DotDotWeekly | HK begins public consultation on Article 23 legislation

DotDotNews gladly presents our new program, DotDotWeekly. Every Friday, we bring you a roundup of Hong Kong stories that made the headlines on our platform this week.

News of the Week

Public consultation on Article 23 legislation starts

The Hong Kong government on Tuesday began the public consultation on the Basic Law Article 23 legislation. The consultation period will last till February 28, 2024.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang pointed out apart from the five major offences, the consultation paper proposes some new offences, such as insurrection and external interference.

Chief Executive John Lee stressed that defendants charged under Article 23 legislation won't be sent to the Mainland for trial.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said law-abiding residents need not worry about inadvertent breaches of the law, emphasizing that the proposed legislation places importance on human rights and justice.

Liaison office hosts 2024 Spring Reception

The 2024 Spring Reception was hosted on Tuesday by the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR.

Director of the Liaison Office Zheng Yanxiong, and Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, John Lee, attended the reception and delivered speeches. Zheng Yanxiong extended his best wishes for the Chinese New Year to all guests and friends, and sincere greetings to the people of Hong Kong.

LegCo approves 2023 move to dilute 'spicy measures'

Hong Kong's legislature on Wednesday approved the government's move last October to partially ease property market cooling measures.

The government halved the Buyer's Stamp Duty and New Residential Stamp Duty to 7.5 percent, and applied the Special Stamp Duty only to people selling a property within two years of its purchase, rather than three previously.

HKMA leaves base rate unchanged at 5.75 percent

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on Thursday retained its base rate at 5.75 percent, offering some relief to the city's home buyers and business owners.

The move was in line with the US Federal Reserve's decision to keep its rates unchanged.

In response to the Fed's decision, the HKMA said future interest rate decisions will depend on "incoming data, the evolving outlook and the balance of risks".

HK's Dec retail sales up 7.8%

Hong Kong's retail sector continued its upward momentum in December, with a year-on-year increase of 7.8 percent, but industry insiders are cautious in their expectations of the future performance of the sector amid a growing wave of local residents spending outside the city and changes in spending patterns among tourists.

The provisional estimate of the value of total retail sales in December was HK$36.3 billion. For the full year of 2023, total retail sales stood at HK$406.7 billion, an increase of 16.2 percent from a year earlier.

Lionel Messi arrives in HK

Football legend Lionel Messi on Friday arrived in Hong Kong with his Inter Miami teammates, and was greeted by government officials at the airport.

They will play a pre-season friendly on Sunday at the Hong Kong Stadium.

Police on Thursday said they will close roads around the Hong Kong Stadium over the weekend. Police said people without tickets will not be allowed to go near the stadium.

Alright, that's a wrap for this week's program. I am Felicia in HK. Until next time, bye-bye.