Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs has called on lawmakers to better support the city’s leader, enhance governance, inject new momentum into local development and address residents’ needs. Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, made the call as he met 88 legislators on Friday at a seminar during their unprecedented week-long national affairs study tour to the capital. Meeting the group in the Hong Kong Room of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xia affirmed...

Hong Kong can take on a new role as a “super converter” for technical standards, legal norms and innovations exchanged between mainland China and the wider world, the city’s finance chief has said. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po stressed that Hong Kong’s reputation for quality had established the city as a “brand name” that was trusted by the international community. Citing the Middle East as an example, he said: “In general they will automatically give the go-ahead to those products that...

Salary growth for Hong Kong degree graduates slowed to a five-year low in 2025, with average annual earnings rising by just 2 per cent and sitting at HK$28,000 (US$3,570) a month as underemployment hit a record high. The University Grants Committee (UGC) released the graduate employment figures for last year on its website on Friday. According to the data, the average annual salary of degree graduates stood at HK$336,000. The figure represented an average of HK$28,000 per month and a 2 per cent...

Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department has said paramedics will operate on an “if in doubt, rescue first” principle when determining whether to resuscitate patients in need after a new law on end-of-life directives takes effect next week. Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer Gary Tong Sze-ho of the department said on Friday that rescuers must verify a physical copy of the do-not-attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) order before withholding specified life-sustaining treatments from the...

Hong Kong’s trade promotion body will set up a new office in Egypt within the next nine months to expand its footprint in Africa, while recalibrating resources for Nordic countries through its European bases as traditional markets face slower growth. Hong Kong Trade Development Council chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang said on Friday that the organisation had revamped its corporate structure to better help companies in six new industry clusters develop promotional strategies. Ma, a former commerce...

A Hong Kong taxi driver contesting an HK$8.4 million (US$1.07 million) personal injury lawsuit has denied deliberately ramming his car into a crowd during the 2019 anti-government protests, insisting he had lost control of the vehicle after being assaulted by vigilantes. Henry Cheng Kwok-chuen took to the witness box on Friday to defend himself against the claim by Park Hoi-lam, who suffered serious injuries in the collision in Sham Shui Po on October 6, 2019. Park, a kindergarten clerk, accused...

A Hong Kong police officer has been removed from duty after he repeatedly swore at a passer-by with a loudspeaker in a patrol van, a source has said. According to a video clip circulating on social media on Friday, a police vehicle marked “AM 7155” on its roof arrived at Cho Yiu Chuen housing estate in Lai King with its siren on. Someone inside the vehicle then appears to use the on-board loudspeaker to shout abusive words at a passer-by dressed in white clothing. The passer-by immediately...