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Opinion

Shortage of judges in Hong Kong may be self-inflicted

THERE IS AN ACUTE shortage of High Court judges in Hong Kong. The recent recruitment exercise yielded only four appointments, leaving still a number of vacancies unfilled. Can it be that the problem is largely internal? Self-afflicted? What if the culture within the judiciary were to change, and judges learn to act in a focussed…

March 14, 20240Comments ByHenry Litton

Hong Kong News Opinion

Stephen Roach, don’t bet against Hong Kong people

IN 1897, WHEN THE New York Journal told Mark Twain, the humorist, of the rumor he was dying in poverty in London, he was amused. He replied, “The report of my death was an exaggeration,” hoping to nip the story in the bud. The same can also be said of anybody who predicts Hong…

March 5, 20240Comments ByGrenville Cross

Hong Kong News News Opinion

Give Hong Kong judges flexibility in sentencing

While Hong Kong was still run by the British, the Basic Law was drawn up, which included an article numbered 23 - which was an acknowledgement that Hong Kong should not be deprived of the security laws that virtually all other places have to keep them safe. But some Hong Kong people were nervous,…

February 22, 20240Comments ByGrenville Cross

Features News Opinion

Here’s how to understand Hong Kong’s Article 23

Sedition is a serious offence in countries around the world, and was made a crime in Hong Kong by the British. But when the city makes any move to codify this principle, it's painted as an shocking outrage with vague insinuations about authoritarianism. Grenville Cross looks at the actual facts of the matter. THE OFFENCE…

February 16, 20240Comments ByGrenville Cross

Hong Kong News Opinion

Agitators have been making needless trouble in Hong Kong legal sector

As an international business center, Hong Kong needs a world-class legal system, based on clearly expressed legislation and precedents. But in recent years, its flexibility has been exploited by people who file muddled, complex, mega-lengthy cases—often ones that don’t even involve them. Some of these come across as thinly disguised political grandstanding. Absurd complaints over…

February 8, 20240Comments ByHenry Litton

Culture Features Opinion

Historic Edinburgh shows signs of too much capitalism

Hong Konger Richard Cullen re-visits Edinburgh and sees proof of a fact that is now well known: capitalism, for all its benefits, brings significant problems too. We can't yet know whether America's or China's systems will solve them. Meanwhile, historic Edinburgh today has joyful tourist parties at its heart but poverty around the edges. …

January 29, 20240Comments ByRichard Cullen

Hong Kong News Opinion

Same-sex couple in Hong Kong had a tortuous road to justice

People with the right to work in modern cities can legally get a dependant’s visa for their spouses. Whether it is a heterosexual couple or a same-sex couple makes no difference. Yet Hong Kong’s immigration chief rejected a woman’s application for her female partner, triggering a legal debate on discrimination and human rights that was…

January 21, 20240Comments ByHenry Litton

Culture News Opinion

The west’s PC question reaches Hong Kong: ‘What is a woman?’

In Asia, marriages exist as unions between DNA men and DNA women: 48 out of the region’s 51 territories agree on this point. But the issue is more complex if one of the individuals has changed sex. Such a case wound its way through Hong Kong courts, creating some interesting issues of law,…

January 14, 20240Comments ByHenry Litton

China news Opinion

Be careful, Taiwan: which US ally meets a good end?

In the game of geopolitics, Ukraine is on its way to being an abandoned pawn. The people of Taiwan need to take note, warns Dr. Wilson Chan. THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, under the guise of promoting “democracy” and “human rights”, helps the wicked perpetuate wicked deeds. Now, its approval rating is hitting an all-time low. It…

January 11, 20240Comments ByWilson Chan

Hong Kong News News Opinion

The curious case of the police ID badges

Rule of Law? Or rule by judges? Do police officers have human rights? What has a case about police officers’ identification numbers got to do with a law against torture? These questions had curious answers in 2020 declaratory judgments in Hong Kong. Henry Litton looks back at some unusual legal logic. A PRINCIPAL TENET of…

January 7, 20240Comments ByHenry Litton

Opinion

Shortage of judges in Hong Kong may be self-inflicted

Stephen Roach, don’t bet against Hong Kong people

Give Hong Kong judges flexibility in sentencing

Here’s how to understand Hong Kong’s Article 23

Agitators have been making needless trouble in Hong Kong legal sector

Historic Edinburgh shows signs of too much capitalism

Same-sex couple in Hong Kong had a tortuous road to justice

The west’s PC question reaches Hong Kong: ‘What is a woman?’

Be careful, Taiwan: which US ally meets a good end?

The curious case of the police ID badges

Starmer meets Xi today, hopes to rebuild UK’s relationship

Treasures from 800-year-old sunken vessel exhibited in Hong Kong

At the Great Wall, I learned how the Chinese dealt with their enemies