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President Donald Trump said his administration was “very close” to a deal to find a buyer for TikTok, which faces a US ban if not sold by its Chinese owner by the weekend. “We’re very close to a deal with a very good group of people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that […]

A wildfire that broke out on Lantau Island’s Mui Wo nearly two weeks ago burned down hundreds of trees, many of them planted by horticulturist Paul Melsom over the past two decades. “It’s painful to walk amongst all the ashes. Trees you’ve been nurturing for a long time just reduced to nothing,” Melsom told HKFP. He […]

By Luna Lin and Oliver Hotham US President Donald Trump has slapped punishing new tariffs on imports of Chinese goods, deepening a trade war between the world’s two largest economies. Beijing has vowed countermeasures in response and warned the new tariffs will cripple global supply chains — and Washington’s own interests. AFP looks at how […]

Hong Kong recorded 365 new HIV cases in 2024, with the youngest infected individual aged 14, health authorities have said. The Department of Health announced on Thursday that the city saw a decline in the number of new HIV infections for the ninth consecutive year. In 2024, health authorities received reports of new HIV cases […]

China on Thursday said it “firmly opposes” sweeping new US tariffs on its exports, vowing “countermeasures” to protect its rights and interests. US President Donald Trump has ignited a potentially ruinous global trade war after imposing 10 percent levies on imports from around the world and harsh extra duties on key trading partners. Trump unveiled […]

The US has banned government personnel in China and Hong Kong from any romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese citizens, according to the Associated Press (AP) citing four sources with direct knowledge of the policy. In a report on Friday, the news wire said that the ban was put into effect by departing US ambassador […]

Hong Kong social worker Jackie Chen is a kind person who is happy to help others in need, her lawyer has said as a judge prepares to hand down a jail term for her riot conviction linked to a protest in 2019. Chen, 48, appeared at the District Court on Thursday morning. She was found […]

Hong Kong is aiming to bar residents from possessing or smoking e-cigarettes in public from the second quarter of next year, in a move that will eventually ban their use even in private, according to local media reports. The government is set to submit a bill that will strengthen its crackdown on e-cigarettes and heated […]

A Hong Kong man has been found guilty in a retrial over his involvement in the Yuen Long mob attack in 2019, after his acquittal was overturned last year. District Court Judge Eddie Yip convicted Wong Chi-wing of one count each of rioting and wounding with intent on Thursday after an appeal court in August […]

Chinese artist Badiucao has said that two Mong Kok billboards showing a clip he made with a hidden political message have been removed. Organisers would not confirm the removal but have denied the work is political, calling the Australian-based artist’s move “disrespectful.” Four-second black-and-white clips featuring Badiucao had been intermittently displayed on two LED billboards […]

US President Donald Trump signed an order Wednesday to close a duty-free exemption for small parcels from China, in a move likely to severely disrupt the import of popular low-cost products. The rule has faced heavy scrutiny as US officials pointed to the growth of Chinese-founded online retailers Shein and Temu as a factor behind […]

Hong Kong’s commerce chief has turned down an idea floated by a lawmaker to merge the city’s public broadcaster and the government’s public relations department, saying such a move would be “counterproductive” to official communication work. Speaking during a Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting on Wednesday, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau said the […]

The Hong Kong government has invited members of the public to submit their views on its proposal to legalise basketball betting in the city. The government announced on Wednesday the launch of a one-month consultation on a regulatory regime for basketball betting under the Betting Duty Ordinance. A 16-page consultation document was released for the […]

China’s military said it practised hitting key ports and energy sites during “live-fire” drills Wednesday as part of exercises aimed at Taiwan, the democratic island it claims as its own. The surprise manoeuvres were criticised by Washington as “intimidation tactics” and come after Taiwan President Lai Ching-te called China a “foreign hostile force”. Named “Strait […]

Hong Kong has slammed “untruthful remarks, slanders and smears” in a US report accusing Beijing and local authorities of taking further steps to curtail human rights in the city through national security legislation. In its 2025 Hong Kong Policy Act Report issued Monday, the US Department of State said that Beijing and Hong Kong last […]

US lawmakers moved Tuesday to rename the street next to Hong Kong’s Washington office after Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy media owner jailed as China clamps down in the financial hub. A bill introduced in the House of Representatives would erect the street sign “Jimmy Lai Way” on a stretch alongside the Hong Kong Economic and […]

A Hong Kong man who wrote slogans related to Taiwanese independence and the Chinese Communist Party has been jailed for 10 months for criminal damage and sedition under the city’s homegrown security law, Article 23. Ernest Lee pleaded guilty at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts to the offences on Tuesday, according to court news outlet […]

Joe Chow – previously deputy commissioner of police (operations) – has been appointed as Commissioner of Police by China’s State Council. It comes after Raymond Siu stepped down as the city’s top cop on Tuesday. He entered pre-retirement leave after serving for 36 years. Director of Crime and Security Keith Yip will take on Chow’s […]

Hong Kong’s largest international school group is looking to raise tuition fees by an average of 4.8 per cent for primary and secondary school students, subject to approval by the city’s Education Bureau. In a letter to parents on Monday, the English Schools Foundation (ESF) CEO Belinda Greer said that the group’s board had approved […]

By Sally Jensen and Chayanit Itthipongmaetee A Chinese construction company is facing questions over the deadly collapse of a Bangkok skyscraper — the only major building in the capital to fall in a catastrophic earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people in Thailand and neighbouring Myanmar. The 30-storey tower, still under construction, was to […]

Chinese artist Badiucao has said he snuck a political message onto two billboards in Mong Kok during last week’s Art Week. Organisers have denied the work is political. Four-second black-and-white clips featuring Badiucao are being intermittently displayed on two LED billboards, where the Australia-based artist is seen silently mouthing a quote from Chairman Mao Zedong. […]

Hong Kong cinema chain Golden Harvest has announced it will shut down its branch in Whampoa on April 10 due to “expiry of tenancy,” amid a wave of theatre closures since last year. After operating in the Kowloon residential district for almost 16 years, GH Whampoa will host its final screenings on April 9, Golden […]

By Joy Chiang with Mary Yang in Beijing China on Tuesday sent its army, navy, air and rocket forces to surround Taiwan for large-scale drills Beijing said were aimed at practising for “precision strikes” and a blockade of the self-ruled island. Taiwan dispatched its own aircraft and ships, and deployed land-based missile systems, in response […]

Hong Kong has slammed the United States for placing sanctions on six local and Chinese officials for their involvement in what Washington calls “transnational repression” and the implementation of the Beijing-imposed national security law. In a statement released in the early hours of Tuesday, the Hong Kong government said it “strongly condemns” the US for […]

Hong Kong’s top court has sided with the government in overturning the acquittal of Lam Cheuk-ting after the pro-democracy ex-lawmaker disclosed a misconduct probe into a police officer who was under investigation for his role in a mob attack during the 2019 protests and unrest. Lam, of the opposition Democratic Party, was cleared of three counts […]

Greenpeace has called on Kai Tak Stadium to allow reusable cups after an estimated 510,000 paper cups were used during the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament over the weekend. Volunteers at the stadium estimated that 60 per cent of the 860,000 pieces of disposable tableware generated during the three-day tournament were paper cups, the green […]

Heralded as the sixth most dangerous in the world, Kai Tak served as Hong Kong’s airport from 1925 until 1998. Initially a simple grass-strip airfield, a concrete slipway was added in 1928. A flight control tower and hangar were built in the 1930s, when commercial flights began. The airport was expanded in the 1950s with a new […]

Hong Kong’s security chief has accused a former examinations official of spreading rumours about the recent death of a secondary school student during a study tour in mainland China. Social media page “Edu Lancet,” which describes itself as a platform for “voicing concerns” about the education sector, was slammed by Secretary for Security Chris Tang […]

Arsenal will play Tottenham in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong, the first North London derby to be held outside the United Kingdom, the clubs said Monday, while Liverpool will meet AC Milan. The London rivals will clash at the southern Chinese city’s new 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium on July 31, just over two weeks […]

Hong Kong deployed a search and rescue team of 51 specialists to earthquake-stricken Myanmar on Saturday and donated HK$30 million for emergency relief effort. The 7.7-magnitude quake hit Myanmar on Friday, with an epicentre near Sagaing and Mandalay cities. It was the most powerful quake to strike the war-torn country since 1912. The number of […]

By Kyoko Hasegawa The United States will ensure “robust, ready and credible deterrence” across the Taiwan Strait, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday, calling China “aggressive and coercive”. Hegseth also stopped short of publicly calling on Tokyo to hike military spending, saying in Japan he trusted the close US ally to “make the correct […]

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) Joe Chow is reportedly set to take the helm at the Hong Kong Police Force after Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu retires on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Director of Crime and Security Keith Yip will take on Chow’s role, pending approval, according to local media citing sources on Monday. Currently Siu’s deputy, […]

Chief Executive John Lee has praised the first-ever Hong Kong Sevens held at the new Kai Tak Stadium as a success, despite reports of fans going hungry due to vendors running out of food. “The Hong Kong Sevens is one of the city’s local flagship mega events, promoting Hong Kong as a hub for international […]

Hong Kong’s first breast milk bank, which aims to save the lives of high-risk newborns, has commenced its second phase of service by distributing donated milk to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), the Hospital Authority has said. Rosanna Wong, director of the breast milk bank, said in a statement on Sunday that the Hong Kong Breast Milk […]

Critics of Hong Kong firm CK Hutchison Holdings over a deal to sell its ports around the world – including two at the Panama Canal – should “pause and calm down,” a senior lawmaker in the city has said. Jeffrey Lam, a lawmaker representing the commercial sector, said in a Commercial Radio programme on Sunday […]

By Hla-Hla Htay and Sebastien Berger, with Thanaporn Promyamyai in Bangkok. The death toll from a huge earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand passed 1,600 on Saturday, as rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings in a desperate search for survivors. The shallow 7.7-magnitude quake struck northwest of the city of Sagaing in central […]

By Faïza Soulé Youssouf. In the markets of the Comoros, the hand-embroidered kofia that is essential headwear for men and boys at Eid celebrations this month is facing fierce competition from much cheaper Chinese versions. The authentic kofia — which often feature delicately embroidered Arabic calligraphy in silk thread — can cost up to 400 […]

Veteran Hong Kong journalist Justin is a freelance editor at Whynot, a Chinese-language online media outlet and a subsidiary of the US government-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA). Since US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, Justin – not his real name – began to fret about the future of his media […]

The second day of the Hong Kong Sevens rugby games kicked off at the Kai Tak Stadium on Saturday, the centerpiece of the sprawling HK$30 billion Kai Tak Sports Park. Fans gathered in the brand new stadium to watch the games, with the victory of the Hong Kong men’s and women’s teams among the highlights […]

By Sara Hussein A powerful earthquake centred in Myanmar has killed more than 150 people in the war-torn country and neighbouring Thailand and caused widespread damage. Here is what we know: Powerful, and shallow The 7.7-magnitude quake hit northwest of Myanmar’s Sagaing at 12:50 pm (0650 GMT) on Friday at a shallow depth of 10 […]

Taiwan faces a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts warn, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts told AFP that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due […]

I generally hesitate to say anything about what appears in the Chinese-language press, because it reaches me only second-hand, and in translation. But recent commentaries in Ta Kung Pao have me puzzled. I do not participate in controversies about China, for or against. Such matters are not very interesting, and in any case, as a marooned Brit, […]

In the third month of 2025, Hong Kong’s apex court handed down landmark rulings: quashing the convictions of three Tiananmen vigil activists and upholding jailed activist Tam Tak-chi’s conviction and prison term. Jailed media mogul Jimmy Lai ended his testimony; his trial has been adjourned until August, when the court will hear closing arguments from […]

By Sebastien Berger and Hla Hla Htay with Thanaporn Promyamyai in Bangkok and Montira Rungjirajittranon in Chiang Mai A massive earthquake on Friday turned a major hospital in Myanmar’s capital into a “mass casualty area”, while at least three people were killed and dozens trapped in neighbouring Thailand when a skyscraper collapsed. The shallow 7.7-magnitude tremor […]

Hong Kong customs officers have announced the seizure of 145 kilograms of suspected gold bars, worth around HK$110 million, in a Japan-bound air cargo, breaking the record for the largest bust of its kind. “This is the largest gold bullion smuggling case detected by Customs on record in terms of the seizure volume and market […]

The head of Hong Kong’s corruption watchdog has urged the public not to incite blank or invalid votes ahead of the Legislative Council elections in December, warning that authorities will enforce the law “resolutely.” Danny Woo, the commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), told reporters on Thursday that he hoped the elections would […]

By Isabel Kua and Peter Catterall Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday warned of “severe challenges” to global trade, vowing to open the country’s door “wider and wider” to foreign firms as Beijing faces down a mounting trade war with the United States. Meeting executives including hedge fund boss Ray Dalio and Samsung Electronics chief […]

Hong Kong has slammed the United Kingdom over a twice-yearly report that raised concerns about “transnational repression,” published after the city issued arrest warrants for UK-based pro-democracy activists last December. The city’s government “strongly condemns and rejects the UK’s attempt through a so-called six-monthly report to make misleading and irresponsible remarks about Hong Kong matters, […]

Hong Kong’s health authorities have declared that the winter influenza season, that began in early January, “has come to an end.” However, they are urging residents to remain vigilant in anticipation of a flu season this summer. Hong Kong recorded 488 severe cases and 330 deaths among adults during the flu season, which lasted for […]

China rebuffed on Thursday a suggestion from US President Donald Trump that he might offer to reduce tariffs on the country to get Beijing’s approval for the sale of popular social media platform TikTok. Trump said this month the United States was in talks with four groups interested in acquiring TikTok, with the app facing […]