Hong Kong Today
Description:
RTHK's morning news programme. Weekdays 6:30 - 8:00
Presenter:
Janice Wong and Samantha Butler2023-11-06
Monday
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Selected audio segments:
China pledges to expand market access and imports Listen
China says it is committed to opening up its economy and will further expand market access and increase imports. Premier Li Qiang was speaking at the opening of a major trade fair in Shanghai on Sunday. The annual China International Import Expo has attracted large delegations from around the world. Damon Pang reports:
Xi Jinping urges world to join hands for development Listen
Speaking at the opening of the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, President Xi Jinping said countries around the world needed to join hands for development, as the global economic recovery lacked momentum. China's imports have slumped this year amid a slowdown in the world's second largest economy, although data released last month indicated that the downtrend could be starting to ease. Priscilla Ng reports:
Record number of HK firms attend Shanghai expo Listen
Chief Executive John Lee was also at the Expo in Shanghai. Speaking at a forum there, he described Hong Kong as a bridge between the mainland and the world which could offer businesses high value-added services. Damon Pang reports:
Police chief hits back at calls to sanction him Listen
There has been further condemnation of calls by US lawmakers for Washington to impose sanctions on 49 officials and judges in Hong Kong, tasked with safeguarding national security. The police commissioner also described the moves as despicable and shameless. Jacqueline Guico reports:
Reassurances made over homegrown security laws Listen
Security secretary Chris Tang says people can rest assured that their rights, including freedom of expression, will be protected after Article 23 national security legislation comes into force before the end of next year. Priscilla Ng reports:
'District polls won't affect work of care teams' Listen
Home and youth affairs secretary Alice Mak has reassured residents that the work of the government’s community care teams will not be affected despite 10 percent of care team members suspending their duties to take part in the upcoming District Council elections. Anne Chan reports:
Extra living space from illegal structures 'should be taxed' Listen
A public policy researcher has expressed concerned over the government's idea of allowing homeowners in urban areas to declare minor illegal structures at their homes. Last week, Development secretary Bernadette Linn said there were around 30,000 new illegal structures every year, so a more pragmatic approach was needed. But Professor Ho Lok-sang, director of the Pan Sutong Shanghai-Hong Kong Economic Policy Research Institute at Lingnan University, says the idea 'undermines the authority of the law' and is unfair to taxpayers. He told Janice Wong that under the plan, home owners should be penalised, and if the structure was deemed to be safe, any extra living space should be taxed:
Many low-skilled workers fail to earn living wage Listen
A community group has urged the government to do more to support grassroots workers, saying they lack the opportunity to move on to higher-paid jobs. The Society for Community Organisation says it recently polled 262 workers from sectors such as cleaning, security, retail, and construction and found over half were unhappy with their wage level and struggled to make ends meet. SoCO's deputy director, Sze Lai-shan spoke to Elvis Yu:
FS: HK's economic recovery falling short Listen
Financial Secretary Paul Chan says he expects Hong Kong's annual GDP growth to be lower than previously anticipated, as the economic recovery this year falls short of expectations. He says the government will do more to boost the city's competitiveness. Vanessa Cheng reports:
'China and US both want improvements from talks' Listen
Leaders from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum will be meeting in San Francisco from as early as this weekend. It will be the first summit hosted by the United States since 2011. And if it goes ahead, a meeting on the sidelines between Presidents Xi and Biden would be their first since last year's G20 meeting in Indonesia. RTHK's Washington correspondent, Barry Wood, told Samantha Butler that despite the recent flurry of visits to China by US officials, relations between the two countries were still challenging: