Hong Kong photographer jailed for 8 weeks over indecent assault against model
By Fiona Chow
An award-winning Hong Kong photographer has been sentenced to eight weeks in prison for indecently assaulting a female model two years ago.
Eastern Court on Wednesday granted defendant Leung Chun-chung’s bail, which the 39-year-old applied for immediately after learning about his sentence. He is currently appealing against his conviction.
Leung was found guilty of pulling down the model’s dress and exposing her breasts at his Chai Wan studio on the night of December 16, 2022, an offence which he denied.
The victim testified that she trusted Leung as an award-winning photographer who had collaborated with celebrities in Hong Kong and followed his requests for posing.
She told the court that Leung asked her not to wear pasties to cover her nipples and made her take off her undergarment for “natural effect”.
The model recounted Leung suddenly pulled down her dress and exposed her breasts to the camera without her consent.
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By Fiona Chow
An award-winning Hong Kong photographer has been sentenced to eight weeks in prison for indecently assaulting a female model two years ago.
Eastern Court on Wednesday granted defendant Leung Chun-chung’s bail, which the 39-year-old applied for immediately after learning about his sentence. He is currently appealing against his conviction.
Leung was found guilty of pulling down the model’s dress and exposing her breasts at his Chai Wan studio on the night of December 16, 2022, an offence which he denied.
The victim testified that she trusted Leung as an award-winning photographer who had collaborated with celebrities in Hong Kong and followed his requests for posing.
She told the court that Leung asked her not to wear pasties to cover her nipples and made her take off her undergarment for “natural effect”.
The model recounted Leung suddenly pulled down her dress and exposed her breasts to the camera without her consent.
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Hong Kong to subsidise electric buses and taxis to stop cost being passed to public
By Sammy Heung
Government subsidies will ensure Hong Kong bus operators do not pass on the cost of switching to electric vehicles (EVs) to passengers, the city’s environment minister has said.
Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan made the pledge to public transport users on Wednesday, a day after unveiling the government’s road map to gradually replace diesel buses and taxis with EVs.
The government push will include offering more than HK$600 million (US$77.2 million) in subsidies to operators buying such vehicles, and will launch later this month.
Tse on Tuesday said authorities would help operators procure 600 e-buses and 3,000 e-taxis.
Each single- and double-decker bus will come with a subsidy of HK$400,000 (US$51,440) and HK$800,000 respectively, or 25 per cent of the capital cost, depending on whichever is lower.
“Although the price of electric buses has significantly dropped, they still cost over a million dollars more than diesel buses,” Tse told a radio programme on Wednesday.
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By Sammy Heung
Government subsidies will ensure Hong Kong bus operators do not pass on the cost of switching to electric vehicles (EVs) to passengers, the city’s environment minister has said.
Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan made the pledge to public transport users on Wednesday, a day after unveiling the government’s road map to gradually replace diesel buses and taxis with EVs.
The government push will include offering more than HK$600 million (US$77.2 million) in subsidies to operators buying such vehicles, and will launch later this month.
Tse on Tuesday said authorities would help operators procure 600 e-buses and 3,000 e-taxis.
Each single- and double-decker bus will come with a subsidy of HK$400,000 (US$51,440) and HK$800,000 respectively, or 25 per cent of the capital cost, depending on whichever is lower.
“Although the price of electric buses has significantly dropped, they still cost over a million dollars more than diesel buses,” Tse told a radio programme on Wednesday.
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Chinese engineering graduates often lack basic knowledge, survey finds
By Jane Cai
Engineering graduates in China often lack basic knowledge and their training across disciplines can be limited – and that could be hampering the country’s ability to gain a tech advantage, a survey of universities and companies has found.
“The mismatch of engineering graduates’ abilities and company needs, a student appraisal system that is focused on published research papers, among other problems, call for deep reflection on China’s education model,” Liang Xianping, a researcher with South China Normal University who was on the team that conducted the study, wrote in China Science Daily on Tuesday.
In many cases, what students are taught in engineering degrees turns out to be “useless” in the workplace, Liang wrote in the official Chinese Academy of Sciences newspaper.
Liang and other researchers interviewed 31 students, teaching staff and company executives for the study last year.
The team found textbooks are outdated, curriculum design is unsystematic and many students avoid enrolling in difficult basic science subjects such as mathematics and physics.
According to the education ministry, China has the “world’s largest engineering education system” – there were more than 6.7 million undergraduates in over 23,000 engineering programmes at universities and colleges last year.
But when President Xi Jinping presented the first national engineering awards in January, he stressed the need to develop a large team of high-calibre engineers.
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By Jane Cai
Engineering graduates in China often lack basic knowledge and their training across disciplines can be limited – and that could be hampering the country’s ability to gain a tech advantage, a survey of universities and companies has found.
“The mismatch of engineering graduates’ abilities and company needs, a student appraisal system that is focused on published research papers, among other problems, call for deep reflection on China’s education model,” Liang Xianping, a researcher with South China Normal University who was on the team that conducted the study, wrote in China Science Daily on Tuesday.
In many cases, what students are taught in engineering degrees turns out to be “useless” in the workplace, Liang wrote in the official Chinese Academy of Sciences newspaper.
Liang and other researchers interviewed 31 students, teaching staff and company executives for the study last year.
The team found textbooks are outdated, curriculum design is unsystematic and many students avoid enrolling in difficult basic science subjects such as mathematics and physics.
According to the education ministry, China has the “world’s largest engineering education system” – there were more than 6.7 million undergraduates in over 23,000 engineering programmes at universities and colleges last year.
But when President Xi Jinping presented the first national engineering awards in January, he stressed the need to develop a large team of high-calibre engineers.
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Malaysians, Singaporeans hurl barbs over expat-linked living costs squeezing locals
By Joseph Sipalan
A social media post arguing that Singapore is superior to neighbouring Malaysia has brought together Southeast Asians to push back against “gentrification” of their cities, which many tie to growing demand from Western expatriates seeking “affordable luxury” in the region.
Locals in Southeast Asian tourist destinations have long complained of rising living costs, as governments in the region seek to lure digital nomads to tropical paradises like Bali and Boracay to live the high life, without the high costs associated with cities like New York or London.
The latest online kerfuffle started with a post over the weekend by fitness influencer Alexander Cortes on X, who ranked Malaysia as the best Asian country with its strong command of English, safety and “S-Tier” or super-tier food on par with New York and accessible, cheap healthcare.
The message drew a lighthearted rebuttal by Singaporean Kit Sun Cheah, who argued that the city state does better on nearly all counts including its command of English, absence of corruption and its reputation for food.
“Everything Malaysia has, Singapore does better … Except prices. And, arguably, families,” read the cheeky post.
The reply triggered a swift blowback from Malaysians, who frequently trade online banter and barbs with their neighbours in Singapore.
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By Joseph Sipalan
A social media post arguing that Singapore is superior to neighbouring Malaysia has brought together Southeast Asians to push back against “gentrification” of their cities, which many tie to growing demand from Western expatriates seeking “affordable luxury” in the region.
Locals in Southeast Asian tourist destinations have long complained of rising living costs, as governments in the region seek to lure digital nomads to tropical paradises like Bali and Boracay to live the high life, without the high costs associated with cities like New York or London.
The latest online kerfuffle started with a post over the weekend by fitness influencer Alexander Cortes on X, who ranked Malaysia as the best Asian country with its strong command of English, safety and “S-Tier” or super-tier food on par with New York and accessible, cheap healthcare.
The message drew a lighthearted rebuttal by Singaporean Kit Sun Cheah, who argued that the city state does better on nearly all counts including its command of English, absence of corruption and its reputation for food.
“Everything Malaysia has, Singapore does better … Except prices. And, arguably, families,” read the cheeky post.
The reply triggered a swift blowback from Malaysians, who frequently trade online banter and barbs with their neighbours in Singapore.
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China intrigued by Russia’s planned rail link to planet’s largest coalfield
By Victoria Bela
Russia’s plan to connect the world’s largest coalfield – stretching across the country’s far east region and Siberia – with coastal export ports near the Chinese border has caught the eye of Beijing’s coal industry.
The China Coal Economic Research Association noted in a recent article on its website that Russia intends to build a new rail system to transport coal from the vast Tunguska sedimentary basin, the largest coalfield on Earth by projected reserves.
The state-supervised association said in the article, which was also published on its WeChat account, that the basin is still poorly characterised due to difficulty accessing the region and its harsh climate, but has large coal potential.
According to Moscow’s announcement in October, the rail line will run to Khabarovsk Krai on the far eastern coast – one of the country’s main coal exporting regions that directly borders China’s Heilongjiang province.
The railway will also transport coal from the Elga coal complex – one of the largest deposits of coking coal, which is used primarily in steel production – that is already in operation.
The Tunguska sedimentary basin spans 1 million square kilometres (386,102 square miles) across Siberia and Russia’s far east region, and has proven coal reserves of 6.4 billion tonnes.
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By Victoria Bela
Russia’s plan to connect the world’s largest coalfield – stretching across the country’s far east region and Siberia – with coastal export ports near the Chinese border has caught the eye of Beijing’s coal industry.
The China Coal Economic Research Association noted in a recent article on its website that Russia intends to build a new rail system to transport coal from the vast Tunguska sedimentary basin, the largest coalfield on Earth by projected reserves.
The state-supervised association said in the article, which was also published on its WeChat account, that the basin is still poorly characterised due to difficulty accessing the region and its harsh climate, but has large coal potential.
According to Moscow’s announcement in October, the rail line will run to Khabarovsk Krai on the far eastern coast – one of the country’s main coal exporting regions that directly borders China’s Heilongjiang province.
The railway will also transport coal from the Elga coal complex – one of the largest deposits of coking coal, which is used primarily in steel production – that is already in operation.
The Tunguska sedimentary basin spans 1 million square kilometres (386,102 square miles) across Siberia and Russia’s far east region, and has proven coal reserves of 6.4 billion tonnes.
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TikTok pays users to shop, invite friends as US ban looms
By Bloomberg
TikTok is offering users hundreds of dollars to spend time in the app, invite friends to join and purchase products on TikTok Shop, in an effort to expand the business as quickly as possible ahead of its possible ban in the US.
TikTok users recently began seeing a new “limited time offer”, which compensates them in the form of TikTok Shop credits. The promotions are appearing on TikTokers’ “For You” page, the main feed they see when they open the app. On Friday, a major court ruling upheld a law that could ban TikTok nationwide as soon as January.
Users can earn US$50 for recruiting first-timers to sign up for TikTok and unlock an additional US$350 in bonuses if they bring in more. They can also make money by checking into the app every day for a week, and by scrolling through 10 TikTok Shop items five times per week. Those who click through the offer can score an additional US$80 in coupons to spend after making a purchase on TikTok Shop.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The app, owned by China-based ByteDance, has been working to boost users’ time spent and develop shopping habits ahead of its possible ban. Earlier this year, in a separate move to capture new users, TikTok started requiring people to download the app if they want to watch TikTok videos others share. President Joe Biden signed a law in April requiring ByteDance to sell the app to an American owner by January 19 to address national security concerns, or face a ban.
Regulatory roadblocks have done little to slow down ByteDance’s growth plans. The company had aimed to increase the volume of merchandise sold on the app thorough TikTok Shop tenfold, to US$17.5 billion, Bloomberg reported in January. ByteDance has only increased its ambitions since. TikTok Shop tripled its US sales to more than US$100 million on Black Friday. Shop also went live in Spain on Tuesday, its first stop on a wider European roll-out.
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By Bloomberg
TikTok is offering users hundreds of dollars to spend time in the app, invite friends to join and purchase products on TikTok Shop, in an effort to expand the business as quickly as possible ahead of its possible ban in the US.
TikTok users recently began seeing a new “limited time offer”, which compensates them in the form of TikTok Shop credits. The promotions are appearing on TikTokers’ “For You” page, the main feed they see when they open the app. On Friday, a major court ruling upheld a law that could ban TikTok nationwide as soon as January.
Users can earn US$50 for recruiting first-timers to sign up for TikTok and unlock an additional US$350 in bonuses if they bring in more. They can also make money by checking into the app every day for a week, and by scrolling through 10 TikTok Shop items five times per week. Those who click through the offer can score an additional US$80 in coupons to spend after making a purchase on TikTok Shop.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The app, owned by China-based ByteDance, has been working to boost users’ time spent and develop shopping habits ahead of its possible ban. Earlier this year, in a separate move to capture new users, TikTok started requiring people to download the app if they want to watch TikTok videos others share. President Joe Biden signed a law in April requiring ByteDance to sell the app to an American owner by January 19 to address national security concerns, or face a ban.
Regulatory roadblocks have done little to slow down ByteDance’s growth plans. The company had aimed to increase the volume of merchandise sold on the app thorough TikTok Shop tenfold, to US$17.5 billion, Bloomberg reported in January. ByteDance has only increased its ambitions since. TikTok Shop tripled its US sales to more than US$100 million on Black Friday. Shop also went live in Spain on Tuesday, its first stop on a wider European roll-out.
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Mainland Chinese investors not impressed with Wealth Management Connect expansion
By Cao Li
The addition of 14 securities firms last week to the scheme that allows investors in Hong Kong and on the mainland to buy wealth-management products across borders did little to raise the programme’s total investments.
By Sunday’s end, only 6.28 per cent of the total 150 billion yuan (US$21 billion) quota in the southbound Wealth Management Connect scheme had been used, a negligible increase of 0.08 per cent compared with levels before the additional firms joined. The northbound usage was far lower.
Industry insiders point to a range of issues, from restrictive marketing approaches to stringent investor eligibility requirements, that they say will continue to deter wealthy Chinese from the scheme – even as they rush to open bank accounts in Hong Kong to explore diverse investment options such as insurance and time deposits.
“It doesn’t matter that they added more brokers,” said Eugenie Shen, head of the asset management group at the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (ASIFMA).
Launched in 2021, the Wealth Management Connect scheme seeks to foster financial integration across the Greater Bay Area by allowing residents of Hong Kong, Macau and the nine cities in Guangdong province that make up the economic zone to directly invest in approved wealth-management products across borders.
To participate in the scheme, mainland investors must be residents of one of the nine cities in Guangdong province and must have paid tax there for at least two years, down from five initially. Investors are also required to have certain investment experiences and hold at least 1 million yuan in net financial assets. The maximum investment is capped at 3 million yuan, up from 1 million yuan initially.
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By Cao Li
The addition of 14 securities firms last week to the scheme that allows investors in Hong Kong and on the mainland to buy wealth-management products across borders did little to raise the programme’s total investments.
By Sunday’s end, only 6.28 per cent of the total 150 billion yuan (US$21 billion) quota in the southbound Wealth Management Connect scheme had been used, a negligible increase of 0.08 per cent compared with levels before the additional firms joined. The northbound usage was far lower.
Industry insiders point to a range of issues, from restrictive marketing approaches to stringent investor eligibility requirements, that they say will continue to deter wealthy Chinese from the scheme – even as they rush to open bank accounts in Hong Kong to explore diverse investment options such as insurance and time deposits.
“It doesn’t matter that they added more brokers,” said Eugenie Shen, head of the asset management group at the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (ASIFMA).
Launched in 2021, the Wealth Management Connect scheme seeks to foster financial integration across the Greater Bay Area by allowing residents of Hong Kong, Macau and the nine cities in Guangdong province that make up the economic zone to directly invest in approved wealth-management products across borders.
To participate in the scheme, mainland investors must be residents of one of the nine cities in Guangdong province and must have paid tax there for at least two years, down from five initially. Investors are also required to have certain investment experiences and hold at least 1 million yuan in net financial assets. The maximum investment is capped at 3 million yuan, up from 1 million yuan initially.
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Reshuffle shows Hong Kong government’s commitment to accountability
By Ronny Tong
The central government’s announcement last week that Hong Kong’s tourism and transport ministers would be replaced, following Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s recommendation, came as a surprise to many.
It was unexpected not only because there appeared to be no hint whatsoever that it was going to happen, but also because the reshuffle was seen as coming a bit too early, in the sense that the administration is just short of its midterm.
The biggest surprise, however, came at the press conference to introduce the new appointees, when Lee said: “We will be looking at people who will be doing things under the philosophy ‘there’s never the best, only the better’.” He added: “I want to do more in this two and half years. I want to get the people that will fit my criteria.” This was seen as a thinly veiled accusation that the two removed officials were simply not good enough.
While it is hardly unprecedented for key government officials to be replaced (some even argue that this has become a “constitutional convention”), this was the first time a chief executive has explained a cabinet reshuffle in such a frank way. Was Lee too harsh or simply doing his job properly?
The chief executive’s constitutional power to remove a principal official is well defined in the Basic Law, which makes clear the city leader’s function in not just nominating and reporting to Beijing the appointment of key officials but also in recommending their removal.
But the Basic Law merely spells out the power and procedure under which such functions are to be exercised; it does not tell us by what principle and under what circumstances such power will be exercised. Such constitutional power is not to be exercised capriciously or whimsically, so how is the chief executive guided in its exercise? The answer lies in the nature of the office of the chief executive.
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By Ronny Tong
The central government’s announcement last week that Hong Kong’s tourism and transport ministers would be replaced, following Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s recommendation, came as a surprise to many.
It was unexpected not only because there appeared to be no hint whatsoever that it was going to happen, but also because the reshuffle was seen as coming a bit too early, in the sense that the administration is just short of its midterm.
The biggest surprise, however, came at the press conference to introduce the new appointees, when Lee said: “We will be looking at people who will be doing things under the philosophy ‘there’s never the best, only the better’.” He added: “I want to do more in this two and half years. I want to get the people that will fit my criteria.” This was seen as a thinly veiled accusation that the two removed officials were simply not good enough.
While it is hardly unprecedented for key government officials to be replaced (some even argue that this has become a “constitutional convention”), this was the first time a chief executive has explained a cabinet reshuffle in such a frank way. Was Lee too harsh or simply doing his job properly?
The chief executive’s constitutional power to remove a principal official is well defined in the Basic Law, which makes clear the city leader’s function in not just nominating and reporting to Beijing the appointment of key officials but also in recommending their removal.
But the Basic Law merely spells out the power and procedure under which such functions are to be exercised; it does not tell us by what principle and under what circumstances such power will be exercised. Such constitutional power is not to be exercised capriciously or whimsically, so how is the chief executive guided in its exercise? The answer lies in the nature of the office of the chief executive.
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Hong Kong has fully restored global aviation hub status, IATA chief says
By Cannix Yau
Hong Kong has fully regained its status as an international aviation hub, the head of an international association has said, arguing that some foreign airlines’ failure to restore capacity to pre-pandemic levels in the city is due to supply chain and airspace issues rather than geopolitics.
Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), told the Post on Tuesday in Geneva that he stood by his earlier convictions about Hong Kong restoring its world-class aviation hub status by the end of this year.
“I think so [about Hong Kong regaining its aviation status]. And you know Cathay [Pacific Airways] will be at 100 per cent of 2019 capacity at the end of this year or from January next year,” he said at IATA’s headquarters in Geneva.
He pointed out the issue dogging the city’s aviation industry had more to do with supply chains and airspace issues than lacking attractiveness or geopolitical reasons.
“The reason that some foreign airlines have not returned or built up the capacity that they had is principally an aircraft and airspace issue. So it goes back to the supply chain,” he said.
“It’s because of the lack of availability of widebody aircraft … because of the additional maintenance time and checks that the existing aircraft require, much more so than anything to do with the market.
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By Cannix Yau
Hong Kong has fully regained its status as an international aviation hub, the head of an international association has said, arguing that some foreign airlines’ failure to restore capacity to pre-pandemic levels in the city is due to supply chain and airspace issues rather than geopolitics.
Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), told the Post on Tuesday in Geneva that he stood by his earlier convictions about Hong Kong restoring its world-class aviation hub status by the end of this year.
“I think so [about Hong Kong regaining its aviation status]. And you know Cathay [Pacific Airways] will be at 100 per cent of 2019 capacity at the end of this year or from January next year,” he said at IATA’s headquarters in Geneva.
He pointed out the issue dogging the city’s aviation industry had more to do with supply chains and airspace issues than lacking attractiveness or geopolitical reasons.
“The reason that some foreign airlines have not returned or built up the capacity that they had is principally an aircraft and airspace issue. So it goes back to the supply chain,” he said.
“It’s because of the lack of availability of widebody aircraft … because of the additional maintenance time and checks that the existing aircraft require, much more so than anything to do with the market.
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