No guarantee building contractor lists can be ‘100% clean’: Chris Tang

South China Morning Post - Nov 1, 2026

Hong Kong’s security chief has conceded that keeping pre-qualified lists of building repair contractors completely free of criminal elements will be challenging, even with a new government measure to combat bid-rigging through background vetting by enforcement agencies. Discussing the administration’s response to a report on the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po – which found the Fire Services Department bore responsibility alongside three other government bodies – Secretary for Security...

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US visa issuance delay emerges as political wrangling over alliance

US visa issuance delay emerges as political wrangling over alliance

The delay of U.S. visa issuance for a ruling party lawmaker has become a topic of debate between rival parties over whether it is a sign of growing friction in the Korea-U.S. alliance. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) called the incident a clear sign of eroded trust within the alliance. "It is a symbolic moment that clearly exposes the widening rift in the Korea-U.S. alliance and the total breakdown of trust between the two countries,” Rep. Park Sung-hoon, senior spokesperson for the PPP, said in a statement Saturday. “It is an unprecedented diplomatic embarrassment and a national disgrace that the chairman of Korea's parliamentary defense committee was required to submit an English translation of a past National Security Act conviction and a criminal record check to the U.S., our ally, before finally receiving entry permission,” Park wrote. Park's statement came after Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the chairman of the Assembly's National Defense Committee, announced that his visa was issued belatedly, a day before the committee's plan

FM Cho holds talks with EU, Britain, others at G20 meeting

FM Cho holds talks with EU, Britain, others at G20 meeting

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has held a series of bilateral talks with his counterparts from the European Union (EU), Britain, India and Mexico on the sidelines of a Group of 20 (G20) meeting in the United States, his office said Sunday. Cho met Kaja Kallas, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, during the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta on Saturday, and called for strengthening their security partnership in cyber and space. The two sides also exchanged views on the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in Ukraine, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. During talks with his British counterpart, Ed Miliband, the same day, Cho called for deeper bilateral defense and artificial intelligence cooperation. They also agreed to cooperate closely, considering that Britain and South Korea will chair the G20 in 2027 and 2028, respectively. Cho also met Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and reviewed progress in implementing agreements reached during President Lee Jae Myung's state visit to India in April. He held talks with his Mexi

FM outlines S. Korea's position on DMZ mine blast at G20, calls for inter-Korean talks

FM outlines S. Korea's position on DMZ mine blast at G20, calls for inter-Korean talks

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has explained Seoul's position on a recent land mine blast in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at a Group of 20 (G20) meeting and highlighted the need for inter-Korean dialogue, his office said Sunday. South Korea has blamed the North for the Sept. 21 mine blast inside the DMZ separating the two Koreas that injured three South Korean soldiers, and has called for military talks to ease tensions. Pyongyang, however, has denied responsibility, vowing to take military action along the border if needed. During the two-day G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta, Cho explained Seoul's stance on the explosion, noting that communication between the two Koreas is more important than ever to ease tensions, according to the ministry. He also noted that deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow has serious implications for security on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, it said, as the two sides have forged closer ties through the deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine. Cho asked for support from G20 members for Seoul's

Trump says US will talk to N. Korea if it is behind Binance hack

Trump says US will talk to N. Korea if it is behind Binance hack

U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States would talk to North Korea if it is found to be behind the theft of more than $6 billion from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. Trump made the remarks at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday after the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said North Korea was responsible for the theft of virtual assets from Binance on or about Oct. 29. "I'm not concerned. We're learning about it," he said. "We don't know if it's North Korea, but if it is, we'll talk to North Korea about it." In a cyber alert, the FBI identified the North Korean cyber operation as "TraderTraitor," a name previously associated with cryptocurrency thefts carried out by North Korean hackers. The agency said it had observed the hackers converting stolen assets primarily into Ethereum, a major cryptocurrency, in cooperation with the U.S. Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation division. The FBI warned that the hackers were expected to further launder the stolen assets through decentralized finance

High Court redevelopment plan ‘not workable’, Hong Kong Bar Association warns

High Court redevelopment plan ‘not workable’, Hong Kong Bar Association warns

The Hong Kong Bar Association has warned that a proposed phased redevelopment of the High Court, which could span more than a decade, is “not workable” and risks deterring legal practitioners from joining the bench. The association, the professional body for barristers, urged the government to consider faster alternatives, such as repurposing the existing District Court building. In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post on Sunday, association chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet SC...

US first lady Melania Trump unlikely to travel to Apec summit in China

US first lady Melania Trump unlikely to travel to Apec summit in China

US first lady Melania Trump is unlikely to travel to China with the president for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen this month. “First lady Melania Trump is not scheduled to attend the events in person,” her office said in response to a query about her travel plans. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit the Philippines for this year’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit before travelling to the November 18-19 Apec event, where he will meet his Chinese...

How could a single gene-editing injection treat inherited eye diseases?

How could a single gene-editing injection treat inherited eye diseases?

In the third of a four-part Health Matters wellness series on frontier medicine in Hong Kong, Fiona Sun examines how a local start-up is testing a gene-editing therapy that could tackle a group of inherited eye diseases at their genetic source and what it will take to turn it into a treatment patients can access. For 15 years, Professor Zheng Zongli has worked to make gene-editing therapies safe enough to treat diseases with limited treatment options. His path has taken him from a PhD in medical...

From rifles to radar: China upgrades its African arms trade as Russia and the West retreat

From rifles to radar: China upgrades its African arms trade as Russia and the West retreat

For decades, China has supplied African militaries with small arms and land-based equipment such as armoured vehicles, trucks and artillery. Now, it is selling them more specialised weapons, including armed drones and electronic warfare systems. Analysts noted that China’s African arms sales were shifting qualitatively to air-defence systems, armed drones and electronic warfare gear once dominated by Russia and the West. In April, four vehicles identified by defence analysis group Janes as...

El Nino, weak monsoon behind Hong Kong’s warmest October in 142 years

El Nino, weak monsoon behind Hong Kong’s warmest October in 142 years

Hong Kong sweltered through its warmest October on record, as an extremely strong El Nino, a weak northeast monsoon and a persistent anticyclone aloft over southern China combined to drive temperatures to unprecedented levels, the weather forecaster has said. The Observatory forecaster said on Sunday that the mean maximum temperature for October was 30.5 degrees Celsius (86.9 Fahrenheit), the mean temperature 27.6 degrees and the mean minimum 25.8 degrees – all the highest for any October since...

China’s global initiatives offer ray of hope in a turbulent world

China’s global initiatives offer ray of hope in a turbulent world

The 2026 Global Governance Forum in Xiongan, Hebei province, wrapped up on October 25. Against a backdrop of acute strains on multilateralism and a widening global governance deficit, the forum galvanised a shared sense of urgency across the international community for reform and solidarity. More than a century ago, Karl Marx noted that, “Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.” That insight strikes at the very heart of today’s global...

Beijing ramps up maritime patrols around Taiwan, prompting Taipei to shadow ships

Beijing ramps up maritime patrols around Taiwan, prompting Taipei to shadow ships

Beijing has stepped up its maritime presence around Taiwan, deploying coastguard patrols from the island’s eastern approaches to waters near Quemoy and remote Dongsha Island. China Coast Guard spokesman Jiang Lue said that a formation led by the vessel Hushi had carried out routine law enforcement patrols east of Taiwan on Saturday to reinforce administrative control and safeguard maritime navigation. “Since October, the Hushi task group has been strengthening control over the relevant waters to...

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