Dion Chen, chair of the Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council, gave assurance that the trial scheme would not affect local students’ admissions because the new spots are reserved only for international students.

Workers imported under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) accounted for around 1 per cent of the city’s labour force, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said.

This week, we look into the strange disappearance of the Hong Kong government’s Night Vibes website and what happened to this marquee policy for reviving local tourism, retail and catering.

The media in Hong Kong received a rare mention in the 2025 Policy Address on Wednesday, when Chief Executive John Lee said the government will assist local press to expand their network beyond the city.

A supplement in Chief Executive John Lee’s Wednesday address states that the Security Bureau will aim to complete legislative amendments within the current term of the government.

“The Policy Address focuses on adding hardware infrastructure without considering the environment’s carrying capacity,” Greenpeace wrote, adding it was concerned that the development of country parks could destroy Hong Kong’s natural landscapes.

Local media cited government sources on Wednesday as saying that the scheme had not been relaunched owing to “divisions” in society, including factors such as the discount rates and the views of public housing tenants.

The Three-tier School-based Emergency Mechanism, rolled out in December 2023 amid an upward trend in student suicides, will become a permanent policy to strengthen support for those in need, Chief Executive John Lee said in his Policy Address on Wednesday.

Chief Executive John Lee announced that the claim period for the doubled child tax allowance will be extended to two years, starting in the 2026/27 assessment period. The measure will be applicable to all children under the age of two by the end of the year of assessment.

The current requirement to maintain a ratio of at least two full-time local employees for every imported worker is expected to remain unchanged, as Lee made no mention of an adjustment.

Hong Kong relaunched the investment scheme last year to allow foreign nationals, as well as residents of Taiwan, Macau, and mainland China who “have obtained permanent resident status in a foreign country,” to apply for a visa by investing at least HK$30 million in permissible assets.

“Clear signage will be put up by permitted restaurants so that customers know that dogs are allowed,” Lee said, adding that the policy will create new business opportunities for the food and beverage industry.

Chief Executive John Lee said the increase in non-local student intake at public universities to 50 per cent would not affect the 15,000 funded places currently reserved for local students.

This summer, authorities were embroiled in a HK$52.9 million bottled water procurement scandal involving Xin Ding Xin Trading Co., which allegedly used fraudulent means to win a government contract.

The AI Efficacy Enhancement Team, to be led by Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk, will drive a technological reform within the government, Chief Executive John Lee announced in the 2025 Policy Address.