News
Budget 2023: Light public housing remains controversial
- 2023-02-22
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Juncong SHUAI、Yuqi CHUEdited by: Chengqi MO
- 2023-02-22
A few steps from the Kai Tak MTR station, an extensive but barren ground is enclosed by barbed wire, incongruent with the surrounding high-rise residences and shopping malls. The land is earmarked for the construction of light public housing. As one of eight sites designated by the government, Kai Tak is expected to provide 10,700 units for people waiting for more long-term public housing. “It’s hard to imagine over 10,000 people will flood into this area in the future. I’m afraid it’ll be a mess at that time,” said Alex Tsang, a resident living in the Kai Tak neighbourhood for three years. Anger spread among Kai Tak residents once the site selection for light public housing was announced in January. In today’s budget address, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the government is committed to the construction of 30,000 flats by 2027. “I can understand the government's intention to build light public housing, but the site selection is wrong,” said Tsang. “Kai Tak should be a part of the CBD , but the temporary housing scheme will last seven years, nobody knows what will happen in the future.” The Light Public Housing scheme proposed by Chief Executive John Lee in his maiden policy address last year aims to give a better living environment to people waiting for permanent public houses. “As the supply of housing land is not evenly distributed across each year, and land creation takes time, there is still a shortage of land ready for public housing development in the short run,” said Chan in today’s budget speech. The first batch of housing is expected to cost HK$14.9 billion. Building light public housing costs 25% more than public rental housing, according to Liber Research Community, an independent think tank in Hong Kong. “Some light public housing is planned …
Budget 2023: Government allocates HK$7 billion to greener city efforts
- 2023-02-22
- Health & Environment
- By: James Ezekiel Kalaw MODESTOEdited by: Mollie Hib
- 2023-02-22
Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po announced HK$7 billion towards building a greener Hong Kong this morning. The environmental proposals include a focus on decarbonisation, electric vehicles, food waste and countryside conservation. The Green City project, introduced in last year’s budget, will further be developed by continuing the city’s mission to be carbon neutral by 2050. Chan said that the government aims to reduce Hong Kong’s carbon emissions by 50% before 2035. The government will also form the Council for Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development to advise on decarbonisation strategies, Chan said. Chan said that the government will continue “building a liveable city” through additional plans, like introducing electric transportation, enlarging the scope of food waste collection points and funding countryside conservation and revitalisation projects. However, despite this year’s proposals by the government, some environmentalists remain critical of the plans. Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum Director, Benoit Guenard, 42, said that stimulating people’s interest in being environmentally conscious is important to get individuals more involved in protecting the environment. Guenard also said that the government should allocate more funding towards developing institutions, such as public museums. “I think it’s a pity that Hong Kong has not reached that level of realising how valuable these kinds of institutions are,” he said. The museum director said that government funding towards the HKBM only occurred two years ago since its opening in 2014 in Pok Fu Lam. ”It is important to let people foster an understanding of being environmentally aware,” said Stephen Ng Chung-on, 64, senior manager of Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change. “Public education is always the key to improving people’s understanding of many things,” said Ng. “It can be easy to propose and make projects because the government has the capability. But the people must also grasp what is the …
Budget 2023: Hong Kong introduces new investment entrant scheme to attract talent
- 2023-02-22
- Society
- By: Junzhe JIANG、Yuhan WANG、Xiya RUIEdited by: Kei Tung LAM
- 2023-02-22
Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary, Paul Chan Mo-po plans to attract capital investors to settle in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government will introduce the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme, said Chan in his budget speech this morning. Applicants who invest HK$10 million in Hong Kong’s asset market are eligible to apply for the scheme, but investing in property is excluded, Chan said. The Hong Kong government will establish a new committee to promote the policy and assist the applicants to start and expand their business in Hong Kong. According to IMD World Talent Ranking 2021, Hong Kong dropped from 18th to 26th in attracting and retaining talent, while Singapore rose to 15th. The scheme may have little impact to attract investors because Hong Kong lacks competition, compared to other popular immigration countries, Chung Man-kit, an economics professor from Hong Kong Baptist University, said. “Many people believe Singapore is the greatest alternative for immigration rather than Hong Kong because of the suspension of the previous investment immigration program,” Liu Yajun, 43, a former human resources director from the mainland who plans to migrate to Hong Kong through the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme. Liu plans to invest HK$ 10 million to purchase financial products in Hong Kong. However, Liu said she may not spend a lot of time in Hong Kong. “I may migrate to the UK after obtaining Hong Kong permanent residence,” Liu said. “Not only me, but most of my friends also use Hong Kong's investment scheme as a springboard to apply for foreign status,” Liu added. According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong has lost around 140,000 workers in the past two years. Chung, the economics professor, said Hong Kong has big drain because of lack of local development. Chung said the Hong Kong government should learn lessons …
Hong Kong to invest in IT-education in bid to attract young talent
- 2023-02-22
- By: Elif Lale AYHANEdited by: Ming Min AW YONG
- 2023-02-22
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po announced in his budget speech today that HK$300 million would be provided to public secondary schools to continue subsidies for IT extracurricular activities. There has little increase in innovation and technology employment, from 41,580 employed in the field in 2018 to 46,730 in 2021, according to the Census and Statistics Department. Tommy Kwan, a secondary school teacher at YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College, said his school has recently introduced STEAM education, a concept that the government promoted last year to include art subjects that give more exposure to other aspects of technology, like AI art. ‘‘In our first semester, we taught 3D printing with some introduction to AI. The students enjoyed learning something new,’ he said. Kwan said that STEAM activities introduce new concepts to learning. ‘‘It’s not about textbooks or exams, it’s about exposure to new technology -- how to learn, how to create,’’ he said. “The limitation is that STEAM education is now only an activity and an extracurricular activity. But eventually, if one day our school incorporates STEAM education in classes, I think it will be a celebration,’’ he added. Shirley Tang, the business administration manager of Functioneight, an IT company in Hong Kong, attributes the lack of IT talent to low salaries. ‘‘The struggle is not because people are migrating to other places, it is because people are not willing to work for a low level of duty like troubleshooting,” she said. According to Statista, there was a 0.7% decrease in IT talents in Hong Kong, from about 126,000 in 2019 to 125,000 in 2020. Some university students, such as Tanya Asnani, 19, student at HKUST, are hopeful that monetary funding can pave the way for more opportunities for IT talent through internships and volunteering. “I think money can be …
Budget Plan 2023: health care spending reduced; no more free COVID tests
- 2023-02-22
- Health & Environment
- By: Yiyang LI、Hanzhi YANGEdited by: Tsz Yin HO
- 2023-02-22
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po will cut the health care expenditure amid the easing of COVID-19 regulations and an overall financial deficit. The Hong Kong government will lower the healthcare budget to HK$104.4 billion, nearly 35% less than last year, still accounting for 19% of government spending. The funding will be mainly used to improve public medical services, such as temporary cancer services, along with building more beds and operating rooms for public hospitals. As the government has dropped all COVID policies, including mandatory PCR test requirements, free testing services will be cancelled from March.1. Only paid testing services will remain. “Very few people come for tests and our workload is much lighter,” said Tong Man-fa, 37, who works for a community testing centre in Yau Ma Tei. A paid test costs HK$240 for express service and HK$150 for standard service; the government has covered these costs since they began. “I think it’s time to shut down this place, and I return to my department,” Tong added. “The decrease in spending is a reasonable move,” said Dr Ada Fong, a doctor of Internal Medicine at Kwong Wah Hospital. She said the number of hospital admissions last year was significantly higher than this year and most of those patients were seeking COVID treatment. “Despite the reduction in spending, the quality of overall medical service should still remain,” Fong said. Chan also said in the budget that the government will invest more in strengthening televisual diagnosis to lower the queuing time. Dr Fong said that it may not be very effective as most diseases require physical checks and hospital care. “I don’t feel it’s more useful than hiring more medical staff,” Fong said.
Hong Kong residents, new arrivals to receive consumption vouchers; won’t boost economy long term, say experts
- 2023-02-22
- By: Tsz Yau CHAN、Huen Tung LEIEdited by: Dhuha AL-ZAIDI
- 2023-02-22
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po announced in his budget speech this morning that eligible residents and students who came to live in Hong Kong through various admission schemes will get consumption vouchers worth HK$2,500 for the first time. Hong Kong permanent residents and adult new arrivals will also receive two installments of vouchers worth HK$5,000 starting in April. This comes after the government’s considerations of the “current economic situation, people’s livelihood and the government’s financial position,” Chan said. Yet some experts have questioned its effectiveness in boosting the economy. “Consumption vouchers will give private consumption a short-term boost while it is not sustainable,” said Alison Leung, a financial journalism lecturer at Hong Kong Baptist University. She said Hong Kong needs sustainable measures, such as, promoting the tourism industry and attracting foreign investment. “More consumption vouchers would put a significant burden on the budget as the estimated spending on consumption vouchers in 2022-2023 was about HK$66.4 billion, and Hong Kong recorded a negative economic growth of 3.5% last year,” she said. The issuance of consumption vouchers comes despite the fiscal deficit for this financial year reaching HK$140 billion rather than the estimated HK$56 billion. Lee Shu Kam, head of the Economic and Finance Department at Shue Yan University, agreed that the universal distribution of the consumption voucher scheme lacks significance. “Unlike what the government expected, people may save money for traveling when the border reopens, posing less effect in stimulating the local economy,” he said. He added that the voucher schemes should target unemployed and low-income residents rather than the general public. Student Cherry Chan, 19, thinks that the cash vouchers are valuable. “They are helpful, especially for students who just turned 18, so they can spend it on electronic devices for studying,” she said. Middle-aged married couple the Wong’s said …
Vegetarian Food Asia 2023
- 2023-02-20
- Society
- By: Yee Ling TSANG、Wai Sum CHEUNGEdited by: Yu Yin WONG
- 2023-02-20
The three-day Vegetarian Food Asia 2023 runs on its biggest scale with more than 300 exhibit booths at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre. The event resumes food sampling for the first time since the pandemic.
Hong Kong’s unemployment rate drops in 9 months trend
- 2023-02-17
- Business
- By: Yuchen LI、Yuhe WANGEdited by: Bella Ding、Rex Cheuk、Man TSE
- 2023-02-17
Hong Kong’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged lower from 3.5% in the period from October to December 2022 to 3.4% between December 2022 and January 2023, recording the ninth consecutive improvement from last year. The underemployment rate dropped 0.1 percentage points to 1.4% from November 2022 to January, with the number of the underemployed persons decreasing by 3,200 to 52,100, while the number of unemployed decreased by 7,600 to 118,400. The unemployment rate of the retail sector and the food and beverage sectors declined by 0.4 and 0.1 percentage points to 4.2% and 4.9% respectively. The unemployment rates of other sectors line lined in general. Hong Kong's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has kept a steady downward trend since May 2022 as the city recovers from the epidemic alongside border reopening between Hong Kong and China, said Chris Sun Yuk-han, the Secretary for Labor and Welfare. “The unemployment and underemployment situation continued to improve,” said Sun. Amid the fifth wave of COVID-19 pandemic in early 2022, retail, accommodation and food service was the most affected industry, with its unemployment rate hitting 10% in the period of February to April 2022, according to the Census and Statistics Department. Vera Yuen Wing-han, an economics lecturer at the University of Hong Kong, said that Hong Kong's service industry had to shut down extensively before border opening as the consumption level was low. Moreover, Hong Kong's local labour market has been troubled for a long time by the shortage of labour, especially in the service industry, Yuen added. “The recruitment advertisements hang all the time but few people apply for the vacancies,” Roy Chan, the human resource manager of 616 Catering Management Limited said. The staff shortage in the catering industry is a common phenomenon especially for the full-time staff. “We prefer the full-time staff …
The 25th Standard Chartered Marathon
- 2023-02-15
- Society
- By: Huen Tung LEI、Tsz Yau CHANEdited by: Ka Tung NG
- 2023-02-15
The 25th Standard Chartered Marathon was held yesterday under humid and drizzly weather. The participants' quota reached 37,000, doubling the amount in 2021. 32 runners were sent to the hospital according to the Hospital Authority. Ethiopia came first in the man and women's race.
Endangered waterbird spotted in Hong Kong
- 2023-02-11
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: James Ezekiel Kalaw MODESTOEdited by: Ming Min AW YONG
- 2023-02-11
A routine morning bike ride at Tai Lam Country Park on 20 January turned into an unforgettable moment for birdwatcher John Chow Kwok-pun. He spotted what he recognised as a female merganser bird at a stream near Kat Hing Bridge, but could not identify it at the time because the bird was diving and swimming in the reservoir. “My first impression was that it was likely to be a female Red-breasted Merganser, a rare but regular species in Hong Kong,” said Chow. “However, its presence in freshwater habitat raises suspicion that it may not be this species, but one of two that prefers freshwater habitat.” Three days later, Chow returned to the bridge along with other bird watchers. “I could see that the merganser has fine gray scales on the chest and flanks, ruling out Red-breasted and Common Mergansers,” said Chow. “The overall features fall within those of a Scaly-sided Merganser, a previously unrecorded species in Hong Kong.” It turned out to be the first Scaly-sided Merganser ever spotted in Hong Kong. It is an endangered duck species native to North Asia and the Russian Far East. "The Scaly-sided Merganser, though first recorded in Hong Kong this year, has been recorded in the region and is considered a rare winter visitor to South China," said Joyee Chan Long-kwan, a fauna conservation officer at the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. The large duck is endemic to the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, a major migratory route for over 50 million waterbirds, according to the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, which includes the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society. "Hong Kong is a major stopover point along the bird migration route. The wide variety of local habitats contributes to the diversity of the birds," said Chan. The Scaly-sided Merganser is on the endangered list of the …