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South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's South Lantau ecotourism plan may harm environment: green groups
Hong Kong's ecotourism plans for South Lantau could be reduced to a property project that threatens the environment if authorities fail to set clear guidelines, green groups and academics have warned, as a deadline for developers to express their interest approaches on Wednesday. Greenpeace, along with the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society and eight other groups and academics, also said on Wednesday that the government's approach, which includes allowing developers to propose ecotourism projects with residential developments, might violate principles set by the United Nations. They said the UN principles included minimising negative impacts on nature and culture, but the government had suggested building residential units in Pak Nai, Tsim Bei Tsui and nearby areas, which could cause ecological harm. 'The current plans lack a comprehensive vision without enough public consultation, with some residents living in South Lantau reporting that they have no knowledge of the detailed plans,' Greenpeace campaigner Ha Shun-kuen said. 'We worry that it would turn [the plan] into a developer-oriented project.' He added that the green group does not oppose the government's development of ecotourism, but the three-month expression of interests mainly invited developers to express their interests and the government did not reveal details of the public consultation held earlier.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Fiji rejects idea of Chinese military bases in Pacific islands
Fiji is opposed to China setting up a military base in the Pacific islands, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said on Wednesday, adding that Beijing did not need such a base to project power, as shown by last year's intercontinental ballistic missile test Advertisement Strategically placed between the United States and Asia, the Pacific islands are a focus of rivalry between Washington and Beijing for security ties. The islands were trying to cope with a big, powerful China seeking to spread its influence, Rabuka told the National Press Club in the Australian capital, adding that Beijing understood he would lobby other Pacific leaders against such a base. 'Pacific leaders in all their recent discussions have tried to go for policies that are friendly to all and enemies to none – and it is a fairly tough course to steer, but it is possible,' he said. The Pacific would feel the impact of any conflict over the Taiwan Strait between major powers, a possibility already being planned for by China and other nations , Rabuka said. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an Apec summit in San Francisco in 2023. Photo: Xinhua Fiji opposes establishment of a military base by China, he said, in response to queries on Beijing's security ambitions in a region where it already has a security pact with Solomon Islands and a police presence in several nations.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Tiny Pacific nations fear US travel bans. Why?
Tuvalu , a tiny Pacific nation that scientists predict will be submerged by rising seas, said it was seeking written assurance from the United States that its citizens would not be barred from entry after being apparently mistakenly included in a list of 36 countries facing visa bans. An internal diplomatic cable signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed the United States, which has already barred entry for citizens from 12 countries, was considering expanding travel restrictions to the 36 countries, including three Pacific island states, it was reported last month Nations on the list would have 60 days to take corrective action, the cable showed. The news had caused significant concern in Tuvalu, whose population of around 11,000 is at risk from rising sea levels, and where a third of residents have applied to an Australian ballot for a landmark climate migration visa The serpentine coastline of Funafuti Atoll, home to nearly half of Tuvalu's entire population. Photo: AFP Tuvalu's ambassador to the United Nations , Tapugao Falefou, said he had been told by a US official that Tuvalu's inclusion on the list was 'an administrative and systemic error on the part of the US Department of State'. In a statement on Tuesday, Tuvalu's government said it had not received any formal notification that it was on the list, and had also been assured by the United States embassy in Fiji it was 'an error within the system'.
