State Council – Charm

Microchip on a motherboard with Flag of China and USA. Concept for the battle of global microchips production.

China declares it is now the leading global chipmaking power — mainly because it just changed the definitio…

1 week ago07 mins

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. China’s State Council published a revised integrated-circuit layout-design regulation, deleting the words “semiconductor integrated circuit” from its definitions article, essentially rewriting what it considers an integrated circuit The regulation does retain mentions of “semiconductor material substrate”, but chooses…

Drills to start as Hong Kong targets September launch of revamped border crossing

3 weeks ago02 mins

Hong Kong is gearing up for a September launch of its revamped Huanggang Port border crossing, with drills set to begin next month under the new “joint inspection” model, the South China Morning Post has learned. Sources said Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung and other officials were set to inspect the checkpoint on Friday,…

Hong Kong passes bill for Huanggang ‘co-location’ arrangement

4 weeks ago02 mins

Hong Kong’s legislature has passed a bill providing the legal basis for implementing a “co-location” arrangement at the upgraded Huanggang border crossing following a four-hour meeting, after the city’s security chief said it must be approved by July 31. The passage of the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area Bill, which was gazetted on Tuesday,…

Hong Kong gazettes bill to enable joint immigration checks at Shenzhen crossing

1 month ago02 mins

Hong Kong authorities have gazetted a new law regulating an upgraded border crossing, between the city and Shenzhen, marking another major step to launch the first joint immigration model that will cut clearance times from the current 30 minutes to five. The Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area Bill was gazetted on Tuesday, with a…

Wang Zhenmin, former bureau chief of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Office, says the US, UK and Singapore have more draconian national security laws than Hong Kong. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong national security laws must be constantly improved: ex-Beijing official

1 month ago02 mins

Hong Kong’s national security laws must be constantly improved to address risks and close loopholes amid geopolitical tensions, a former senior mainland Chinese official overseeing the city’s affairs has said, while insisting that the local pieces of legislation were less draconian compared with equivalent laws in the United States and United Kingdom. Wang Zhenmin, former…

Beijing grants freer access to HK and Macau yachts in Greater Bay Area

3 months ago03 mins

The central government has greenlighted yachts from Hong Kong and Macau to enter nine mainland Chinese cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) without customs guarantees and with temporary ship registrations. A yacht in Hong Kong. Photo: Shreyaan Vashishtha/Pexels. The State Council said on Friday that the pilot scheme came into effect the same day….

Developing | Beijing allows Hong Kong yachts to berth more easily in some mainland Chinese ports

3 months ago01 mins

Hong Kong-registered yachts can berth more easily in designated mainland Chinese ports in the Greater Bay Area, as Beijing has waived customs guarantees and simplified administrative procedures. In a directive published on Saturday night, the State Council revamped its maritime policies, allowing Hong Kong and Macau leisure yachts to enter designated mainland ports “exempt from…

Macau finance minister steps down for ‘personal reasons’

4 months ago02 mins

Macau’s finance minister has resigned over “personal reasons,” prompting the city’s chief executive to temporarily assume his duties until a new candidate is appointed. The cabinet change took effect on Thursday after China’s State Council approved the removal of Tai Kin-ip from the post of secretary for economy and finance, in accordance with Macau’s Basic…

Beijing’s top official on women’s affairs lays out 3 goals for Hong Kong

5 months ago02 mins

Hong Kong should adopt measures that better meet the needs of women and family development in its first five-year plan and take pragmatic steps to create a fair and inclusive society, the country’s top official on women’s affairs has said. State Councillor Shen Yiqin made the remarks at the Hong Kong Family and Women Development…

Zhang Dongmei named new deputy director of office overseeing Hong Kong affairs

5 months ago02 mins

Beijing has selected Zhang Dongmei, a former vice-president of the All-China Women’s Federation, as a new deputy director of the top office overseeing Hong Kong affairs, making her the first woman to take on the role since the body’s status was elevated in 2023. Zhang’s appointment as the new deputy head of the Hong Kong…