Pro-Beijing groups in Hong Kong are seeking to organise a carnival in part of Causeway Bay’s Victoria Park, where annual vigils were held for decades to mark the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. The event period is set to cover the crackdown’s 35th anniversary on June 4. Victoria Park. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) told HKFP on Friday that an organisation had applied to use the football pitches, central lawn and basketball courts for a public event between May 27 and June 8. The application was being handled at the moment, the department said. The dep ..read more

A marine pyrotechnic display will take place across Victoria Harbour during next Wednesday’s May Day public holiday, kicking off a campaign of monthly fireworks shows to boost tourism, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has announced. In a statement released on Thursday, the HKTB said the fireworks show will begin at 8pm on Labour Day near the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. The theme will be the colour gold, showcasing the initials “HK” and a smiley face. A mock-up image from the Tourism Board demonstrating the Labour Day fireworks. Photo: HKTB mock up image. The government announced during the 202 ..read more

By Shaun Tandon China’s foreign minister warned Antony Blinken on Friday that US pressure could trigger a “downward spiral”, as the visiting secretary of state raised concerns on issues including support for Russia. China’s foreign minister Wang Yi (right) holds hand with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 26, 2024. Photo: Antony Blinken, via X. In a sign of the importance of the relationship between the world’s top two economies, officials said Chinese President Xi Jinping would receive Blinken, who is visiting for the second time in less than a year. Blinken said he had “extensiv ..read more

Chinese tech giant ByteDance has said it has no plans to sell TikTok after a new US law put it on a deadline to divest from the hugely popular video platform or have it banned in the United States. A TikTok logo statue. File photo: Anthony Quintano, via Flickr CC2.0. US lawmakers set the nine-month deadline on national security grounds, alleging that TikTok can be used by the Chinese government for espionage and propaganda as long as it is owned by ByteDance. The Information, a tech-focused US news site, reported that ByteDance was looking at scenarios for selling TikTok without the powerful ..read more

The Hong Kong government has “strongly opposed” a resolution adopted by the European Parliament, which condemned the enactment of the city’s domestic security law and called for sanctions against Chief Executive John Lee and other government officials. European Parliament. File photo: CC-BY-4.0: © European Union 2023, via EP. The European Union had made “exaggerating remarks” and demonstrated “typical political hegemony and hypocrisy with double standards” with a resolution passed on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Hong Kong government said in a statement late on Thursday. Concerns over Arti ..read more

Media mogul Jimmy Lai was fearless and “led by example” after the Beijing-enacted security law came into force, an activist testifying against the tycoon in his high-profile trial has said. Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrives at the Court of Final Appeal to hear a decision on whether he will be granted bail, in Hong Kong on February 9, 2021. Photo: Isaac Lawrence/AFP. Chan Tsz-wah, a paralegal who was charged alongside Lai and is now a witness for the prosecution, appeared at West Kowloon Law Courts Building on Thursday as the defence began questioning him. Marc Corlett, on ..read more

Hong Kong’s treasury chief, in a meeting with a visiting UK minister, has reaffirmed that emigrants who want to withdraw their pensions from the city’s official fund cannot use their British National (Overseas) passports as proof of identity. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui also told Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the UK minister for the Indo-Pacific, that the city’s newly-passed security legislation will create a “stable and prosperous” business environment. She expressed concern at what she called the erosion of rights in the city. Christopher Hui (left) and Anne-Ma ..read more

By Shaun Tandon US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Thursday on the United States and China to manage their differences “responsibly” as he went on a charm offensive ahead of expected tough talks. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks with Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining during a meeting at the Grand Halls in Shanghai on April 25, 2024. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/AFP. A day before meeting Beijing’s top brass to tackle thorny issues including Russia, Taiwan and trade, Blinken’s visit to Shanghai saw him sample local food, watch a basketball game and stroll along the city’s ..read more

Hong Kong’s official auditor has criticised the Post Office, public dental services, bus operators and a government-funded NGO for failing to include national security clauses in contracts with various suppliers. The Audit Commissioner released reports on Wednesday covering eight government sectors. While examining their spending and efficiency, it also urged various departments to safeguard national security in accordance with the Beijing-drafted law enacted in June 2020. Photo: GovHK. The watchdog said the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education (HKAGE), an NGO fully funded by the government ..read more

Taiwanese president-elect Lai Ching-te named his cabinet and security team appointees on Thursday as he prepares to take office next month. 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. China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it will not renounce the use of force to bring it under its control, has labelled Lai a “dangerous separatist”. Lai said Thursday the island was “facing unprecedented challenges” ahead of his inauguration on May 2 ..read more