Ambrose Li

2 weeks ago | scmp.com | Ng Kang-chung |Ambrose Li

Hundreds of thousands of Catholics joined world leaders in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City for the funeral of the late pontiff Francis, praised as the “pope of the people”, with the service on Saturday including a prayer in Mandarin. A live broadcast of the funeral for the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church, who died after suffering a stroke and heart failure at age 88 on Easter Monday, was also watched by the faithful gathered at a cathedral in Hong Kong.

2 weeks ago | scmp.com | Ng Kang-chung |Ambrose Li |Enoch Wong

This rolling story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Millions across the globe are expected to follow Pope Francis’ funeral in St Peter’s Square on Saturday, as the Vatican welcomes world leaders and tens of thousands of Catholics who have descended on Rome to pay their respects.

1 month ago | scmp.com | Cannix Yau |Ambrose Li

Hong Kong should maintain its free trade port status, which is crucial to consolidating its position as a global financial hub, some economists and business leaders have said while calling for the city to avoid joining Beijing in imposing retaliatory tariffs on US goods. But Executive Council member and lawmaker Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung held an opposing view, saying Hong Kong should consider following Beijing by imposing a 34 per cent tariff on some US imports to show support for “our nation”.

2 months ago | scmp.com | Denise Tsang |Ambrose Li

Hong Kong has not gone far enough to create sources of income to plug its deficit, analysts have said, after Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po shied away from broadening the tax base and forecast another year of government shortfalls and dwindling fiscal reserves. Delivering his annual budget on Wednesday, Chan said the deficit would be HK$87.23 billion (US$11.2 billion) for the current financial year and HK$67 billion for the following one. The city last recorded a budget surplus in 2018-19.

Jan 18, 2025 | scmp.com | Ambrose Li

The number of trips to Hong Kong by mainland Chinese visitors rose 27 per cent year on year as the 2024 tally reached 34 million, according to official figures, with observers saying the uptick is likely to continue but expressing doubt over its economic impact. Hong Kong also recorded a 48 per cent year-on-year surge in residents making trips across the border, reaching more than 93 million, over the same period.