Latest news with #John Lee Ka-chiu
South China Morning Post
16 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong balances public housing targets with cost-saving measures amid review
Hong Kong authorities are actively seeking ways to reduce the construction costs of public housing, including a review of foundation designs and the postponement of projects facing significant technical challenges, the city's housing minister has revealed. Advertisement Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin assured in an exclusive interview with the Post that the project review would not jeopardise the overall target of supplying 308,000 public flats in the next decade, as any reduction in homes from postponed projects will be offset by an increase from other developments. 'For each of the projects [with more technical challenges] postponed, I must ask my colleagues whether there is something that can be fast-tracked. We cannot postpone everything, or we will lose the target,' she said. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to cut the waiting time for a public rental home from the current 5.3 years to 4.5 years by 2026-27, prioritising improvements to the city's standard of living. Given the financial difficulties faced by the city's largest public housing provider, the Housing Authority, coupled with the administration's substantial financial deficit and a subdued property market, authorities are now intensifying efforts to lower public housing construction costs. Advertisement Last month, the government postponed an 8,300-flat public housing estate in Fanling, New Territories. Instead, it prioritised other 'more cost-effective' projects in and around the area, which are expected to yield 38,000 homes.
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong leader vows to ‘consider all things' for future extreme weather prep
Hong Kong's leader has pledged to 'take all things into consideration' for future extreme weather preparations after parents criticised last week's decision to suspend day schools over concerns about a rainstorm that subsided quicker than expected. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday defended the decision by Eric Chan Kwok-ki, the city's No 2 official and chair of the steering committee on handling extreme weather, and said such preparatory actions were 'absolutely correct'. Last Thursday, the committee decided to suspend all day schools for the following day as some forecasts warned the city faced its 'fifth-largest daily rainfall' on record amid the impact of storm Danas. In the past, such announcements were typically made on the morning of the suspension. But the weather on Friday morning was calm, with limited rainfall, prompting backlash from parents who said the suspension had forced their children to miss out on their graduation ceremonies and other school events. '[We] heard different opinions from the society concerning the steering committee's decision on suspending classes,' Lee told reporters ahead of his weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday.
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's leader vows to respect Legco decision on same-sex partnership bill
Hong Kong's leader has said he will 'respect' the outcome of the legislative scrutiny of a government's proposal to recognise same-sex partnerships, amid mounting opposition from lawmakers, giving no further details on whether authorities will submit a revised bill if the current one is vetoed. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that while authorities must come up with a framework for same-sex partnership recognition in line with the Court of Final Appeal's ruling, his administration would respect the Legislative Council's power to pass or veto bills. 'Under the Basic Law, the judiciary exercises independent adjudication power, whereas the Legco exercises legislative power. Both of them perform their respective constitutional roles. The Hong Kong government respects the judiciary and the Legco in exercising their respective powers under the Basic Law,' Lee said. The government is set to introduce the bill for its first reading at the Legislative Council on Wednesday. The legislation would allow couples who have a valid same-sex marriage, partnership or civil union registered in a jurisdiction outside Hong Kong to apply to have their relationship recognised in the city. The proposal also grants same-sex couples some rights, such as those related to medical and after-death matters, but some LGBTQ activists described it as conservative and vague. John Lee has said that the Hong Kong government respects the judiciary and Legco in exercising their powers under the Basic Law. Photo: Jonathan Wong
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong ride-hailing rules must ensure safety, fair competition with taxis: John Lee
A long-awaited regulatory proposal on online ride-hailing services set to be unveiled on Tuesday must establish standards and responsibilities for such platforms while offering room for taxi drivers' survival, Hong Kong's leader has said. Advertisement Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said that, despite the complexity of the issue, the city should no longer delay addressing it. 'There has been a lack of a regulatory framework since the first online ride-hailing service platform entered the Hong Kong market in 2014, while the quality of taxi services also fails to meet residents' expectations,' Lee said. He added that a lot of issues, from passenger protection and quality of drivers to how cabbies and ride-hailing operators could coexist, had emerged over the years but had yet to be sorted out. 'I agree that the issue is complicated, but the problem should no longer be dragged on and that the government should come up with solutions,' he said. John Lee has said the proposal must ensure quality and safety of such services, while safeguarding the livelihoods of taxi drivers. Photo: Jonathan Wong Lee said the Transport and Logistics Bureau would submit the relevant paper to the legislature on Tuesday afternoon.
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
A few small steps for Hong Kong, a giant leap for China's space sector
The idea that Hong Kong could play a leading role in the global space economy was greeted with scepticism when I raised the possibility with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu earlier this month. However, critics fail to realise that space technologies have permeated many aspects of our lives – from checking the weather and ordering our meals on our mobile phones to navigating our daily commutes and settling stock transactions in real time. A report published by the American consultancy firm McKinsey in 2024 forecast that the space economy will grow at a much faster rate than the global economy and will reach US$1.8 trillion by 2035, up from US$630 billion in 2023. Space is no longer the exclusive domain of state-led space missions. New interest in space travel, space manufacturing, the mining of critical resources from the moon, Mars, asteroids and the launch of small satellites and mega constellations in low Earth orbit has fuelled a boom in investing in space-related hardware and software, including in China. The China Research and Development Institute estimates that, in 2025, private investment in the aerospace industry will have risen from 12 per cent of aggregate investment in 2020 to 45 per cent in 2025. The skyrocketing of private investment in aerospace industries is catapulted by technological advancement, lower manufacturing costs and state support for the private sector. Stellar examples of private aerospace enterprises include the Beijing-based company i-Space, also known as Space Honor, a manufacturer of satellite orbital launchers. The company is the first private aerospace company in China to put a rocket into orbit. LandSpace, also based in Beijing, is another success story. The company is the maker of the Zhuque-2 rocket, the first launch vehicle fuelled by methane and liquid oxygen to reach orbit.
