Hong Kong multiple-entry scheme ‘likely to cover more mainland cities this year'
Advertisement
Delegate Starry Lee Wai-king of the National People's Congress Standing Committee also said on Saturday that Hong Kong's travel sector was an important element in promoting more international exchanges.
The promotion push was listed as a priority for Hong Kong by Beijing officials at China's recently concluded key political meetings, known as the '
two sessions '.
Last November, mainland authorities announced that more than 10 million Shenzhen residents could apply for visas allowing them an unlimited number of trips to Hong Kong within a one-year period, with each visit capped at seven days.
Lee said on Saturday that she expected the scheme to expand this year to more mainland cities, while calling for Beijing and Shanghai's inclusion on the list.
Advertisement
'I personally think, beyond the cities within the Greater Bay Area that could be considered for the expansion of the multiple-entry visa scheme, Beijing and Shanghai could also be considered, as these cities have relatively large populations and they are quite far away from Hong Kong, which means that visitors can stay longer if they come to visit,' she said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
HKFP
7 hours ago
- HKFP
Hong Kong couple arrested again over allegedly providing false information in gov't water contract scandal
Hong Kong's customs department has arrested a couple on suspicion of providing false information in relation to a water supply contract with the government, the latest development in a scandal over the authorities' procurement processes. On Wednesday, the Customs and Excise Department said businessman Lui Tsz-chung and his wife Chan Pik-lam had been arrested for allegedly breaching the Trade Descriptions Ordinance. They were already apprehended by police on Sunday for suspected fraud. Tommy Kwok, head of the Trade Descriptions Investigation Bureau, told reporters that the couple allegedly attached false manufacturer information to the water – bottled in mainland China – supplied to the Government Logistics Department. The investigation is ongoing and more arrests may be made, he said. The second arrest is the latest development in a scandal relating to a now-suspended government contract, worth HK$52.9 million, with bottled water supplier Xin Ding Xin Trading Co. Lui is the company's director and his wife is a shareholder. The supplier had been selected to provide mainland Chinese bottled water to Hong Kong government offices. But authorities later found that the company had no relationship with the Guangzhou supplier it claimed to be sourcing water from. Instead, the product was obtained from a different supplier in Dongguan. The couple is suspected of winning the contract through fraudulent means. Lui was formally charged with fraud on Tuesday and denied bail, while his wife was released on police bail pending further investigation. The scandal has raised concerns about the government's procurement and vendor vetting processes. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui called an urgent meeting on Sunday to review the incident and has promised a probe into the blunder. On Tuesday, he admitted the scandal reflected 'inadequacies' in the processes but did not answer directly when asked if any officials would resign or be held accountable.
HKFP
15 hours ago
- HKFP
White House launches TikTok account as September deadline for platform's ban looms
The White House launched a TikTok account on Tuesday, as President Donald Trump continues to permit the Chinese-owned platform to operate in the United States despite a law requiring its sale. 'America we are BACK! What's up TikTok?' read a caption on the account's first post on the popular video sharing app, a 27-second clip. The account had about 4,500 followers an hour after posting the video. Trump's personal account on TikTok meanwhile has 110.1 million followers, though his last post was on November 5, 2024 — Election Day. TikTok is owned by China-based internet company ByteDance. A federal law requiring TikTok's sale or ban on national security grounds was due to take effect the day before Trump's inauguration on January 20. But the Republican, whose 2024 election campaign relied heavily on social media and who has said he is fond of TikTok, put the ban on pause. In mid-June Trump extended a deadline for the popular video-sharing app by another 90 days to find a non-Chinese buyer or be banned in the United States. That extension is due to expire in mid-September. While Trump had long supported a ban or divestment, he reversed his position and vowed to defend the platform — which boasts almost two billion global users — after coming to believe it helped him win young voters' support in the November election. Trump's official account on X, formerly Twitter, has 108.5 million followers — though his favored social media outlet is Truth Social, which he owns, where he has 10.6 million followers. The official White House accounts on X and Instagram have 2.4 million and 9.3 million followers, respectively.
HKFP
15 hours ago
- HKFP
Hong Kong democrats recently released from jail over landmark national security case say they got married
Hong Kong democrats Frankie Fung and Tiffany Yuen, who were recently released from jail after being convicted in the city's largest national security case, have announced they got married. Fung acknowledged their marriage on Instagram on Tuesday in a selfie with Yuen, hours after she returned home from more than four years behind bars. 'Previously [I] only had my wife's number in prison, today [I] finally have her phone number,' Fung wrote in a Chinese caption. '[I've] followed her on Instagram too,' he added. Fung and Yuen were co-defendants in the landmark national security case involving 47 pro-democracy figures. During Yuen's mitigation in July last year, her lawyer revealed that she had married while in custody, but did not disclose her partner's identity. Yuen and Fung pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit subversion and were sentenced to more than four years' imprisonment after a judge deemed them 'active participants' in the scheme. Separately, Yuen was jailed for four months in 2021 for joining an unauthorised assembly on June 4, 2020 — the first year police officially banned the Victoria Park vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing. Fung was released last month, while Yuen was freed in the early hours of Tuesday. To date, 12 of the 45 jailed democrats have been released. At the centre of the high-profile case, which began in 2021, was the July 2020 primary election through which the opposition camp sought to select candidates who could help it secure a majority in the legislature. The judges ruled that the democrats intended to abuse their powers by indiscriminately vetoing the government budget in order to force the chief executive to resign if they gained control of the legislature. Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
