Paris COP: What does it mean to Hong Kong?

by Caroline Wilson

EJ Insight » Hong KongToday, 7:00 AM

Hong Kong commuters are exposed daily to health risks from air pollution. Photo: Bloomberg

Tackling global climate change is central to competition and innovation.

Countries representing 85 percent of the world’s emissions have signed up to national emission reduction targets before the Paris talks starting today.

The world is moving towards a low carbon economy. Businesses are calling for more ambitious action, with a clear signal from Paris to set a high carbon price.

There may be more risk in being left behind than in taking the lead.

The Pearl River Delta is vulnerable to climate change. Even limiting the global temperature rise to 2 degrees, swaths of the PRD could be underwater by 2100 with a sea level rise of 4.6 meters.

Other climate risks to health, water and food security may also occur.

The Guangdong Civil Affairs Bureau announced in 2013 that the economic cost of dealing with the consequences of climate change was 49 billion yuan (US$7.7 billion).

Hong Kong, owning about 30,000 factories within the PRD and relying heavily on supplies from the region, faces challenges from these climate risks.

Although cities’ high consumption patterns make them part of the problem, they can also be part of the solution. Particularly those such as London and Hong Kong which host global financial centers.

The overall UK low carbon sector is now outpacing the growth rate of the economy as a whole, contributing £45 billion (US$67.8 billion) to the economy in 2013, an increase of almost 30 percent in three years.

Hong Kong has started to embrace the social and economic benefits of low carbon transition. The Hong Kong SAR government’s Climate Change Report 2015 presents the good work done by government and private sector, emphasizing benefits in the form of new green jobs and enhanced “livability”.

We look forward to seeing how Hong Kong will shape its commitments beyond the current 2020 target.

Mainland China’s pledge to reduce its carbon intensity by 60-65 percent by 2030 provides new impetus.

Like London, Hong Kong faces risks as an international financial center.

The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change estimates a “carbon budget” that the world can “afford” to emit, that would likely limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees.

This budget is roughly equivalent to one third of the fossil fuel reserves. In this scenario, two thirds of the reserves should never be burned, which makes them “stranded assets”.

Calls for divestment from fossil fuel (and announcements from investors that they intend to follow this route) are becoming commonplace in the United States and Europe.

The exposure of investors, including pension funds and the insurance sector, is potentially huge. Hong Kong will not be immune.

The Bank of England has recognized this potential threat to financial stability and is committed to tackling the challenge, focusing on information disclosure.

Better information allows investors and policy makers to make sound risk management decisions.

Hong Kong is also engaging, with debate on Hong Kong stock exchange’s proposals to strengthen the rules on carbon disclosure for listed companies.

And financing global de-carbonization is a major opportunity. China is committed to greening its financial system to support its low carbon transition.

A UK-China working group on international green finance is already active.

We welcome the lead taken by the Financial Services Development Council in examining the opportunities for Hong Kong.

“One Country, One Climate” – Hong Kong can contribute.

Innovative low carbon solutions bring better lives, better business and a better planet.

– Contact us at english@hkej.com

CG

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Democratic Party suspects Beijing hand in cyber-attacks

EJ Insight » Hong KongToday, 9:52 AM

Democratic Party chief executive Lam Cheuk-ting says they have been targeted repeatedly by China-backed computer hackers. Photo: Bloomberg

Hong Kong’s Democratic Party suspects that Beijing-backed hackers had attacked the party website as well as the email accounts of some of its members. 

“We’re the most coordinated opposition group on Chinese soil, (and) have a reasonable assumption that Beijing is behind the hacking,” the party’s chief executive Lam Cheuk-ting told Reuters.

According to the report, hackers have expanded their attacks to parking malware on popular file-sharing services including Dropbox and Google Drive to trap victims into downloading infected files and compromising sensitive information.

They also use more sophisticated tactics, honing in on specific targets through so-called ‘white lists’ that only infect certain visitors to compromised websites.

US-based Internet security firm FireEye was quoted as saying that the attacks via Dropbox were aimed at “precisely those whose networks Beijing would seek to monitor”, and could provide China with advance warning of protests and information on pro-democracy leaders.

Hackers also recently used Dropbox to lure Chinese language journalists in Hong Kong into downloading infected files, the report said.

FireEye, which discovered the attack, said it was the first time it had seen this approach.

In the run-up to Hong Kong district council elections earlier this month, hackers used more basic techniques, breaking into at least 20 Gmail accounts at the Democratic Party, according to party officials and Google logs seen by Reuters.

– Contact us at english@hkej.com

CG/RC

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HKU alumni vote against Arthur Li candidacy for top council post

EJ Insight » Hong KongToday, 10:42 AM

HKU alumni (inset) line up Sunday to vote on key issues related to the university's top governing body. Photo: HKEJ

University of Hong Kong (HKU) alumni gathered in their thousands at the campus on Sunday and voted on several motions, including the issue of a new chairman for the university’s governing body.

The alumni, in an overwhelming vote, gave a thumbs down to HKU Council member Arthur Li, saying that he is “not suitable” to head the university body as he does not enjoy the trust and confidence of the students and staff.

In the second extraordinary general meeting of the HKU Convocation since Sept. 1, five motions were proposed before each was passed by a ratio of more than 90 percent, although the turnout was lower compared to that in the previous meeting, Ming Pao Daily reported.

On a motion regarding Li’s suitability for the HKU Council chairman post, 97 percent of the attending alumni who cast their votes expressed opposition to the controversial council member.

Li has been widely seen as the most likely successor to Edward Leong Che-hung, who stepped down as council chairman on Oct. 30.

The government is yet to make an announcement on Leong’s successor.

Li’s credibility has been dented severely after he was heard in a leaked recording last month making uncharitable remarks about former law dean Johannes Chan Man-mun at a September council meeting.

During that meeting, pro-establishment members rejected the appointment Chan as pro-vice chancellor even though the law professor had been recommended for the post by a search committee.

During the vote Sunday, most alumni expressed their disappointment at the council’s decision regarding Chan.

Lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen, convener of the alumni group, said he believes the delay by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, who is the HKU chancellor, in naming a new chairman for the university governing body is because Leung is aware of the strong reservations about Li.

While Ip did not reveal the possible action that could be taken if Li is appointed, he said it is entirely possible to see class boycotts by HKU students and teachers.

The alumni group might engage in discussions with students and teachers before deciding on its own actions, he said.

Benny Tai, an associate professor of law at HKU and one of the co-founders of the Occupy Central movement, said at the meeting Sunday that the actions of Leung and Li are prompting HKU alumni to unite as never before.

– Contact us at english@hkej.com

TL/AC/RC

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Hong Kong's dolphins at risk of disappearing

Coconuts Hong KongToday, 9:47 AM

As Hong Kong seeks to expand its international airport and with a major new bridge project under way, campaigners warn that the dwindling number of much-loved pink dolphins in surrounding waters may disappear altogether.

Conservationists say their repeated concerns have fallen on deaf ears, with what they describe as a "rapid" decline of the mammal in the past few decades.

The Chinese white dolphin -- popularly known as the pink dolphin due to its pale pink colouring -- draws scores of tourists daily to the waters north of Hong Kong's Lantau island.

It also became Hong Kong's official mascot for the handover ceremony in 1997, when Britain returned the territory to China.

But despite the affection felt towards the dolphin, campaigners say there may soon be none left.

The proposed construction of a third runway at Hong Kong's busy Chek Lap Kok airport could be the nail in the coffin, they say.

"We think that if that project goes ahead, then it will probably drive the dolphin away from Hong Kong waters," said Samuel Hung, chairman of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, who has been going out to sea at least twice a week to monitor dolphin activity for almost 20 years.

"In some ways it seems like we are pushing them closer and closer to the edge of the cliff and if we're making that final push, they will be gone forever. I think now is the time to get our act together."

Hung says there are only around 60 dolphins left in Hong Kong waters -- a drop from 158 in 2003.

"The dolphin decline is caused by a number of factors, including overfishing and environmental pollution... but I think the major contribution is coming from the increase of high-speed ferry traffic," Hung said.

The dolphins have either gone to neighbouring Chinese waters or may have died off, says Hung.

- Habitats destroyed -

Dolphin habitats have also been affected by the ongoing construction of a 50-kilometre (30-mile) bridge connecting Hong Kong to the gambling enclave of Macau.

The bridge looms on the horizon behind the village of Tai O, on the western tip of Lantau island, from where dozens of dolphin tours go out daily.

"Since the construction of the bridge in 2012 the situation has worsened," says Hung, who blames land reclamation encroaching on dolphin habitats and continuing construction creating disturbance.

The WWF recently placed volunteers on the dolphin-spotting boats to tell tourists about the problems the animals are facing.

"Pollution is quite serious in the air and water... We worry about the marine life being affected," said Hong Kong bank worker Yeung Ka-yan, 30, after taking a short boat trip.

"We were a little disappointed," added her boyfriend, a 26-year-old chef from Taiwan, after failing to spot any dolphins -- a scenario that could become all too common in the years ahead if conservationists' fears are realised.

- 'Disaster awaits -

Tourist boat operator Wong Yung-kan, who was born in Tai O and has lived most of his life there, said residents used to dislike the dolphins because they ate catch from fishermen's nets, when fishing was the village's most important trade.

"Now the fishing industry has reduced in size, we have had to change our line of work from fishing to taking tourists out on boats to see dolphins," said Wong, 67.

Dolphin-watching accounts for 10 percent of Tai O's tourism business.

"Of course we want them to remain here... the tourists will be happier and we'll be happier as well," adds Wong.

Unlike conservationists, he says he is optimistic for the dolphins' future -- but if the worst happens, villagers will adapt as they did before.

"These natural things won't disappear... if you are not actively eliminating them, then they won't go away," Wong told AFP.

"(But) if this species has to go extinct, there's nothing we can do about it. We can find another way to make a living. People know how to cope with change."

The government refused to be interviewed but told AFP in an email that potential impacts the proposed third-runway could have on the pink dolphins had been "properly assessed and addressed".

"To compensate for the permanent loss of Chinese white dolphin habitats arising from the land formation works, the designation of a new marine park of approximately 2,400 ha (24 square kilometres) in the waters north of the third-runway project has been proposed," the statement from the agriculture, fisheries and conservation department said.

But campaigners criticised the plan, saying the marine park would not be established until at least 2023, when reclamation work for the third runway is expected to finish.

"We don't even know whether the dolphin can hang on and survive and wait," Hung said.

"We have been following some of them for nearly 20 years so those are our old friends.

"They don't realise that there is more disaster waiting for them."

Words/Photo: AFP

Words/Photo: AFP

http://hongkong.coconuts.co/2015/11/30/hong-kongs-dolphins-risk-disappearing

Electric cars on the rise in Hong Kong but building management are failing to plug a home-charging gap

Despite one of the lowest vehicle to charger ratios worldwide, facilities are struggling to keep pace with demand for electric transportation

NAOMI NG

NAOMI.NG@SCMP.COM

PUBLISHED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 7:01am

UPDATED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 7:00am

Lucas Tsao, 2, joins his father at the Charged Hong Kong 2015 Rally in Sha Tin. Photo: Edward Wong

Hong Kong has one of the lowest electric vehicle to charger ratios in the world, but public charging facilities alone is still not enough to keep up with the rising popularity of electric transportation in the city, according to owners.

Electric transportation has been gaining traction in Hong Kong, with more than 3,000 electric vehicles (EV) on the road as of October, up from 100 of them in 2010.

To promote the wider adoption of EVs, there are now 1,200 chargers for public use across the city’s 18 districts in shopping malls, and commercial and government buildings.

This means that more than two cars share a charger, according to figures from the Environmental Protection Department (EPD).No Caption Available.

Comparing the figures to countries that are frontrunners in adopting the technology, there are around nine cars per charger in Japan, and six cars per charger in Norway in 2014, according to estimates from Clean Energy Ministerial, a global forum that promotes clean energy technology.

The problem lies in the lack of home charging facilities, owners say.

“It’s not ideal to rely on public charging facilities, especially if you have to find an available parking space every day,” said Tesla owner Philip Kwong Wai-kay.

In Hong Kong, where residential units are in massive block of flats with communal parking spaces, EV owners often meet resistance from building management when they ask for permission to install charging points in car parks.

Mark Webb-Johnson, chairman of Charged Hong Kong, a local organisation aimed at promoting EVs, explains that building management companies are cautious because they have concerns about electricity capacity, insurance, and having to lay down electricity cables over common areas.

No Caption Available.Johnson adds that charging at home, or at work would be the most ideal as it can be done overnight, or during working hours when the car is not in use at a slow charge, instead of the quick chargers that require a lot more energy.

The battery-operated electric cars from different manufacturers such as Tesla, Nissan and BMW, vary in charging time, but it could take up to three to six hours for a full charge depending on the battery size, and type of charger.

One of the fastest chargers –Tesla superchargers – can charge half the battery in 20 minutes, the company claims. Depending on the car, a full charge can last between 150 to 300 kilometres.

“The government’s tried to push public charging to help, but with mixed success. They’ve got a lot of charging points, but mostly slow, and there’s just not enough really,” said Johnson.

“When we had 500 EVs in Hong Kong, it was fine, but now we have 3,000 it’s starting to become a problem.”

Drivers have taken to social media to complain of long queues, and petrol cars that take up assigned EV parking spaces with charging facilities.

“I’m number five in line for a charging spot. What do we do if this keeps happening?” said one user on the Facebook page Tesla Lovers’ Club Hong Kong.

“If there is no home charging, you really have to think about whether it’s worth buying an electric car, there will only be more and more cars in the future,” commented another.

http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1885096/electric-cars-rise-hong-kong-building-management

Hong Kong's housing conundrum: Small-house policy, not indigenous villagers, the real problem

ALEX LOalex.lo@scmp.com

PUBLISHED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 1:08am

UPDATED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 1:08am

The developer David Li speaking before media at an earlier stage of the case. Photo: SCMP Pictures

The Independent Commission Against Corruption must be patting itself on the back after obtaining fraud convictions against a developer and 11 indigenous villagers.

The villagers were found to have defrauded the Lands Department by illegally selling their rights to build "small houses" to the developer, David Li Yam-pui, for a total of HK$4.3 million in rewards between 2008 and 2011.

The court also heard that Li conspired with, and offered bribes to, the chairman of the Sha Tin Rural Committee to secure the latter's support for applications to the Lands Department for building licences. The chairman was never charged. A middleman was used to identify suitable villagers. The 11 villagers were persuaded to sell their building rights in Sha Tin.

Li used their names to apply to the Lands Department to build houses but concealed the fact that the villagers had entered deals to transfer or dispose of the land.

I think the villagers were more like fools than fraudsters. The court heard they were each paid between HK$130,000 and HK$250,000. The numbers don't really add up. Perhaps the middleman took a big chunk.

Even if some were to be paid double, say, half a million, it would still be a lot less than their building rights were worth in this crazy property market.

A three-storey village house can fetch on the market HK$9 million to more than HK$20 million, depending on location. Now facing jail, it looks like the "villagers", assuming they really live in the New Territories, have been seriously ripped off.

Has the ICAC looked beyond the surface in this case? Was the middleman identified and if so, why wasn't he or she charged?

One thing from this case is clear, though. Many so-called indigenous villagers may be willing to sell their rights without going through the trouble of having to build a village house.

Instead of occasionally cracking down on such widespread illegal activities, the government should offer subpar prices to buy back those rights and end the small-house policy once and for all.

The massive land amounting to more than 930 hectares currently earmarked for village houses could then be bought back and developed to help meet the city's housing needs.

http://m.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1885081/hong-kongs-housing-conundrum-small-house-policy-not

Hong Kong's rival camps should stop squabbling and create harmony, says former financial secretary Antony Leung

Antony Leung urges government and rival camps to set aside differences and strive to achieve Beijing's wish of creating a harmonious Hong Kong

TONY CHEUNG AND GARY CHEUNG

PUBLISHED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 12:10am

UPDATED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 2:01am

Antony Leung says although he no longer has any power or political influence, "the good thing is that I am free. This might be the best position for me". Photo: Nora Tam

The government and rival political camps must stop battling each other in order to achieve Beijing's aim of unity in Hong Kong, former finance minister Antony Leung Kam-chung says.

Leung is tipped as a possible candidate for the 2017 chief executive election but says he has no plan to run because being the city's leader is too difficult a task.

"It would be best if I do not do it," he said in an exclusive interview with the Post.

In August, the CEO of developer Nan Fung Group suggested that whether he ran "depends on God" as he had never planned the events that changed his life. Some commentators took this as a hint that he was waiting for Beijing's endorsement, a suggestion that Leung laughed off.

"As a devout Christian, I would not turn Beijing into God, it would be blasphemous … I don't know what plan God has for me, but I really enjoy what I am doing now.

"I don't have any plan to run … I don't have any official title, position, power or political influence, but the good thing is that I am free. This might be the best position for me."

He declined to say whether he was interested in the top job.

On Tuesday, Leung said for the first time that Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying must seek to unite Hongkongers because "it is a pity if we only resort to struggles" rather than devoting energy to solve the city's problems.

Some commentators believe that Leung Chun-ying and the Beijing-loyalist camp have been tough on the pan-democrats to suit President Xi Jinping , but Antony Leung warned they could have been mistaken.

"The nation always expects Hong Kong to be harmonious and doing things," he said. "From the business sector's perspective, and as a person who understands Hong Kong, I also think society should unite, otherwise it will miss many opportunities."

He said the pan-democrats also shared the responsibility to unite Hong Kong. When asked to name an incident that the government and pro-establishment camp handled as if it was a political struggle, he replied: "I can only cite Lu Xinhua's answer: you know what I mean."

In March last year, Lu, plenum spokesman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was asked to comment on the fate of former security tsar Zhou Yongkang . Lu gave the party line before adding that intriguing comment.

One of most controversial conflicts in the city recently has been the University of Hong Kong's governance crisis, which has worsened since its ruling council voted down the appointment of former law dean Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun as a pro-vice-chancellor.

Chan has close links to academic Benny Tai Yiu-ting, co-founder of Occupy, and council members appointed by Leung Chun-ying were understood to oppose Chan's promotion.

Antony Leung, an adviser of former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa's Our Hong Kong Foundation think tank, echoed Tung's call this month for the city's young generation to understand more about China.

Leung was finance chief for two years before quitting in 2003 amid criticism after he bought a luxury car before sharply raising tax on new cars in his budget.

http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1885089/hong-kongs-rival-camps-should-stop-squabbling-and-create

More Hong Kong firms seek ICAC advice on graft as they head for lucrative mainland China market

Graft agency says its hands are tied on mainland but warns companies to 'uphold their integrity'

CHRISTY LEUNGchristy.leung@scmp.com

PUBLISHED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 12:02am

UPDATED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 12:02am

ICAC said anti-graft work on the mainland was beyond its authority. Photo: SCMP Pictures

The city's graft-buster has said it is facing a surge in the number of requests for advice from local enterprises operating on the mainland, but admitted its hands were tied when it came to cross-border bribery.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption said more local companies were seeking tailor-made advice and codes of conduct from the watchdog on dealing with corruption before heading north.

"Mainlanders hold different concepts to us on conflict of interest," said Tse Man-shing, director of corruption prevention. "It is all about relationships when you do business in China, instead of the rule of law. Local firms feel lost when entering the mainland."

READ MORE: Hong Kong's ICAC steps up cooperation with mainland Chinese anti-graft counterparts

Tse said the department had long been fulfilling its statutory duty of offering industry-specific advice on corruption prevention. Many corporations fly their mainland employees to Hong Kong for seminars on how to prevent graft.

But Tse said measures prescribed in Hong Kong were not bound by mainland law. Instead, he advised firms to "uphold their integrity" on the mainland, saying that was all they could do under the circumstances.

"Do not wallow in the mire to accommodate the cultural differences. Malpractice erodes reputations and business."

President Xi Jinping has been touting a nationwide anti-corruption drive aimed at waging war on graft and cleaning up the Communist Party since he came to power in 2013.

The ICAC, however, does not see any role for itself across the border, since work on the mainland is beyond its authority.

Tse said several state-owned enterprises had approached the department when setting up operations in Hong Kong, but he refused to disclose any names due to privacy concerns.

READ MORE: Pro-Beijing lawyer Kennedy Wong faces ICAC bribery charges

"They are constrained by the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance in Hong Kong. We explain the legal differences to them. For example, they could give red pocket money to public bodies on the mainland, but not here."

A solicitor familiar with white-collar crime said anti-corruption awareness was high among state-owned enterprises, but not among private mainland companies working in Hong Kong.

"Many of my Chinese clients thought money could solve all problems," he said.

"They often asked me if there were 'easy' ways to establish good relations with enforcement agencies, so they could solve problems in a 'convenient' way. You know the implications."

The watchdog said more than 7,000 organisations had obtained its advisory services since 1985, of which 32 per cent were from the service industries.

http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1885045/more-hong-kong-firms-seek-icac-advice-graft-they-head

Reclusive Victor So stays quiet on the Urban Renewal Authority's U-turn over subsidised flats for single Hongkongers

Victor So may prefer to avoid the spotlight, but many critics say the public deserves answers over a policy reversal for single buyer subsidies

EDDIE LEEeddie.lee@scmp.com

PUBLISHED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 12:02am

UPDATED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 2:21am

Urban Renewal Authority chairman Victor So (left), with Chief Secretary Carrie Lam earlier this month. Photo: Dickson Lee

Veteran housing executive Victor So Hing-woh's management style has come under fire again.

The recent furore over the Urban Renewal Authority's decision on who can buy subsidised flats at its developments has prompted some to question So's chairmanship at the authority - a quasi-official organisation responsible for speeding up the redevelopment of Hong Kong's decaying urban areas.

"So owes the public an explanation," said Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Alice Mak Mei-kuen - a non-executive director of the authority - referring to the agency's alleged policy U-turn over the provision of subsidised flats for sale.

READ MORE: Hong Kong's Urban Renewal Authority rethinks criteria for single home buyers

On November 24, the authority announced it would allow single people - instead of only families of two people or more, as under its original plan - to buy units at its De Novo development in Kai Tak.

Neither So nor his management team have clarified the authority's position and So declined an interview with the Post.

This was not the first time So's apparent reticence had drawn criticism.

He was widely accused of failing to address a rift between him and the previous management team at the authority, which became pronounced when the agency's then managing director Iris Tam Siu-ying submitted her resignation in late March, two years into a three-year term.

In an email to all staff, Tam admitted she quit because of irreconcilable differences with So and warned the agency should not act like a developer.

So's response also came in the form of a staff-wide email, in which he fended off criticism he was treating the authority like a for-profit business.

READ MORE: Hong Kong lawmaker says urban renewal authority too fearful of legal trouble in its policy U-turn

"From time to time, I have bounced raw ideas to colleagues on my 'do more', 'do faster' wish list… With the current situation that nearly all our future redevelopment projects shall incur losses, it is the duty of the board and the management to find ways and means to minimise such losses," he wrote.

In his email, So played down his clash with Tam and said their differences had emerged as they tried "to find innovative solutions to break through the many constraints in our work".

Wu Chi-wai, another non-executive director of the authority and vocal opponent of its about-turn, declined to comment on So's role in the latest scandal or on his chairmanship.

But the Democratic Party lawmaker said he was still alarmed by Tam's abrupt resignation.

"It reflected discord [at the top level] when the number two left like that," said Wu.

Yet few query So's expertise or commitment to solving the city's prolonged housing problems.

So's careers in the public and private sectors span 40 years. Photo: David WongSo, 68, is a qualified surveyor and seasoned housing professional, who held various key positions during his 40 years of service in both the public and private sectors.

He replaced Barry Cheung Chun-yuen as authority chairman in 2013, when Cheung resigned from all his public posts after police began investigating his failed Hong Kong Mercantile Exchange, a commodities exchange.

Like his predecessor, So has chaired almost all of the board meetings since assuming the role. While Cheung was dubbed a top fan of Leung Chun-ying, So is also widely seen as an ally to the chief executive.

But the similarities end there. Unlike Cheung, who was keen to meet the public and promote the authority's strategy for giving the run-down inner-city areas a facelift, So had not given any public speeches as head of the agency, according to its website.

When he assumed the office, So said he would work closely with the authority "in a 'people-first, district-based and public-participatory' approach".

"I share the government's viewpoint that increasing flat supply is the key to the housing problem in Hong Kong," So said.

READ MORE: Caught unaware: Hong Kong urban renewal authority director claims board learned of management’s policy U-turn just like public

In a statement issued in January, So said the authority fully supported the chief executive's initiative to increase the supply of subsidised sale units, announced in the policy address.

So's most controversial post was with The Link Real Estate Investment Trust, a company condemned by residents as a "bloodsucker" for raising the rents of public housing estate malls after it acquired them from the Housing Authority in 2005. He resigned in 2007.

Legislator James To Kun-sun, who previously served on the authority's board, said he had a "very bad" impression of So when he led the Housing Society.

"He was stubborn, conservative and callous when it came to residents. He would leave from the back door when people petitioned his office," To said, on So's appointment two years ago.

But City University academic Dr Lawrence Poon Wing-cheung, who serves on the authority's board, said So was a man of ambition.

"He has demonstrated a willingness to take on tough jobs," said Poon, adding members of the authority's board were always able to express their views.

 

VICTOR SO HING-WOH

Age: 68

Education: Master's degree in Business Administration from Chinese University of Hong Kong

Professional qualifications:

Fellow member of Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Fellow member of Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors

Fellow member of Hong Kong Institute of Housing

Public service:

Council member of Mental Health Foundation

Member of Hong Kong Housing Society

Business career:

Since 2013: Chairman of the Board of the Urban Renewal Authority

2008-2010: Executive director of Kerry Properties

2004-2007: Chief executive officer of Link Management

2002-2004: Executive director of Sun Hung Kai Properties

1990-2002: Executive director of Hong Kong Housing Society

1981-1990: Property director of MTR Corporation

http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1885037/reclusive-victor-so-stays-quiet-urban-renewal-authoritys-u

Hong Kong doctors urged to use new trade deal to cash in on two-child policy

Beijing's two-child policy and latest trade pact will create openings across the border, but red tape is just one of the pitfalls for medics eyeing a move

CANNIX YAUcannix.yau@scmp.com

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 29 November, 2015, 11:42pm

UPDATED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 2:03am

"From a business perspective, the two-child policy will create a huge market for obstetric care and paediatrics services," said former Hospital Authority chairman Anthony Wu Ting-yuk. Photo: SCMP Pictures

With mainland China moving towards a landmark two-child policy, local medical professionals are being urged to seize the opportunities under a bilateral trade pact to tap into the expected baby boom.

But some doctors warn that those who intend to set up Hong Kong-style clinics and hospitals on the mainland should beware of obstacles such as the stringent licensing requirements and the problems caused by recruiting local doctors.

Former Hospital Authority chairman Anthony Wu Ting-yuk, an adviser to the National Health and Family Planning Commission, issued the advice before last week's agreement between the Hong Kong and mainland governments to tear down more cross-trade barriers under the latest Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (Cepa).

"From a business perspective, the two-child policy will create a huge market for obstetric care and paediatrics services," Wu told the Post, adding that healthcare providers from around the world were vying to capture a slice of China's medical market.

"Those who are interested in venturing into the mainland's health care market can consider opening up a specialist hospital for gynaecology and childbirth services, as well as a children's hospital."

Anthony Wu Ting-yuk, an adviser to the National Health and Family Planning CommissionUnder Cepa, Hong Kong's health care providers are allowed to set up medical institutions, including outpatient clinics, in the form of wholly owned, joint equity or contractual joint ventures on the mainland.

Locally registered medical practitioners can provide short-term services on the mainland for up to three years under a renewable licence without the need to obtain mainland qualifications.

As of the end of last month, 29 certificates had been issued to local service suppliers to provide medical and dental services.

However, some professionals remain sceptical about setting up shop across the border under the free trade deal, despite the latest liberalisation measures.

Dr Paul Shea Tat-ming, a council member of the Hong Kong Medical Association, said the preferential measures under Cepa would have no impact on individual practitioners like himself as far as he knew.

"This is a game for the big medical corporations only who have set their sights on the mainland market. They can easily find mainland partners who know how to make things easier for them," he said.

"For individual medical practitioners without any mainland connections, the Cepa measures are meaningless and unattractive because they need to overcome many barriers to open their own clinics, such as obtaining many different licences for the clinic's operation, and the lack of insurance coverage. The risk is high."

Shea - who recently visited some medical institutions in Zhejiang province along with nine association members under the commission's invitation - said even some Zhejiang health officials were not upbeat about the impact of the two-child policy on the province's population growth.

"For wealthy mainland cities, they estimate that only two out of 10 people would like to have two children - a big difference from those living in rural villages, who of course welcome this policy change," he said.

Dr Donald Li Kwok-tung, president of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine - who will jump on the Cepa bandwagon by launching an outpatient clinic in Shanghai next year with UMP Healthcare - admitted it was difficult for local doctors to run outpatient clinics on the mainland as they needed to obtain different permits and licences for operation.

"Although Cepa aims to facilitate local doctors on this, it's not easy for them to run their business there. The big door is open but the small door is still closed," he said.

"The central government sets out the opening-up policies, but it depends on the provincial and county governments for the enforcement of the liberalisation measures. You need to go through a lot of red tape."

However, Li had high hopes that the two-child policy would rejuvenate market demand, advising medical aspirants to target faraway markets like Shanghai as wealthy cities desire quality and convenient medical services while the residents there cannot easily come to Hong Kong.

Dr Chow Pak-chin, the association's vice-chairman, also pointed out that it was difficult for local health care providers to hire local doctors to work at their Hong Kong-style clinics and hospitals.

"Many Hong Kong doctors are unwilling to work on the mainland. To them it's like emigration. They have a lot of concerns, like the education arrangement for their kids, etc. They feel like uprooting themselves," he said.

"But if these institutions hire mainland doctors, they will lose their 'Hong Kong' uniqueness and become just an ordinary mainland hospital."

C-Mer (Shenzhen) Dennis Lam Eye Hospital, the first wholly Hong Kong-owned hospital founded by eye specialist Dennis Lam Shun-chiu in Shenzhen, is regarded as a success under Cepa.

Lam's eye hospital was reportedly able to balance the books after the first 10 months of operation. However, two wholly Hong Kong-owned clinics in Shenzhen reportedly closed early this year.

http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1885072/hong-kong-doctors-urged-use-new-trade-deal-cash

'Anyone but Arthur Li Kwok-cheung': HKU alumni vote again on Hong Kong University council chairman

Extraordinary meeting offers motions meant to influence governing body

JEFFIE LAMjeffie.lam@scmp.com

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 29 November, 2015, 11:28pm

UPDATED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 8:46am

Alumni including Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee (with mic) spoke on campus to vent their concerns.

"Anyone but Arthur Li Kwok-cheung" was the refrain of many University of Hong Kong alumni as thousands returned to campus yesterday to vote overwhelmingly against the Beijing loyalist's possible chairmanship of the institution's top governing body.

It was the second extraordinary general meeting held by the HKU Convocation - a statutory body comprising 162,000 graduates and staff - in three months to vote on motions surrounding the delayed and now-denied appointment of liberal scholar Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun as a pro-vice-chancellor.

In September, around 84 per cent of some 9,000 alumni voted to urge the university council to appoint Chan to the senior post in 30 days and to offer legitimate explanation if it did not. But the motions failed to persuade the council, which officially voted Chan down a month later. He had been the search committee's sole candidate for the job.

Yesterday about 4,400 people voted on five non-binding motions, which included calls to criticise the council's decision on the appointment and to oppose council member Li, an executive councillor reportedly being considered to succeed Dr Leung Che-hung as council chairman.

High-profile alumni, including Democratic Party founding chairman Martin Lee Chu-ming, former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang, and Commercial Radio chief adviser Stephen Chan Chi-wan, all argued Li was not suitable to take the helm.

HKU Councillor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung

"Some council members had found Johannes Chan controversial," Anson Chan said yesterday. "But when it comes to contentiousness, I believe no one could be more controversial than Li."

Nicknamed "King Arthur" for his hardline approach, Li drew attention again last week after a leaked audio clip suggested he had proposed taking legal action against students who stormed a council meeting in July.

Chan, the city's former No 2 official, said it would be irresponsible for Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, the school chancellor, to appoint Li as it could provoke further campus unrest and not mend the serious damage that she said had been done to the council's image.

Some 2,500 people joined a long queue yesterday to vote in person. At the special meeting, only one of the 20 graduates who spoke said Chan, lacking a PhD, should have been rejected.

Ip Kin-yuen, education sector lawmaker and convenor of the HKU Alumni Concern Group, said it was hard for the meeting's turnout yesterday to exceed September's, but he believed alumni could still make a difference.

"The government would have already announced the new chairmanship of the council had the alumni and staff not previously expressed their strong views," he said.

http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1885073/worried-over-hku-councils-next-steps-alumni-vote

Hong Kong parents, teachers and pupils grill officials over exam pressure

ERNEST KAOernest.kao@scmp.com

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 29 November, 2015, 11:27pm

UPDATED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 2:13am

Parents and children outside Legco yesterday. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Education officials will investigate educators' claims that they are subject to pressure from the bureau to deliver results in a controversial city-wide exam for pupils after they got a day-long grilling from over a hundred members of the public.

The pledge came during a special Legislative Council hearing over the controversial Territory-wide System Assessment.

"I already have so much homework on most days, and now with the exam, I basically have no time for play … or any time to do sport," said primary three student Hung Ngai-yam at the hearing. "I hope all you adults do something to change [this]."

Hung and fellow primary three student, Poon Long-kiu, were the youngest people speaking at Legco in history; the record had been held by student activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, who spoke there when he was 14.

The two students were among some 130 individuals to testify, including parents, educators and schoolchildren. Nearly all of them voiced strong opposition to the exam. Around a hundred others rallied outside the chamber.

The TSA Concern Group submitted a 43,623-signature petition, calling for abolition of the exam for primary three pupils.

Introduced in 2004 to assess Primary Three, Six and Form Three pupils in Chinese, English and maths, the exams were criticised for leading to drilling and excessive homework.

Primary school principal Fung Pik-yee said her school had faced "government pressure" to perform, but refused to engage in drilling, saying it was unfair to pass on the pressure to students.

"The source of all this pressure is the Education Bureau," said Fung. "They'll say the school is not doing well compared to other schools."

In the hot seat for his boss Eddie Ng Hak-kim, who was out of town for "personal reasons", acting education secretary Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said it was his first time hearing this from a school. If true, he said the issue was serious, unacceptable and would be investigated.

Parents said the tests put young children under immense pressure and took time away from social activities and their families. Concerns were raised over their mental well-being.

"Children are crying for help," parent Tong Chung-yee told officials. "[Ng] is on holiday now but does he know students barely have time for real holidays?"

Parent Ho Nga-lai said the bureau should remember children were not tools for "cold data".

She chided pro-establishment lawmakers who did not back a rejected motion tabled last week by lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip to abolish the exam.

Yeung acknowledged there were issues with the exam and said if the pressure affected mental health and family relationships, his bureau "had a responsibility" to take corrective action.

A three-month review is due to conclude in February and the government would take into account all suggestions, including shelving the exam, Yeung said.

http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1885071/hong-kong-parents-teachers-and-pupils-grill

Jack Ma's South China Morning Post takeover a double-edged sword

Latest update : 29/11/2015

© AFP / by Aaron Tam | South China Morning Post was founded in 1903 and has long given international readers an insider's perspective on Hong Kong and the mainland

HONG KONG (AFP) - 

Chinese Internet tycoon Jack Ma's mooted buyout of Hong Kong's struggling South China Morning Post could see the paper prosper from his Midas touch, analysts say, but also further erode its independence and with it the city's press freedoms.

The once globally renowned paper was founded in 1903 and has long given international readers an insider's perspective on Hong Kong and the mainland, providing a window on events from the Mao era to China's 1980s economic awakening and the 1997 handover.

But profits and sales have evaporated, hit by an industry-wide plunge in advertising revenue and unable to deal with the transition to the digital age.

Readers' trust has also dipped as a more pro-Beijing editorial policy has not gone unnoticed in a city that saw tens of thousands take to the streets last year to protest against mainland interference.

Ma, the founder of Chinese e-commerce behemoth Alibaba, is in talks to buy a stake in the paper's publisher, a source familiar with the potential deal told AFP, with discussions reported to be at an advanced stage.

"I think it's a smart move for Jack Ma," said financial analyst Jackson Wong.

"He has tons of cash and he knows how to run a business in China very well."

Links with Alibaba would also give the paper a necessary boost in terms of its online platform, added Wong, associate director for Simsen Financial Group.

Ma founded Alibaba in 1999 and under his stewardship it has become China's biggest e-commerce company, operating consumer-to-consumer platform Taobao, which is estimated to hold more than 90 percent of the mainland market.

It has also branched out, buying ChinaVision Media in 2014 and renaming it Alibaba Pictures, today China's biggest film company, which produced this year's blockbuster "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation".

And it is developing a video and TV streaming service similar to Netflix.

Ma is now looking to move into traditional news, joining the likes of fellow Internet tycoon and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos who bought the Washington Post in 2013.

But there are concerns that under Ma's ownership, the paper's editorial independence will continue to be stripped away -- a process that observers say begun under current owner Malaysian billionaire Robert Kuok.

"For all readers of the South China Morning Post the paper has become progressively pro-Beijing, I think this trend will continue," said Willy Lam of the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Centre for China Studies, a former China editor at the paper.

"Ma has very close ties with the government so I'm sure he doesn't want any so-called embarrassing or offensive articles to appear in the Morning Post after he has taken over," Lam said.

"He... has been a major beneficiary of the Chinese system, so it is logical to expect... that he would not want any criticism of the system."

- A 'loss' for Hong Kong -

The paper's stance had become increasingly pro-Beijing since Kuok, who is heavily invested in China, bought it from media tycoon Rupert Murdoch in 1993.

"I was kicked out because Robert Kuok was very unhappy with what he considered to be (my) excessively critical view on Chinese politics," said Lam, who edited the paper's China section from 1989 until he was dismissed in 2000.

According to Lam, many major Hong Kong-based media companies are increasingly influenced by Chinese shareholders as Beijing seeks to push its authority in the semi-autonomous city.

"For the past several years, they have gradually but relentlessly boosted control over Hong Kong media," he said.

The paper's outgoing editor-in-chief Wang Xiangwei was also accused of muzzling the newspaper to appease Beijing, amid increasing fears Hong Kong is losing its cherished freedoms.

But, as Lam warns, the paper's value remains routed in its journalism, which will be lost if its editorial independence is diminished.

"(Ma) has to walk a fine line, if either the Post or any other major media becomes a propaganda sheet then its value is lost."

Media analyst To Yiu-ming described the Post's pro-Beijing slide and now the potential sale of the paper to Ma as a loss for Hong Kong.

"I think it's lost a channel for expression of liberal news. We've lost a platform for professional journalists to honour their duties," said To, an assistant professor at Hong Kong Baptist University's journalism school.

"It's also a loss for (the) Hong Kong people."

by Aaron Tam

© 2015 AFP

http://m.france24.com/en/20151129-jack-mas-south-china-morning-post-takeover-double-edged-sword?ns_campaign=reseaux_sociaux&ns_source=twitter&ns_mchannel=social&ns_linkname=editorial&aef_campaign_ref=partage_aef&aef_campaign_date=2015-11-29&dlvrit=65413

Transport minister defends late-night news release on Hong Kong-Macau bridge project

CHRISTY LEUNGchristy.leung@scmp.com

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 29 November, 2015, 2:52am

UPDATED : Sunday, 29 November, 2015, 2:52am

Anthony Cheung Bing-leung. Photo: Sam Tsang

Transport minister Anthony Cheung Bing-leung has defended a late-night news release about the bridge linking the city with Zhuhai and Macau, saying the government did not intend to avoid media inquiries but rather wanted to clarify reports about delays.

The controversy centres on an announcement by the Highways Department about a delay in the completion of border facilities made at 11pm on Wednesday night. The government has come under fire for avoiding media inquiries over such an important issue.

Cheung said the department had no intention to keep the media in the dark, but it saw an urgent need to quell online rumours saying the project would face further delays.

"The Highways Department was aware of the online reports, in which the bridge was said to be facing delays until 2021. Some media were following up the issue," Cheung said. "The department saw a need to clarify to the public as soon as possible, as information circulates on the internet 24 hours a day."

In the statement issued on Wednesday, the department said the construction of the Hong Kong section of the 42km bridge project would miss its 2016 deadline by a year, because of many technical challenges during the design and construction stages.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association said it would complain to the ombudsman over the late-night news release as most print-media deadlines had already passed, leaving them no time to handle such important information.

Cheung said undersecretary Yau Shing-mu and Director of Highways Peter Lau Ka-keung had arranged press conferences on the following two days to update the media on the issue.

When asked if the government was confident that the bridge could open by the end of 2017, Cheung said: "I cannot answer this question for other governments" as the mainland and Macau administrations were also involved.

The government will seek approval at a Legislative Council meeting on Tuesday for an extra HK$5.46 billion to build immigration and customs facilities on an artificial island off Hong Kong International Airport, on top of HK$30.4 billion already secured.

http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1884809/transport-minister-defends-late-night-news-release-hong-kong

Hong Kong's Urban Renewal Authority rethinks criteria for single home buyers

JOYCE NGjoyce.ng@scmp.com

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 29 November, 2015, 2:52am

UPDATED : Sunday, 29 November, 2015, 2:52am

The construction site of De Novo at Kai Tak. Photo: Sam Tsang

The Urban Renewal Authority is having a rethink on eligibility criteria for its first subsidised housing project as it proposes to allow single people to buy homes but with income eligibility halved from HK$60,000 to HK$30,000.

The organisation made the move after a public outcry erupted last week over its decision to allow single people to buy subsidised flats - and to use the same income limit as family applicants. The HK$60,000 monthly limit was considered too generous for single people.

Four lawmakers sitting on the authority's board complained that they were not properly consulted by executives, with the issue being placed under "any other business" on the agenda in last week's meeting without any explanatory papers being tabled.

The project - De Novo at the former Kai Tak airport site - had initially been earmarked for homeowners displaced by URA redevelopment projects.

But the scheme was changed earlier this year as part of the government's housing policy, under which the majority, or 338 flats, at De Novo would be sold to middle-income families at 80 per cent of market price.

A URA spokesman said: "Management is now working on various options on the eligibility criteria for De Novo, which will be put forward for the board's deliberation on Tuesday. No details can be disclosed at this stage."

But a source from the authority said one of the options to be tabled would be to halve the income and asset limits for unmarried applicants, to HK$30,000 and HK$1.5 million respectively.

"The lower income limit would mean the choice for single people would be confined to smaller and cheaper flats," the source said.

The source expressed concern that the limit would prompt a judicial review against the authority on the basis that unmarried buyers were being discriminated against under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance based on applicants' marital status.

But board member and lawmaker Wu Chi-wai said the Urban Renewal Authority was "over-worried" about the legal risks, noting that the ordinance gave exemption to two named subsidised housing schemes including the Home Ownership Scheme.

"It gives me a feeling that the URA executives only wanted to sell the flats quickly and did not think through the policy," Wu said.

Another lawmaker and board member, Alice Mak Mei-kuen, urged the management to release more information to the board.

http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1884818/hong-kongs-urban-renewal-authority-rethinks-criteria-single

Hong Kong parents angry after being barred from meeting to discuss controversial assessment exam

Senior government official pledges to hear more views about controversial assessment exam

SHIRLEY ZHAOshirley.zhao@scmp.com

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 29 November, 2015, 2:52am

UPDATED : Sunday, 29 November, 2015, 2:52am

Students are under “drastic” pressure from the Territory-wide System Assessment, parents said. Photo: SCMP Pictures

The education authorities yesterday promised to collect opinions from more parents on a controversial city-wide exam, after concerned parents expressed anger about being shut out of a closed-door meeting to discuss the issue.

This came ahead of a Legislative Council public hearing on the Territory-wide System Assessment today, which education minister Eddie Ng Hak-kim had said he would not attend because of a previously arranged out-of-town trip for personal reasons.

Over 130 parents who oppose the exam and want it scrapped for Primary Three children are expected to voice their concerns at the hearing. Critics suspect that the bureau arranged the closed-door meeting - to which only a few parents were invited - to collect biased opinions to counter those of opponents.

Undersecretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said yesterday that staff members collected contacts from parents who were barred from the meeting on Friday evening and that the bureau would contact them and listen to their opinions later.

The exam was introduced in 2004 to assess Primary Three, Primary Six and Form Three pupils' basic knowledge in Chinese, English and mathematics. But the exams have been heavily criticised for leading to drilling and excessive homework.

"We regret that [Ng] refused to attend [the] hearing," said Fung Wai-wah, president of the Professional Teachers' Union. He said the bureau appeared to be trying to "hastily collect" opinions in favour of the exam before the hearing.

Ivy Ho Shuk-yi, one of the 13 parents who were barred from the meeting at the Education Bureau's Kowloon Tong Education Resource Centre, said she and other parents were told that they could not enter the meeting venue because they were not registered. She said the meeting room, with only around 20 parents inside, was half empty.

"We are worried that the bureau was trying to collect only the opinions it likes and the meeting was just for show," said Ho.

Yeung said the parents who attended the meeting were invited by parent-teacher associations so staff members did not allow participation by uninvited people. He said the bureau would arrange more meetings to collect opinions and would follow up with the parents who left their contact details.

"Consultation can happen many times and on many levels. I don't think we should focus on a specific meeting and say it's a fake consultation," said Yeung. "This is not a very fair comment to those parents who attended the meeting."

Concerned parents will stage a rally outside the Legco building today. They will host family-friendly games and activities during the event.

http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1884836/hong-kong-parents-angry-after-being-barred

Beware of China's Safety Record

CONTRIBUTING OP-ED WRITER

JASPER RIETMAN

NOVEMBER 25, 2015

Murong Xuecun

HONG KONG — “It was like what we were told a nuclear bomb would be like,” Zhao Zhencheng, a truck driver, told the Associated Press. “I never even thought I’d see such a thing.”

In the still of the night of Aug. 12 in Tianjin port, some 90 miles from Beijing, an explosion ripped through a warehouse housing volatile chemicals, killing more than 170 people. Hundreds more were injured.

Chinese social media blazed with grief and indignation, but little surprise. “This will happen again, the only question is when and where,” a friend of mine said on the night of the disaster.

Ten days later, on Aug. 22, an explosion rocked a chemical factory in Zibo in Shandong Province. On Aug. 31, another Shandong chemical factory blew up. And on Oct. 12, two months after the explosion at the docks, an inferno tore through a different Tianjin warehouse.

Meanwhile, too many Chinese buildings prove to be less sturdy than a house of cards, collapsing to the ground, killing occupants. Among recent examples, a two-story building under renovation in Henan Province collapsed to dust on Oct. 30, taking with it 17 lives.

Mega-engineering projects are not immune from low building standards. From 2007 to 2012, 37 bridges reportedly collapsed, with a toll of 182 deaths.

These disasters are concealed by headlines touting China’s economic miracle. They are a result of the government’s love of mega-projects combined with rash planning, endemic corruption and careless construction, supervision and regulation.

As Chinese capital flows abroad, dangerous practices are at risk of being exported. China’s experience at home should serve as a warning to other governments and companies. Chinese firms may offer the lowest bid on an infrastructure project, but Chinese construction brings tremendous risks.

Teams of Chinese state-owned companies are rushing across the world to run super projects. In Sudan, a Chinese group is erecting a huge dam. In Ecuador, along with a dam, the Chinese are constructing an oil refinery. Chinese companies are helping to build bridges in Cambodia, Bangladesh and Kenya.

The construction and managing of nuclear power plants abroad are especially troubling. In October, President Xi Jinping and the British government signed deals paving the way for China to help build at least two nuclear power plants in Britain.

In China, however, nuclear power projects are controversial, with some observers saying that China does not take safety seriously enough. He Zuoxiu, a nuclear expert and Communist Party loyalist, has expressed dissatisfaction with the safety provisions, describing the government’s ambitious nuclear plans as “insane.” From everything we know of Chinese building and supervision practices, an accident in a Chinese nuclear power station is just a question of when and where.

There’s no reason to expect the safety standards and the quality of building to be higher in China-run projects abroad. As in China, most overseas projects will be managed by Chinese state-owned companies. Many of the site workers are imported, low-paid Chinese laborers, and the high-level company managers are mainly Chinese government appointees, or even government officials.

Chinese practices have not gone unnoticed. The transportation minister of Vietnam publicly criticized a Chinese company for its role in a series of accidents at the construction site of a rail line in Hanoi. The World Bank blacklisted at least 12 Chinese companies suspected of fraud and corruption, banning them from projects funded by the bank.

Corruption is rampant among company leaders. Take the case of the China National Petroleum Corp., which is financing the oil refinery in Ecuador. In recent years, a large number of company officers, including the chairman and chief accountant, have been investigated or arrested for corruption.

Although accidents linked to careless construction practices are certainly not rare in other parts of the world, China is distinct because the same kinds of disasters happen again and again. People keep dying, and they keep dying for the same reasons.

When disaster strikes, the Chinese government goes into emergency mode, organizing rescue and relief, demanding answers, and at every turn, displaying a staggering lack of professionalism.

During the Tianjin catastrophe, fire fighters did not know how to deal with a fire caused by a chemical explosion. And for the first 10 hours after the explosion, the most influential local TV station still broadcast soap operas; not a mention was made of fatalities.

The Chinese authorities have learned nothing from these frequent accidents. The only government competence on show is with information control: hiding facts, forbidding media reporting and rapidly closing social media accounts suspected of spreading “rumors.” The government’s instructions are always described as “brilliant” and the victims’ families are always “emotionally stable.” Each disaster becomes an occasion for government self-congratulation. Meanwhile, lessons go unlearned and responsibility unclaimed.

For many government leaders, Chinese corporate global expansion means a boost to their incomes. The Chinese government has greatly expanded its overseas investments, but the profits, we can fairly assume, go mostly to officials and their families. Rarely is a moral audit taken of these projects, which bring little benefit to ordinary Chinese people.

Chinese people have paid the heaviest price for this flawed system. Now that Chinese-style construction and management are going global, what price is the world prepared to pay?

Murong Xuecun is a writer whose most recent novel published in English is “Dancing Through Red Dust.” This article was translated by The New York Times from the Chinese.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/11/26/opinion/beware-of-chinas-safety-record.html

Officials do nothing about illegal structures in New Territories

JOHN ANDREWS

PUBLISHED : Saturday, 28 November, 2015, 12:16am

UPDATED : Saturday, 28 November, 2015, 12:15am

Action is not being taken by the governmnent in the New Territories. Photo: SCMP Pictures

In the Legislative Council, Dennis Kwok Wing-hang raised the long-running problem of the government’s inaction on the New Territories small-house policy, saying that continuing to ignore this issue was not an option. I disagree.

I think it will continue ignoring it for the reason we all know it does; fear of upsetting the all-powerful Heung Yee Kuk. Even on the seemingly easier issue of illegal structures in the New Territories, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and other officials have backed down from all their tough talk in 2013.

I was naive enough then to register my modest, but illegal, roll-back canopy structure in the government’s registration scheme that allowed such items to fall under their second round of enforcement. Since then I have not seen one structure in the area removed. In fact many more have been built, including some very luxurious whole flats.

There is even the added incentive that no rates are paid on these new residences worth millions of dollars but constructed for less than the price of stamp duty.

So while I appreciate Mr Kwok’s efforts to push for progress and fairness, I think it is in vain, as in response to his question, Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po reminded us “ there is a need to maintain a balance between the rights of indigenous villagers and the overall interests of the community”.

Obviously this translates to “illegal structures in the New Territories will not be removed” and if you are an indigenous male, you and your sons will continue to receive your winning Mark Six tickets; you can even pop back from your homes in London or Vancouver to collect them.

This is the “balance” Mr Chan and his overpaid colleagues feel pressured to maintain if they want to continue riding their own gravy train.

John Andrews, Lamma

http://m.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1884249/officials-do-nothing-about-illegal-structures-new-territories

Airport terminal cost blowout reaches HK$16.5b

(11-27 12:58)

The cost of expanding Terminal Two to complement the construction of a third runway at the airport has increased almost 75 percent to HK$16.5 billion, according to latest estimates from the Airport Authority.

The latest cost projection from 2014 is up from an estimate of HK$9.5 billion in 2010.

In papers submitted to the legislature, the authority said it had considered retaining the existing structure. But the terminal, currently used only for passenger departure, needs to be expanded to provide arrival and transfer services when the new runway starts operating.

Critics say expanding Terminal Two – which cost HK$2.8 billion to build – is a waste of public money since it has only been in use for eight years.

The Authority also revealed that reclamation works related to the third runway is now expected to cost HK$56 billion, up more than 50 percent compared to the 2010 forecast.

The controversial third runway project – at HK$141 billion – is one of the most expensive infrastructure projects in the history of Hong Kong.

—AP

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=69255&icid=3&d_str=

TVB actress Linda Chung and Miss Hong Kong Shirley Yeung open up about 2005 machete attack

TVB star Linda Chung recounting the incident in an episode of the talk show Wanna Bros. PHOTO: TVB

PUBLISHED

NOV 25, 2015, 2:14 PM SGT

UPDATED

NOV 25, 2015, 2:21 PM

HONG KONG - Actresses Linda Chung and Shirley Yeung have finally opened up about a terrifying night 10 years ago, when they were pursued by men wielding machetes and pipes in Panyu, China.

For years, there were unconfirmed rumours that the cast and crew of the 2006 TVB drama The Biter Bitten were attacked by criminals after a karaoke night, and that Chung and Yeung went missing for two hours, said Apple Daily.

TVB star Chung, 31, recounted the incident in an episode of the talk show Wanna Bros, which aired on Sunday. The attack "is up to now, a mystery to me", she said. She believes it was a case of mistaken identity, she added.

The Biter Bitten, starring Chung, Yeung, Benny Chan and Michael Tong, was shot in Panyu, Guangdong province in 2005.

Chung said it was her roommate Yeung's birthday on Aug 7, and cast and crew had a karaoke night.

They left the bar around 1am, and Chung said she was in the front line when "a taxi door opened, and a dozen, 20 men came out with machetes, and said in Mandarin, 'Don't go'".

She said she ran for her life, till she saw a pit near a garbage dump. She told Yeung to jump with her into the hole, which she covered with rubbish.

She said they stayed in the pit till they were found by her personal assistant. "I really had post-traumatic stress after that," she said.

Former TVB star Yeung, 37, confirmed the incident on Tuesday, said Ming Pao Daily News.

She admitted TVB had asked her not to talk about the attack, and denied rumours that she had been sexually assaulted.

She said she ran so hard that night that her slippers slipped off. Also, a member of the crew was wounded.

Asked if she hid in the hole for two hours, Yeung answered: "I don't know. It just felt like a long time to me. It was the closest I came to death. I'm so thankful for Linda. We're life-and-death friends."

http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/tvb-actress-linda-chung-and-miss-hong-kong-shirley-yeung-open-up-about-2005