South China Morning Post - Hong Kong Politics

Hong Kong anti-graft body already has power to handle cross-border voting fraud cases, mainland ...

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 10:04:44 GMT

Hong Kong’s constitutional and mainland affairs minister on Wednesday said the city’s anti-graft body already possesses the enforcement powers necessary to handle election fraud cases on the mainland, where Hongkongers could be voting as early as next year.Erick Tsang Kwok-wai also told lawmakers the government had been “racing against time” to study the feasibility of extending voting to residents who live across the border for the Legislative Council elections, postponed until September next…

Hong Kong lawmakers back appointment of leading British judge to city’s top court

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 07:39:36 GMT

Hong Kong lawmakers endorsed the appointment of a veteran British judge to the city’s top court on Wednesday, and some suggested broadening the pool of overseas judges to include more common law jurisdictions such as Singapore and Malaysia.The appointment of Mr Justice Patrick Hodge brings the number of overseas judges serving as non-permanent members of the Court of Final Appeal to 14. Hodge currently serves as the deputy president of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.At a meeting of the…

Explaining the fuss over the University of Hong Kong’s appointment of two mainland Chinese ...

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 00:00:34 GMT

The University of Hong Kong, the city’s oldest tertiary institution, is no stranger to controversies. HKU has been embroiled in political rows in recent years, the latest being the appointment of two academics from Beijing’s Tsinghua University, with one previously listed as a Communist Party member.The HKU governing council confirmed the appointment of professors Max Shen Zuojun and Gong Peng as vice-presidents at a meeting on Tuesday evening, against calls by the student union and some alumni…

Hong Kong activists who sought shelter in US consulate follow previous flight bids that ...

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 15:42:07 GMT

The attempt by four Hong Kong activists to seek asylum in the city’s US consulate follows a string of previous attempts by mainland activists to seek sanctuary in US diplomatic missions.Tuesday’s attempt, first reported by the South China Morning Post, comes at a time of heightened US-China tensions and has been described as a “hot potato” in the run-up to the US presidential election. Previous asylum attempts threatened to become tipping points in the two countries’ relationship.One of the…

Hong Kong opposition lawmaker refuses official demand to remove ‘offending’ street banners ...

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 10:05:02 GMT

A Hong Kong opposition lawmaker is refusing to comply with an official demand she remove two street banners criticising bias in the education system and calling for the release of 12 Hong Kong fugitives being held on mainland China.The Lands Department said the banners, which hang from metal railings lining the pavement, violated rules requiring content is not obscene or objectionable and complies with laws.Democratic Party lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan earlier received official permission from…

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam due in Beijing next week for policy talks to bolster city’s ...

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 08:41:03 GMT

Hong Kong’s leader and five of her senior ministers will travel to Beijing next week to try and secure central government support for policies designed to accelerate the city’s economic recovery.Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is also due to visit Guangzhou and Shenzhen to push forward the city’s collaboration with its neighbours under the Greater Bay Area scheme, which aims to turn Hong Kong, Macau and nine Guangdong cities into a finance and technology hub.Laying out details for a…

Mainland Chinese professor not member of Communist Party, says University of California, ...

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 07:04:59 GMT

The US university that employs a professor tipped for a senior management role at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has said he told them he is not a member of the Chinese Communist Party.According to the University of California, Berkeley, Professor Max Shen Zuojun has been a full-time member of its faculty since 2004, and it had never asked him about any political affiliations he might have.Shen, who also holds a post with Tsinghua University in mainland China, has been recommended for the…

Hong Kong national security police arrest activist in coffee shop just before he was to seek ...

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 05:15:00 GMT

Officers from Hong Kong police’s national security unit arrested a student activist on Tuesday morning at a coffee shop, close to the United States consulate where he was about to seek asylum.Tony Chung Hon-lam, former convenor of the now-defunct pro-independence group Studentlocalism, was at a branch of Pacific Coffee opposite the consulate on Garden Road, Central, when he was held by at least three officers shortly after 8am.A senior police source confirmed Chung was arrested by officers…

More Hongkongers seeking asylum overseas, with Australia, Canada their main destinations

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 00:00:19 GMT

More Hongkongers are seeking asylum abroad this year following months of social unrest and the imposition of a controversial national security law, with Australia and Canada emerging as the top destinations for those fleeing the city.As of September, 136 asylum seekers had headed to Australia, up from about 120 last year, and about 50 in 2018. Canada, meanwhile, had seen 25 Hongkongers seeking refugee status as of June, up from nine last year, and two in 2018.There were also small numbers of…

Student union at University of Hong Kong warns hiring mainland Chinese professors for senior ...

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 11:42:14 GMT

The University of Hong Kong should decide against appointing two professors from mainland China to top management roles to ensure academic freedoms are protected, the institution’s student union and opposition district councillors have said.The union further warned it might take legal action or call a strike by its 16,000 members if the university’s council approved the postings on Tuesday as expected.HKU’s search committee has recommended Max Shen Zuojun for the job of vice-president of…

No public consultation exercise for Hong Kong proposal to allow voting in mainland China, ...

Sun, 25 Oct 2020 13:00:19 GMT

Hong Kong authorities plan to do away with public consultation and unveil proposals to expand voting for Hongkongers on mainland China before the city’s leader delivers her annual policy address, the Post has learned.Sources familiar with the matter revealed that top officials have ruled out postal voting and are inclined to set up only “a handful” of polling stations in major mainland cities, including Guangdong municipalities under the Greater Bay Area, to ensure there will be adequate…

Global rallies call for release of 12 Hong Kong fugitives detained in mainland China for more ...

Sun, 25 Oct 2020 11:00:10 GMT

Supporters of 12 Hong Kong fugitives detained in mainland China for more than two months now staged demonstrations around the world on Saturday calling for their release, ahead of a virtual rally conducted by relatives hoping to garner global support.The demonstrations follow numerous activists and sympathisers – Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg among them – taking to social media in recent weeks, posting photos of themselves alongside the message “#save12hkyouths”.The dozen…

Mother of murdered Poon Hiu-wing calls off meeting with Hong Kong police at last minute

Sun, 25 Oct 2020 05:46:50 GMT

A woman campaigning to have her daughter’s suspected killer sent to Taiwan to face justice called off a meeting with Hong Kong police at the last minute on Sunday.The mother of Poon Hiu-wing accused authorities of not being sincere in their desire to hold the meeting, after police failed to respond to a list of questions she issued on Saturday night.Poon was killed on the self-ruled island in 2018 and authorities there believe her boyfriend at the time, Chan Tong-kai, was involved.On Friday,…

Thailand protests: is Milk Tea Alliance stirring global support?

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 23:00:15 GMT

The day after Thailand’s military government shut down Bangkok’s rail system to restrain the growing anti-government movement last week, a message supportive of the campaign was graffitied on a bridge 1,550km from the kingdom.The hashtag #StandWithThailand was sprayed onto a bridge in the middle-class neighbourhood of Taikoo in Hong Kong. It remained unclear who did it, but pictures of the message quickly appeared on social media.In the residential neighborhood of Taikoo on #HongKong Island, we…

Beijing’s restraint in intervening in national security cases ‘shows Hong Kong retaining ...

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 16:00:41 GMT

Beijing’s restraint over intervening in the prosecution of national security cases in Hong Kong is proof the city’s high degree of autonomy has not been undermined by the new law, a legal heavyweight has told a forum.Another expert said at the same event that the crossfire between China and Britain over granting citizenship to the city’s residents who held BN(O) passports in the wake of the legislation was “carefully calibrated at both ends”.The Beijing-mandated law contains a provision…

Hong Kong rejects Taiwan’s proposal for official meeting to hand over evidence, sort out ...

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 10:58:50 GMT

The Hong Kong government on Friday rejected a proposal to meet Taiwanese authorities to exchange evidence and sort out travel details for the wanted murder suspect Chan Tong-kai after the self-ruled island approached the victim’s parents to express such a request.The city’s Security Bureau reiterated the legal restrictions it faced, as there was no mechanism for mutual legal assistance to exchange evidence between the two jurisdictions. The bureau also doubled down on its calls for Taiwan to…

China takes issue with British visa policy for Hongkongers and threatens to stop recognising ...

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 09:32:10 GMT

China’s foreign ministry has doubled down on its threat to stop recognising BN(O) passports, a day after the UK issued more details on advancing plans to open its doors to Hongkongers holding the status.The British government is set to create a special class of visa for Hong Kong holders of British National (Overseas) passports as the first step in a new pathway to earning the right of abode in the country and full British citizenship.According to a statement issued on Thursday, by the UK…

Britain announces new class of visa for Hong Kong BN(O) passport holders as first step in new ...

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 16:01:36 GMT

The British government is set to create a special class of visa next January for Hong Kong holders of BN(O) passports and their close family members as the first step in a new pathway to earning the right of abode in the country and full British citizenship.There will be no cap on the number of British National (Overseas) passport holders allowed to participate, and applications will open on January 31, 2021, according to a statement issued by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office…

Hong Kong lawyers can soon earn qualification to practise in Greater Bay Area under new pilot scheme

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 14:50:47 GMT

Hong Kong lawyers will be able to practise in nine mainland cities within the Greater Bay Area after passing a new qualifying examination under a pilot scheme announced by the central government on Thursday.The initiative, which also covers legal professionals in Macau, allows those who pass the test to handle civil and commercial cases in the nine Guangdong cities included in China’s ambitious bay area project, which aims to integrate the region into an economic powerhouse.In a notice to…

Taiwan insisting on meeting with Hong Kong police before arranging visa for murder suspect, ...

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 14:16:21 GMT

Police from both Hong Kong and Taiwan must meet to exchange evidence and sort out travel details before Chan Tong-kai, a murder suspect wanted in the self-ruled island, can apply for a tailor-made visa to turn himself in, sources have told the Post.The detailed requirements laid out by the Taiwan side were made known for the first time since Taipei announced it would allow the 22-year-old Chan – who has confessed to murdering his pregnant girlfriend Poon Hiu-wing there two years ago – apply for…