World News by Wild Rose

The Hong Kong government has rejected an annual European Union report alleging that the administration is undermining the city’s fundamental freedoms, calling its claims “unfounded and biased”. The more than 4,500-word statement, issued early on Wednesday morning, followed the publication on Tuesday of the EU’s 2025 annual report on Hong Kong. The report was jointly issued by the European Commission and the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. It...

Hong Kong authorities have appointed a five-member supervisory committee to investigate the conviction of a district councillor for having sex with a 13-year-old girl 15 years ago. Yuen Long district councillor Sei Chun-hing, 39, is the first elected officeholder to face possible imprisonment for a criminal offence since Beijing’s 2021 electoral overhaul, which restricted public office to candidates vetted as “patriots”. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said in a statement...

Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top leaders sent condolences from Beijing as Hong Kong bade farewell to the city’s first postcolonial leader, Tung Chee-hwa, at a sombre yet poignant state funeral on Sunday. A report by the official Xinhua News Agency praised Tung, who died on September 8 at the age of 89, as “an outstanding contributor to ‘one country two systems’, a renowned patriot, an outstanding social activist and a close friend of” the Communist Party of China. “While Tung was...

Selected by Beijing in 1996, Tung Chee-hwa's tenure shaped post-colonial Hong Kong during a turbulent political era.

Hong Kong is mourning the loss of its first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, in a weekend vigil, with tributes pouring in from political and business heavyweights as well as members of the public. Tung, who died at the age of 89 on September 8, led Hong Kong through ups and downs – the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the Sars outbreak in 2003 and a V-shaped rebound in the economy that followed. Saturday’s rituals, held at Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point, will be followed by a state funeral...

This weekend, Hong Kong mourns the loss of former chief executive and elder statesman Tung Chee-hwa. The shipping tycoon who became the city’s first leader after its transfer of sovereignty to China in 1997 died on September 8 at the age of 89, leaving a legacy of determined stewardship and dedicated public service. This weekend, a state funeral will be held to honour Tung, who was also a former vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). There will be a...

Hong Kong’s first five-year plan marks a new chapter for the city and will prompt discussion about individual priorities and initiatives. But there is another question worth asking: what can Hong Kong bring to the national journey over the next five years? As China begins its 15th five-year plan, Hong Kong has an opportunity to think more deliberately about its distinctive contribution to national development. Much has been said about Hong Kong’s role as a “superconnector”. The description...

Hong Kong police will establish a high level of security for this weekend’s state funeral of the city’s first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, including guarding the three top Beijing officials attending the event, the South China Morning Post has learned. However, the original public memorial service will instead be limited to invitation-only due to venue constraints, the Office of Former Chief Executives announced on Thursday. A command centre would be set up at the police headquarters in Wan...

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has vowed to examine whether the government can better support women aged over 40 who are seeking assisted reproductive treatment, while acknowledging that financial incentives alone would not reverse the city’s falling birth rate. Lee made the pledge during a radio phone-in programme on Thursday, when residents described obstacles to having children, including job insecurity. Among the callers was a woman surnamed Lee, who said a medical condition and a lengthy...

We have put together stories from our coverage of John Lee’s 2026 policy address. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. 14 key takeaways from John Lee’s policy address, Hong Kong’s first 5-year plan Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has placed deepening integration with mainland China and developing new economic engines centre stage as he unveiled the city’s first-ever five-year plan alongside the last policy address of his term. 2. Hong Kong...

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee set out plans to almost double the city’s spending on innovation in coming years and offered greater financial support for new parents, as his government seeks to build new growth engines and arrest a decline in births. The target was announced Wednesday as Lee unveiled Hong Kong’s first five-year development plan. (Source: Bloomberg)