Hong Kong

Cultural historian Cheng Pei-kai remembers the days when he lived at the foot of a hill in Hong Kong’s Kowloon Tong district. He enjoyed the serene calm and respected nature’s bounty, but he can’t say the same for some hill visitors who would ”abuse” the trees and take them for granted. Even giving trees will one day be worn out.

Former police officer John Lee has stepped down as chief secretary for administration to run for Hong Kong chief executive after Carrie Lam announced that she will not be running for a second term. As the only candidate approved by Beijing, can Lee live up to the central government's expectations, as well as those of the Hong Kong people? Commentator Chip Tsao ponders Hong Kong's future.

Former Chief Secretary for Administration John Lee is running for Hong Kong's top job as chief executive and is the only candidate who has Beijing's approval. Hong Kong businessman and political figure, Lew Mon-hung, takes a look at why Lee is Beijing's preferred choice, taking into account Beijing's view of the current global situation and China's priorities.

Chinese concept stocks plunged after the US Securities and Exchange Commissions’ recent announcement that another five US-listed Chinese companies might be delisted for non-compliance with US regulations. Although there was a rebound after Vice-Premier Liu He’s reassurance that China will implement policies to stabilise the stock market and support overseas listings, Chinese companies looking to raise capital abroad will still have to deal with two sets of inherently contradictory regulations from the US and China.

The dire pandemic situation in Hong Kong has trickled into Shenzhen through legal and illegal border crossings. However, the city has been trying its best to implement anti-epidemic measures without significantly impacting people’s daily lives. Chinese commentator Chen Bing notes Shenzhen's transparency and openness in tackling the pandemic situation, and how its policy differs from the one-size-fits-all measures of some Chinese local governments.

China's central government has repeatedly come to the aid of Hong Kong, saving the latter from financial and resources crises. It has also lent its hand to Hong Kong in the current anti-epidemic fight. However, "trust" may be missing in the trilateral relationships between Beijing, Hong Kong and the Hong Kong people, leading to problems with communication and long-term planning. Editor-in-chief of Chinese Media Group Lee Huay Leng examines the issues and discusses whether Hong Kong has what it takes to weather the pandemic on its own.

More than half a year after an infectious diseases expert was shot down for proposing living with the virus, Chinese epidemiologist Zeng Guang has cautiously signalled that perhaps it is time for China to transition away from its dynamic zero-Covid policy. Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing reports that Chinese netizens are showing their support for this, voicing their frustration with the prolonged restrictions, while official statistics show a struggling recovery in domestic consumption. Will the benefits of China’s dynamic zero-Covid continue to outweigh its costs?

As one of the largest recipients of foreign investments, China has no shortage of publicly disclosed cases of corrupt business dealings. But transnational firms are still willing to take the risks and cultivate relationship-building strategies in their business activities. They are even prepared to face a “double jeopardy” situation when they are penalised in their home and overseas locations. But their operating environment could get even more challenging with the US and China clamping down on transnational crime, and the increasing use of domestic judiciaries to regulate extraterritorial legal matters.

The people of Hong Kong have complained about the lack of electoral democracy in the latest Legislative Council (LegCo) elections. However, young Hong Kong commentator He Tsz Yuk is of the view that apart from electoral democracy, consultative democracy is what Hong Kong needs even more, in order to achieve true democracy including a participatory public and a broad representation of views.