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HKFP
01-07-2025
- Business
- HKFP
In Pictures: Hong Kong celebrates 28th Handover anniversary
Hong Kong celebrated the 28th anniversary of the city's return from British colonial rule to China on Tuesday, with the food and beverage sector offering July 1 promotions and discounts to mark the Handover. About 4,100 restaurants and shops participated in offering customers discounts, according to the government. Restaurant chains like Tai Hing Group offered a 29 per cent discount on all dine-in meals, meaning customers only needed to pay 71 per cent of their bills. Four senior government officials, led by Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing, had dim sum at a Chinese restaurant in Wan Chai on Tuesday morning and enjoyed the discount after attending the annual flag-raising ceremony and reception for the Handover, the government said in a press release. In a speech delivered during the reception, Chief Executive John Lee said national security would safeguard Hong Kong's development amid global uncertainty. 'High-level security will safeguard high-quality development,' Lee said in Cantonese. 'We will steadfastly safeguard national security and seize upon national opportunities under the One Country, Two Systems framework.' Lee also pledged to expedite the development of the Northern Metropolis – a megaproject that the government says will be home to a third of the city's population, but environmental groups have called for better protection of the surrounding wetlands. In Tsim Sha Tsui, dozens of people lined up to board fishing boats adorned with bright red Chinese national and Hong Kong flags, which paraded around Victoria Harbour in celebration of the Handover. Led by the Hong Kong Fishermen Consortium, the group waved China's and Hong Kong's flags outside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. In Tai Kok Tsui's Olympian City shopping mall, panda-shaped balloons were given to children as part of the Handover celebratory promotions. 'Hong Kong has changed a lot' Across the harbour, in Causeway Bay's Victoria Park, some braved the rain at an event marking the Handover anniversary. Prior to the national security law, the park was the starting point of pro-democracy marches on the Handover anniversary, during which civil society groups walked from Causeway Bay to Central to call for democracy. On Tuesday, parts of the park were booked out by the Hong Kong Celebrations Association, which set up installations – including giant egg tarts and mini panda sculptures – for people to take pictures with. A small exhibition displayed photos of key landmarks in Hong Kong and the years they were built. Among those highlighted were Golden Bauhinia Square in 1997, the Avenue of Stars in 2004, West Kowloon Station, which connects Hong Kong to the mainland, in 2018, and Kai Tak Stadium this year. A woman in her 50s, who asked to remain anonymous, told HKFP she had come to the park to celebrate the Handover anniversary. She was holding a Hong Kong flag and a China flag, which she said were being given out for free at Lee Tung Avenue, a shopping and dining area in Wan Chai. 'As a Hongkonger, I'm here to support local Hong Kong events,' she said in Cantonese. She told HKFP that Lee, the city's chief executive, has been doing a good job as Hong Kong's leader. His policies have made the streets cleaner and Hong Kong more attractive to tourists, she said. Asked how she felt about the political developments in recent years, the woman said she did not pay much attention to politics. L, who was at Victoria Park with his girlfriend, told HKFP he wanted to 'check out what's going on' and take some photos. He asked to be identified only by an initial. He said that prior to 2020, he used to spend Handover anniversaries at protest marches. One of the first marches he took part in was in 2003, when his parents brought him out to protest against the government's plans to enact a local security law known as Article 23. That year, plans for legislation were suspended due to opposition. The law was passed last year in the city's opposition-free legislature. 'Hong Kong has changed a lot since 2019,' L, who is in his mid-20s, said in Cantonese. 'The changes seem inevitable nowadays.' Another man – who only gave his surname, Lam – was at the park with eight family members, including his grandson. Lam said he believed Hong Kong was less chaotic now, but that the stability had come at a cost. He said he had seen the news that the League of Social Democrats (LSD) – one of the city's last pro-democracy groups – announced their disbandment on Sunday. 'It's a pity that there are fewer opposition voices now,' he said. 'It was good to have those voices around because they bring about change. Otherwise, change will take a long time to happen,' Lam told HKFP in Cantonese.
HKFP
02-05-2025
- Business
- HKFP
Hong Kong minimum wage rises to HK$42.10 as use of pension funds for severance pay ends
Hong Kong has raised its statutory minimum wage to HK$42.10, coinciding with the official end of a controversial arrangement that allowed firms to dip into pension funds for severance payments. The 5.3 per cent increase from HK$40 in hourly base pay took effect on Thursday, when Hong Kong marked the annual International Labour Day. Labour groups and NGOs in the city, however, say that the new minimum wage still fails to meet basic living needs, and the monthly income of a full-time minimum wage worker is less than the amount the government hands out to a two-person household under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance scheme. The government also officially scrapped the policy that allowed employers to offset long service and severance payments with mandatory contributions under the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) system. Labour unions in Hong Kong had fought for the abolition of the offsetting mechanism for around two decades after the MPF scheme was rolled out in 2000. They criticised the system for depleting workplace pensions and, in some cases, leaving retirees with too little to live on. The official end of the offsetting arrangement came almost three years after lawmakers passed a bill in June 2022 to amend the Employment and Retirement Schemes Legislation. Improving labour rights is the responsibility of the government, Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing told reporters after a Labour Day event on Thursday. He noted that raising the minimum pay and cancelling the offsetting arrangement on Thursday marked a 'very special day of historical significance.' Cheuk went on to say that the government also changed the review of the minimum wage from every two years to annually. This will allow the pay to better reflect changes in the socio-economic landscape and provide better income security for low-income groups, he said. 'Ensuring good job security for workers is the government's duty, and we will continue our efforts in this regard. We hope that through the joint efforts of employees, employers, and the government, we can enhance the welfare of workers across Hong Kong,' Cheuk said in Cantonese. Hong Kong first introduced the statutory minimum wage in 2011. Before the increase on Thursday, it was last adjusted in 2023 after a four-year freeze.
