Latest news with #XiaBaolong
South China Morning Post
10-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Will speeding up rail line for Northern Metropolis entice Hong Kong developers?
The Hong Kong government's plan to speed up the construction of the rail backbone of the Northern Metropolis near the border with mainland China will make the megaproject more appealing to developers, but whether they will be persuaded to invest is another matter, experts have said. Advertisement Amid a depressed property market, developers have voiced concerns over their profit margins if they commit to building in the hub, which Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Director Xia Baolong urged the city to complete as soon as possible. Sources told the Post that a key topic for Xia during his recent visits to Hong Kong was the Northern Metropolis and its potential as the city's next game changer for its economic future. On Tuesday, the Transport and Logistics Bureau announced a first-phase deal with the MTR Corporation that would lower the cost of construction and bring forward the completion of a cross-border spur line by at least two years to 2034. The deal covers the creation of the Northern Link spur line, which will start at Chau Tau station and end at Shenzhen's Huanggang Port station, allowing commuters to cross the border with greater ease. Advertisement Professor Lau Siu-kai, a consultant with Beijing's semi-official think tank, the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said the government was seeking to show its determination to expedite the project while at the same time incentivising private companies to invest in the development.
South China Morning Post
08-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Major rail links in Hong Kong's Northern Metropolis to be completed 2 years early
Hong Kong's railway operator and the government signed an agreement on the design and construction of the major rail link in the Northern Metropolis on Tuesday, fast-tracking its completion by at least two years to 2034. The agreement, which gives momentum to the Northern Metropolis project, involves HK$39.05 billion in financing from land premiums for the construction of three stations along the Northern Link main line, the design of the spur line, tunnels and other railway facilities. It is the first of a two-part deal. 'The Northern Link project 'embodies significant strategic value', a government spokesman said. 'With a strong determination to break new ground, the government has resolutely decided to make three major breakthroughs to enhance the speed and efficiency of the project.' But the government did not reveal when the second part of the agreement, which would cover facilities such as other stations under the main and spur lines, would be signed exactly. The agreement comes after Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director Xia Baolong urged local authorities to speed up work on the Northern Metropolis by removing barriers during his visit to the city last month. The railway project will complement the development of the Northern Metropolis, which aims to turn 30,000 hectares (74,132 acres) of land into a new engine for economic growth with a population of about 2.5 million and around 650,000 jobs.
South China Morning Post
04-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Beijing taps personnel veteran Xu Qifang for Hong Kong and Macau post
Beijing has appointed Xu Qifang, a former Communist Party personnel official, to the second-most senior position in its top body managing Hong Kong and Macau affairs. Advertisement Xu, 60, the former deputy chief of the party's Organisation Department has become the executive deputy director of the Central Committee's Hong Kong and Macau Work Office, according to several sources. The sources said Xu would be promoted from deputy ministerial to full ministerial rank. As the office's executive director, Xu reports to director Xia Baolong , who oversees the office's daily operations. '[Xu] has reported to work at the Hong Kong and Macau Work Office. Senior officials in the office have met with him,' said one source who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. He has been a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body, since 2023. Advertisement Xu fills the vacancy left by Zhou Ji , who was parachuted south to become the director of Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong after former liaison office chief Zheng Yanxiong was abruptly removed at the end of May after two years in the position. At the end of June, Beijing announced Zheng's appointment as deputy director of the National People's Congress' Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee, confirming an earlier report by the Post.
South China Morning Post
30-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong justice minister says ‘soft resistance' political term, not legal one
Hong Kong's justice minister has said that 'soft resistance' is a political term instead of a legal one and should not be used randomly, while offering his definition for actions that officials have said continue to pose a threat to national security. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok also said the promotion of national security should be proportionate and strike a balance with the city's development, echoing a call from Beijing's top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs earlier this month. Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, earlier warned that soft resistance still existed in the city five years after the Beijing-decreed national security law was enacted. He said it had also evolved into new forms and that the city should not 'forget the pain when wounds were healed'. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said that soft resistance definitely existed in the city and urged the public to stay vigilant against its various forms. The term first appeared in 2021 in a speech by Luo Huining, then director of Beijing's liaison office, to mark Hong Kong's first National Security Education Day. The phrase, which has reportedly been in use in mainland China, has since been gradually adopted by local officials and later by judges.
South China Morning Post
23-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's Northern Metropolis can benefit from EU firms' expertise: John Lee
Hong Kong's leader has called for more cooperation with European businesses on the Northern Metropolis, a key initiative aimed at driving future growth and sustainability for the city, a day after a top Beijing official urged expediting the megaproject. Advertisement Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Monday during his opening remarks at the sustainability event Greenway 2025 that Hong Kong and the European Union could work together to find new solutions to climate change. 'I look forward to the expertise and support of EU companies in the Northern Metropolis, our new engine for growth, dedicated to green living and the area's long-term green development,' Lee said. On Sunday, Lee revealed that Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director Xia Baolong had called on the city's authorities to speed up work on the megaproject by removing barriers. The Northern Metropolis scheme, which includes an innovation hub called the San Tin Technopole, aims to turn 30,000 hectares (74,132 acres) of land into a new engine for economic growth, with a population of about 2.5 million and providing around 650,000 jobs. Advertisement Monday's event was organised by the EU Office in Hong Kong and the city's European Chamber of Commerce under the theme of 'accelerating changes'. Both Hong Kong and the EU have set ambitious sustainability goals as they each seek to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
