Beijing on Thursday accused the United States of hypocrisy in response to accusations by President Joe Biden that China is “xenophobic” and “cheating” on trade. A China flag flies in Hong Kong, on October 1, 2023. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “I would like to ask him: are you talking about China or the US itself?” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, when asked about the comments. In a speech Wednesday to union members, Biden called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing it of cheating as he courted blue-collar voters on an election campaign trip to the battleground state of Pennsylvani ..read more

Hong Kong’s housing minister has defended an estimated HK$4.39 billion price tag for managing 30,000 temporary flats which are planned for the city, saying this would cover maintenance, cleaning, and other amenities. The units will be part of the Light Public Housing (LPH) scheme, which aims to boost the city’s short-term housing supply by providing prefabricated flats that will be retired after five years of use. A Light Public Housing mock-up unit at Kai Tak. Photo: GovHK. The bureau’s estimate amounts to operational costs of around HK$1,000 per month for each temporary unit. The scheme, an ..read more

The Hong Kong government has defended its monthly spending of HK$3.75 million to maintain defunct Covid-19 isolation centres after one legislator described the bill as “shocking.” Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn meets the press on October 30, 2023. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn addressed lawmakers in the Legislative Council on Wednesday as meetings to discuss the financial year’s budget continued. As part of initial questions asked by lawmakers ahead of the meetings, legislator Chan Hoi-yan had asked the Development Bureau how much the cit ..read more

Hong Kong police have arrested a woman on suspicion of sharing test papers from the city’s university entrance examination online. The documents were leaked on Chinese social networking site Xiaohongshu, local media reported. A HKDSE examination hall. File photo: GovHK. A 23-year-old woman surnamed Lau was detained on Wednesday for allegedly breaching the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority Ordinance, police said in a statement on Thursday. She was granted bail pending investigation and must report to the force in mid-May. The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA ..read more

Hong Kong’s government says it approved spending of over HK$192 million since 2023 on “mega events” designed to attract tourists, and had put rules in place to guard against potential conflicts of interest. A Chubby Hearts balloon pops up in Kennedy Town on February 14, 2024. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. In a written response to lawmakers on Wednesday, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said the committee overseeing the “Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund,” which is intended to attract major events to the city, had strict requirements on declaration of interests. Beneficiaries “must follow the p ..read more

Taiwan’s incoming president Lai Ching-te has made Time Magazine’s list of the “100 Most Influential People of 2024”, which the island hailed Thursday as a recognition of its “democratic achievements”. Taiwan president-elect William Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party delivers his victory speech in Taipei, Taiwan, on January 13, 2024. Photo: Kelly Ho/HKFP. Vice President Lai, who won the January presidential election to succeed Tsai Ing-wen, will take office on May 20 at a time of growing tensions between Taiwan and China. Beijing claims the self-ruled island as part of its territ ..read more

Hong Kong’s government spent around HK$1.22 billion to prepare for and hold last year’s “patriots-only” District Council election, which was marked by a record low voter turnout. It works out at just over HK$1,000 spent for each of the 1,195,331 voters. A sum of HK$168 million was spent in the 2022-23 fiscal year and some HK$992 million was allocated the following year to promote and implement the election, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau revealed in a written response to lawmakers. People canvass for Hong Kong’s first “patriots-only” District Council election in North Point, o ..read more

Jimmy Lai had mentioned in late November 2019 the idea of conducting a primary poll to “continue the momentum” of the pro-democracy camp in a legislative race originally scheduled for 2020, an activist has told the media tycoon’s landmark national security trial. In this photo taken on June 16, 2020, Hong kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai, 72, poses during an interview with AFP at the Next Digital offices in Hong Kong. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP. The Apple Daily founder said organising a primary election could unite the votes of pro-democracy electors and secure the legislative seats o ..read more

The Hong Kong government has said it will speed up food waste recycling and set up hundreds more smart bins to collect food waste before August, when the city officially rolls out its delayed waste charging scheme. The Environmental Protection Department said on Tuesday that 700 smart bins for food waste collection would be installed at 213 public housing estates across the city by August. A smart bin for food waste is seen in one building of the public housing estate Moon Lok Dai Ha, which has joined the pilot scheme of waste charge on April 2, 2024. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. These recycling fac ..read more

By W.G. Dunlop US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun via video teleconference Tuesday, in the first substantive talks between the superpowers’ defense chiefs in nearly 18 months. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III delivers the keynote address during the 2021 Reagan National Defense Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. on Dec. 4, 2021. Photo: Chad J. McNeeley/ U.S. Department of Defense. The United States has been working to strengthen defense cooperation with its allies in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China ..read more