John Greenwood said the government’s plan to transfer HK$150 billion…
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po delivered his latest budget on February 25. Over the past decade, under his stewardship, Hong Kong has weathered multiple economic shocks and recently returned to a respectable growth rate of 3.5 per cent. Yet the tasks ahead are formidable: addressing a structural fiscal deficit in the city’s capital account while…
Hong Kong Baptist University is “actively considering” issuing bonds to finance its future development, including campus redevelopment and its new Chinese medicine hospital, according to its president. But Professor Alexander Wai Ping-kong also told the South China Morning Post on Thursday that the public institution would be cautious with bond issuance to avoid creating pressure…
Hong Kong should speed up the construction of the Northern Metropolis megaproject near the border with the mainland and the development of a commodity trading ecosystem, according to the draft outline of China’s 15th five-year plan. Other priorities included stronger integration with national development on the economic, technological and social fronts, especially deepening cross-border connections…