Hong Kong tourist killed by train in Japan while taking photos on tracks

By Emily Hung

A Hong Kong tourist has been killed in Japan after being hit by a train while reportedly taking photographs standing on the line.

The woman was standing on railway tracks to take photos of the sea before being hit by a train in Otaru city in Hokkaido on Thursday, Xinhua news agency said, citing Japanese media.

The tourist was certified dead after being rushed to hospital. Japanese media said she was 61 years old.

The Chinese consulate in Sapporo is following up on the case and supporting the victim’s family, Xinhua said.

The Post has contacted Hong Kong’s immigration authorities.

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New Hong Kong Bar Association chair vows to cultivate more talent for country

By Willa WuNatalie Wong

The new leader of Hong Kong’s professional body representing barristers has vowed to maintain ties with mainland China and cultivate more legal talent for the country, while expressing hopes for more overseas judges to join the city’s top court following a wave of departures in recent years.

Senior counsel Jose-Antonio Maurellet, a corporate law specialist with the Des Voeux Chambers, was elected uncontested as chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association at its annual general meeting on Thursday night.

Vowing to uphold the core values of the rule of law and judicial independence, the new leader also pledged to maintain ties with the mainland through continuing the annual visit to Beijing and organising more courses on the mainland.

“We will continue to conduct the annual trips to Beijing … It has been a tradition of the association since the 1990s,” he said.

“We, of course, want to communicate with any and all stakeholders to explain to them the situation in Hong Kong because we think communication is very important.”

The new leader also said that cultivating legal talent for the country had been another focus of the Bar for many years, citing programmes run by the association on common law and international arbitration courses in Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan and Zhejiang.

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Emilia Perez film leads Oscar nominations with 13; Anora, Conclave, Wicked also get nods

在洛杉矶发生毁灭性野火之后,97届奥斯卡奖提名名单已正式公布。提名于周四上午8点30分(东部时间)通过多个平台发布,由Bowen Yang和Rachel Sennott宣布提名者。

最佳影片的提名包括《Anora》、《The Brutalist》、《A Complete Unknown》、《Conclave》、《Dune: Part Two》、《Emilia Pérez》、《I’m Still Here.》、《Nickel Boys》、《The Substance》和《Wicked》。在最佳男配角方面,Yura Borisov(《Anora》)、Kieran Culkin(《A Real Pain》)、Edward Norton(《A Complete Unknown》)、Guy Pearce(《The Brutalist》)和Jeremy Strong(《The Apprentice》)获得提名。最佳女配角的提名者有Monica Barbaro(《A Complete Unknown》)、Felicity Jones(《The Brutalist》)、Ariana Grande(《Wicked》)、Isabella Rossellini(《Conclave》)和Zoe Saldaña(《Emilia Pérez》)。

此外,最佳原创剧本的提名作品包括《Anora》、《The Brutalist》、《A Real Pain》、《September 5》和《The Substance》。这些提名的公布正值电影行业受到野火影响之际,行业内外都在关注这一盛事如何反映社会和文化的变迁。

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US reliance on China’s rare earths, Mach-4 drone tipped for flight: SCMP daily highlights

一款中国初创公司的超高速无人机预计将在明年首飞,其速度可达到音速的四倍,这标志着军事超音速技术向商业领域的渗透。这一发展不仅展示了中国在航空技术方面的进步,也为未来的无人机应用开辟了新视野。

在全球范围内,技术的快速演变和军用技术的商业化日益成为趋势,许多国家都在投资超音速技术以提升竞争力。同时,美国也在努力增加对关键矿物质的生产,以减少对中国的依赖,这一举措可能需要更多的联邦人员来实现。此外,中国对福岛核电站附近海水样本的检测结果显示,对海洋生物没有负面影响,这增强了北京解除对日本海鲜进口禁令的可能性。

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Hong Kong police arrest 13 who sold non-existent tickets to Andy Lau concerts

By Danny Mok

Hong Kong police have arrested 13 people in a crackdown on a syndicate that purported to sell concert tickets, with a victim losing HK$640,000 (US$82,200) in a single case for trying to buy 544 non-existent tickets for Cantopop king Andy Lau Tak-wah’s shows.

Police intelligence revealed the fraudsters had been active since October last year, with the group manipulating multiple online shopping platform accounts and posing as sellers with tickets for coming concerts, senior inspector Chu Yuen-tim of the cybersecurity and technology crime bureau said on Thursday.

The tickets were for events starting from late November last year, including the Clockenflap music festival at Central Harbourfront and Lau’s concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum, offered at prices higher than official tickets.

The scammers instructed interested individuals to transfer money to stooge bank accounts. After receiving the payment, the criminals cut off contact.

Police received 42 related scam reports, with victims collectively losing about HK$800,000.

The highest individual loss was for a purchase of 544 tickets for Lau’s concert, resulting in a HK$640,000 loss when the scammer disappeared after receiving the victim’s payment.

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Chinese car giants BYD, Geely and SAIC sue European Commission over EV tariffs

三家中国主要汽车公司及一个行业机构正在起诉欧盟委员会,挑战对中国电动汽车进口的关税。这起诉讼在卢森堡的欧盟第二高法院递交,涉及比亚迪、吉利和上汽集团,主要针对去年实施的反补贴税。

诉讼的细节尚未公开,但这些公司计划对欧盟声称某些资金构成补贴的说法进行质疑,并对补贴的计算方式以及其对欧盟单一市场造成伤害的假设提出异议。此次案件源于欧盟委员会于2023年10月启动的为期一年的调查,调查结果显示,来自中国的电动车因整个供应链的补贴而价格低廉,这对欧洲汽车工业的健康构成威胁。

去年10月,欧盟对国有的上汽集团及其子公司施加了最高35.3%的关税,此外,所有电动车进口均需支付10%的基础关税。比亚迪和吉利及其子公司则分别面临17%和18.8%的关税。这些措施旨在保护欧洲市场免受低价竞争的冲击。

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What do China and the Panama Canal have to do with Marco Rubio’s trip to Latin America?

By Orange WangZhao Ziwen

China’s expanding footprint in Latin America is expected to be high on the agenda when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Panama next week on his first overseas trip since taking office, according to observers.

Rubio, who took office this week, is reportedly preparing to travel to Panama as part of a five-nation trip that is expected to also include Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

The stop in Panama comes after US President Donald Trump’s repeated pledges to regain control of the Panama Canal, claiming that it is in the hands of Beijing.

Analysts cautioned Beijing not to overreact to any efforts by the Trump administration to “reclaim” the canal but to be alert to potential impacts such action could have on trade.

Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said that if the US were to regain control of the canal, it would pose “very big constraints” on China’s shipping and the country’s economic cooperation with Panama and Latin America.

“That would be very unfavourable for us,” he said.

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Mortgage registrations in Hong Kong hit record low in 2024, Centaline says

香港的抵押贷款注册数量在去年降至历史最低水平,反映出高利率和房地产价格下滑对市场的严重影响。根据中原地产的数据,去年总计注册的抵押贷款合同为47,917份,这是自2000年开始记录以来的最低水平,数据未包括未完成的房产。

尤其是居住用房的注册数量下降了17.6%,降至16,536份,为2010年以来的最低点。这一数字已经连续三年下降,自2021年起累计减少了60%。香港金融管理局在2022年3月至2023年7月间共提高基准利率11次,使借贷成本达到了23年来的最高水平。尽管如此,市场情绪在去年年末有所改善,特别是在12月份,抵押贷款注册数量环比激增35%,结束了四个月的低迷期。

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Tech war: China poised to expand AI infrastructure to keep pace with US Stargate project

中国预计将加大数字基础设施建设力度,以推动其人工智能(AI)发展,特别是在美国推出价值5000亿美元的“星际工程”项目之后,该项目旨在进一步巩固美国在关键技术领域的领导地位。根据分析师的观点,这一变化体现了中国对增强本国计算能力和缩小与美国差距的决心。

“星际工程”由软银集团、ChatGPT的创始公司OpenAI、甲骨文及阿联酋投资公司MGX主导,计划在未来四年内在美国投入5000亿美元建设一个先进的数据中心网络,这些设施将提供AI开发所需的高性能计算基础设施。尽管面临美国的竞争,中国在过去几年中依然成功地建立起众多高性能计算中心,目前已有约250个数据中心在建或已完成。

据中国信息通信研究院的估计,2023年中国的计算能力总规模达到了230 eflops,虽然仍落后于美国,但以其当前的建设速度,中国被认为有望在未来进一步缩小这一差距。地方政府与大型科技公司在半导体出口限制的情况下,加速了相关设施的建设进程,显示了他们在AI技术领域追赶的积极性。

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Nato chief Rutte says Europe will pay for US arms for Ukraine

北约秘书长马克·鲁特呼吁美国继续向乌克兰提供武器,以应对俄罗斯的入侵,并表示欧洲愿意承担相关费用。在达沃斯的世界经济论坛上,鲁特强调,欧洲必须增加国防投资,提高武器生产能力,并在对乌克兰的援助支出中承担更大份额。

鲁特的发言是在美国总统特朗普本周早些时候表示欧盟应更多支持乌克兰之后发表的。他指出,特朗普的观点是正确的,欧洲应为帮助乌克兰赢得这场“全球冲突”付出更多,因为乌克兰地理上更接近欧洲而非美国。鲁特补充说,如果特朗普新政府愿意继续从美国的国防工业基地向乌克兰提供支持,欧洲将毫无疑问地承担费用。

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AI video of Thai PM speaking Mandarin aims to reassure Chinese tourists as bookings dip

泰国总理帕通塔恩·西那瓦特近日通过一段人工智能生成的视频向中国游客传达了国家在提升安全方面的努力。该视频是在一名演员成为人贩子受害者后发布的,旨在应对假期旅行预订下降的情况。

在这段92秒的视频中,西那瓦特表示,所有政府机构将被指示严厉打击跨国犯罪和执行非法移民法。她提到,近期有关中国公民被引诱至邻国诈骗窝点的新闻引发了游客对安全和人贩子的广泛担忧。作为泰国历史上最年轻的总理,她强调政府重视游客的安全,毕竟旅游业是国家经济的重要支柱。

该视频在发布后迅速被多个亚洲媒体转载,并在中国的新闻网站上被广泛引用。根据旅行市场技术公司中国贸易桌的数据,从1月13日至20日,中国游客前往泰国的预订量较前一周下降了15.6%。这一变化促使政府采取措施以恢复游客信心和安全感。

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How the US can challenge China’s dominance over critical minerals

美国总统特朗普的政府预计将推动“美国优先”议程,利用深海矿产的潜力来增强美国的关键矿产供应链,并减少对中国的依赖。深海采矿正成为获取钴、镍、锰和铜等重要矿物的关键战场,这些矿物在基础设施、国防和能源系统中至关重要。

为了应对中国在矿物精炼方面的主导地位,美国国会最近在今年的国防拨款法案中加入了一项条款,研究国内精炼来自矿物结核的中间产品的可行性。去年,跨党派政策工作组与行业和学术专家会面,并发布报告,建议立法以解决关键矿产供应链的脆弱性。

这些海洋资源为美国提供了挑战中国在陆地关键矿产主导地位的机会,同时也能显著增强其国内海洋、加工和制造业,促进美国劳动力的发展。在全球对这些有限资源的竞争中,随着贸易限制的加剧,美国迫切需要在资源上进行战略投资,以确保国家和经济安全。

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Jimmy Lai admits underestimating US lobbying efforts to penalise Hong Kong officials

By Brian Wong

Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has said he misjudged how effective a United States law enabling economic sanctions against city officials would be, despite lobbying for its passage amid anti-government protests in 2019.

Lai told his marathon national security trial on Thursday that he was initially “not interested” in the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, as he believed it would be “more academic than substance”.

He added that he doubted anyone in the United States would follow up once it was signed into law to allow Washington to take punitive actions against mainland Chinese and Hong Kong officials.

But the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid newspaper acknowledged the bill’s passage in November 2019 aligned with his interest and that sanctions would be effective support for Hong Kong, following a grilling by prosecutors and the three presiding High Court judges.

The 77-year-old accused also shed light on his relationship with his right-hand man, former US naval intelligence employee Mark Simon, saying he had no idea how the American developed his political connections in his home country and received what appeared to be insider information in Washington.

Prosecutors pressed on with their cross-examination of Lai’s evidence on his 32nd day in the witness box at West Kowloon Court, with a focus on the tabloid founder’s attitude towards US punitive measures against Hong Kong in late 2019.

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How ‘ironclad’ is US commitment to Philippines? Analysts say it all depends on Trump

美国新国务卿马科·卢比奥(Marco Rubio)承诺维护菲律宾,但分析师认为这取决于特朗普的立场。卢比奥在其担任特朗普外交政策实施者后的第一天,与菲律宾外长埃内斯特·马纳洛举行电话会议,强调美菲互防条约的铁铮承诺,并指出中国在南中国海的行动危及区域稳定。

卢比奥呼吁菲律宾注意到中国的行为,并表示中国的行为不符合国际法,并且危及地区稳定。卢比奥还与澳大利亚、印度和日本的外长举行了会议,发表联合声明反对任何非和平方式改变地区地位的行动。

分析师认为,卢比奥的承诺取决于特朗普对中国的态度,特朗普曾经一度似乎放松了对中国的压力。卢比奥与马纳洛的会谈是他在特朗普政府担任国务卿后的第一项工作。

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At Davos, Saudi Arabia pitches itself as a new hub for Chinese investment

By Frank Tang

As Washington steels itself for a battle with China over critical minerals and Brussels struggles to beat back a flood of Chinese electric vehicles, Saudi Arabia has offered to help Beijing ride out its growing trade disputes.

Bandar Alkhorayef, Saudi minister of industry and mineral resources, said his country welcomed Chinese products and investments – and urged Chinese investors “not to miss the opportunities” to access the largest economy in the Middle East.

“We would like to see investments from Chinese companies bringing know-how, technology, and also capturing the value that we have in Saudi Arabia,” he said in an interview with the Post via video link on Wednesday.

Notably, Alkhorayef suggested that the Gulf state could not only serve as a local market, but also as a potential export hub for Chinese goods.

“We offer a great mix of an excellent local market, but also accessibility to different markets,” he said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “We have accessibility to raw materials like oil, gas, petrochemicals and minerals. And we have good infrastructure as a country.”

“So, Saudi Arabia will definitely be a major player in the region and globally.”

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China’s commercial Mach-4 drone will make first flight next year: company

中国初创公司四川灵空天行科技有限公司宣布,其超高速无人机将在明年进行首次飞行,速度可达音速的四倍。这一项目标志着军事超音速技术向商业领域的转化,旨在推动更广泛的超音速客机开发。

该无人机名为“Cuantianhou”,意为“飞翔的石猴”,灵感来源于中国文学和神话中的著名角色孙悟空。Cuantianhou重1.5吨,长七米,配备两台爆炸发动机,能够在20公里的高度以马赫4.2的巡航速度飞行。根据首席工程师邓凡的介绍,Cuantianhou的首次飞行计划在明年完成,而另一款名为“大圣”的超音速客机预计将在2030年进行原型飞行。

超音速技术一直是军事硬件的重要组成部分,近年来逐渐渗透到商业领域。这一发展不仅展示了中国在航空技术方面的进步,也可能改变未来航空旅行的速度和效率。

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Developers worried over risks in Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis project

开发商呼吁香港当局降低与边境大型项目投资相关的风险。他们希望政府能够提供更及时的基础设施建设和更灵活的建筑规则,以促进北部大都会区计划的顺利推进。该计划将把新界的30,000公顷土地转变为经济中心和住房枢纽。

香港房地产联合会和中国房地产商会在咨询了专业人士及其他建筑相关行业后,向当局提出了建议。此外,代表大型企业的房地产开发商协会也于周四与政府讨论了该项目。联合会和商会强调,政府应加快基础设施建设,以确保项目地块的开发潜力,并减少投资者的不确定性。联合会会长郭海生表示,项目的不确定性会导致投资者在利润计算时变得保守,从而影响投标的成功率。

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Former Tibet chairman Qizhala is region’s latest official to be snared in corruption crackdown

前西藏自治区主席齐扎拉因涉嫌腐败被调查,这一行动是中国西部地区更广泛的打击腐败运动的一部分。此次调查正值敏感时期,流亡的达赖喇嘛预计将在今年晚些时候宣布继承计划。

齐扎拉曾在2017年至2021年期间担任西藏自治区政府主席。中国最高反腐机构中央纪律检查委员会(CCDI)周四表示,他因“严重违反法律和共产党纪律”而被调查,这通常被解读为腐败的代名词。值得注意的是,西藏前党委书记吴英杰去年也被调查,并于上个月被开除出党和公职,CCDI指责他未能有效执行党的政策,并在个人利益下过度参与工程项目,严重影响了西藏的高质量发展。

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Tech to help Hong Kong ‘save every penny’ on building Northern Metropolis Highway

香港运输当局正在采取节省成本的措施,以确保一条关键的高速公路项目不会进一步消耗政府的资金。该项目的目标是连接多个地区,包括天水围、三田和新界北新城,预计能将驾驶距离缩短9公里,并在2027年进行招标。

运输及物流局局长陈帆表示,将利用技术手段来降低23公里高速公路初步研究的成本,加快进程。她提到,通过引入新合同条款来激励承包商创造更多节省,同时确保政府也能分享成果。此外,为了降低隧道钻探的费用,计划将拟建的隧道段长度从2公里缩短到0.5公里,并使用无人机和数字成像软件等技术来进一步控制成本。

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