The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive John Lee revealed on Tuesday that the National Forestry and Grassland Administration has selected a pair of male and female giant pandas, aged between 5 and 8 years, to make their new home in the city, emphasizing that efforts are being made to ensure the giant pandas to arrive in Hong Kong by October 1.

Regarding the US taking steps to impose new visa restrictions on officials from the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) following the verdict of a case of conspiracy to subvert state power, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday that if the US imposes visa restrictions on Chinese officials, China will resolutely respond with countermeasures.

The Chinese mainland will suspend tariff concessions on 134 import items from the island of Taiwan starting in mid-June, and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities bear full responsibility for the move, as it has long imposed unilateral trade restrictions on mainland exports, mainland authorities said on Friday.

Hong Kong police arrested six people on Tuesday on suspicion of violating the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, which took effect on March 23. This is also the first arrest operation enforced since the law came into effect.

The Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence (HKMCD) will be converted into the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance & Coastal Defence on September 3, the date marking victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

Hong Kong has bid farewell to its turbulent recent past and completely ended the history of being unguarded in safeguarding national security. With the protection of national security laws, it is the best time for Hong Kong to fully focus on the economy and seek development, a senior Chinese official on Hong Kong affairs said on Monday.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) does not impose import or export restrictions on general books and it is illegal only if a traveler possesses publications which have the intention to incite and lacks a reasonable explanation, the city's Commissioner of Customs and Excise Louise Ho Pui-shan said in a recent interview.

Netizens in Hong Kong hailed the decision of US-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA) shutting down its Hong Kong office, calling it “another example that the color revolution failed in Hong Kong,” which also showed that this anti-China agency has a guilty conscience and has fled in panic.

In addressing concerns about whether local residents in Hong Kong would violate the law under the Article 23 legislation of the Basic Law by keeping the secessionist tabloid Apple Daily “as memento” at home, local officials said it depends on whether the possessor has a reasonable explanation. The clarification served as a rebuttal to Western media hype targeting the law.

Following the enactment of the Patriotic Education Law, a deputy from the Macao Special Administrative Region to the 14th National People's Congress proposed enhancing the patriotic education in Macao and stepping up efforts in building national security education bases during the ongoing two sessions.

Since the implementation of the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong, local authorities and schools in the city have placed increased importance to the patriotic education including adding contents concerning the Constitution, the Basic Law and national security into the curriculum, said Wong Kam-leung, a deputy of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region to the National People's Congress, who hoped that Hong Kong will establish a permanent national security education and training base.

Ahead of the annual national two sessions - National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) - scheduled in early March, delegates of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) to the upcoming two sessions have put forward on Monday at least 30 proposals, including enhancing the patriotic education and pushing forward new measures in facilitating cross-border travel.

Since the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) unveiled a legislative work plan that includes legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law of the HKSAR, people from all sectors of Hong Kong society have voiced their support.

China has made serious representations to the US over the US State Department's statement on Taiwan's regional election, and opposes the US having any form of official interaction with the island, China's Foreign Ministry stated on Sunday. As the risks of Taiwan secessionists' provocation and cross-Straits conflicts overshadow peace and stability in the Straits with Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) remaining in power, experts said it is necessary to caution the US against indulging Taiwan secessionists to prevent an unwanted clash.

The trial of infamous anti-China disruptor Jimmy Lai, also the founder of Next Digital Media, along with three companies associated with the Apple Daily newspaper, entered into its fifth day on Wednesday for alleged violations of the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong. While some Western political figures attempted to refute allegations of conspiracy in Lai's case, legal experts believe that presenting evidence of Jimmy Lai's collusion with foreign forces will be legally persuasive. Based on the materials provided in the trial, the facts and evidence of Lai's collusion with foreign forces are clear, some experts said.

Hong Kong residents began lining up in front of polling stations across the city early on Sunday morning as the city kicked off its first large-scale election since the introduction of new electoral reforms, which requires that only patriots can administer the city. Over 1 million voters had cast their votes, equal to a turnout of 24.53 percent as of 19:30 pm.

Unless anti-government figure Chow Ting surrenders and turns herself in, otherwise she will be hunted for life, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government CE John Lee said on Tuesday, emphasizing that the Hong Kong police will fully pursue any criminal who endangers national security.

The ongoing visit by taikonauts and Chinese experts to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has sparked a wave of enthusiasm for pursuing aerospace advancement and a growing sense of national pride among young locals. On Wednesday, the delegation continued their visit by heading to a number of schools to talk with students. The delegation from China's manned space program, which will stay in Hong Kong for four days before heading to Macao, arrived at several primary and middle schools on Wednesday, during which time they exchanged views with some 1,400 students and teachers from more than 40 schools.

The largest national security case in Hong Kong entered the final stage as dozens of former local politicians and separatist activists involved in the infamous "35-plus" political project in 2020 began the closing argument on Wednesday. Some legal experts believe the verdict of this case will become an important precedent in Hong Kong's legal system.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Chief Executive John Lee delivered the 2023 policy address on Wednesday at the Legislative Council with the core idea of implementing the One Country, Two Systems, developing economy and improving people's livelihoods. The city will also finalize the legislation of the Article 23 of the Basic Law within 2024.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities on the island of Taiwan have always stood on the wrong side of history and against the interests and well-being of Taiwan compatriots, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said in response to the DPP's smearing of the mainland's latest document to facilitate integrated development across the Taiwan Straits.

The US intends to keep creating the tension of the Taiwan question to provoke China rather than to ease the tension, analysts said on Thursday, as US President Joe Biden's administration has approved a military transfer to the island of Taiwan under the Foreign Military Financing, or FMF, which is normally used for sovereign states.

A local organization that was set up to promote Cantonese in Hong Kong was disbanded on Monday after the Hong Kong Police Force's national security department visited the family residence of the group's organizer last Tuesday.

The Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Tuesday dismissed the appeal of a former university student who had pleaded guilty to violating the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong, which experts noted was an “instructive, authoritative, and binding” ruling that upholds the spirit of the rule of law.

The separatist deputy regional leader of Taiwan island Lai Ching-te has been snubbed by the US, as he made a "stopover" in San Francisco on Thursday, his second during this trip, as his act of soliciting support from the US for "Taiwan independence" saw no participation of senior US political figures, with experts saying that the Chinese mainland has enough strength and options to take countermeasures against Lai's separatist acts, and these could be seen soon after Lai returns to Taiwan.

The deputy regional leader of Taiwan island Lai Ching-te, via interviews with media, has tried to reshape his image of being an extreme Taiwan separatist into a "controllable and useful puppet for the US to contain China," as he recently claimed that he supports "maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Straits." The Chinese mainland countered that his statement proves that he and his ilk in Taiwan want "peaceful separation" - to keep the island separated from China forever and are using "peace" as an pretext, and that the mainland will not tolerate their tricks.

The deputy regional leader of Taiwan island Lai Ching-te, who is also a candidate of the separatist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for the 2024 Taiwan regional leader's election, has been snubbed by the US during his short stay in New York and his event to propagate separatism was given the cold shoulder as no senior officials or politicians attended, while many people in the US who oppose Taiwan separatism and support peace in the Taiwan Straits came to protest against him.

The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF)'s Inter-departmental Counter Terrorism Unit launched a citywide campaign on Tuesday to encourage taxi drivers to report suspicious messages related to terrorism and violence. If they successfully assist in solving a case and securing a conviction, they may receive a reward.

The US Senate passed the first agreement signed under the US' "Initiative on 21st-Century Trade" with Taiwan island, a gesture of support for Taiwan secessionists in the name of economy and trade.

After Hong Kong's security chief Chris Tang Ping-keung revealed that local authorities are studying including the crime of espionage as part of the legislative scope of Article 23 of the Basic Law to strictly prevent modern-day spying, local legal experts said on Monday that it's a necessary move to prevent Hong Kong from being a center of espionage for countries like the US and the UK and it's a must that the city establish laws and regulations by taking into account non-traditional national security and cybersecurity issues.

A group of students and teachers from five universities in the Chinese mainland visited the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) on Saturday , which is the biggest semiconductor manufacturer in the Taiwan region. The tour marked the start of a nine-day visit to the island, the first of its kind in three years.

The newly formed Hong Kong and Macao work office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee made its first public appearance with a meeting on Tuesday chaired by Xia Baolong, director of the office. The high-profile appearance of the office's leadership shows that the formation of the top office overseeing Hong Kong and Macao affairs has completed and that the leadership and decision-making mechanism of the office and relevant institutions in the two special administrative regions (SARs) are now unified, providing a firm guarantee for the Party's leadership in Hong Kong and Macao-related work, experts said.

Endangering national security is a serious offence. Law enforcement must be strict and, regardless of where in the world these individuals go, all legal means will be used in a lifelong pursuit, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday

Fighter jets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly approached the 24-nautical-mile line of the island of Taiwan on Saturday, a move experts said on Sunday is totally legitimate and will become more frequent if "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces continue to provoke.

The National Security Law for Hong Kong lays important foundation for the city's future development, said a representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) at the 53rd regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), dismissing slander that the law may have undermined residents' rights.

Hong Kong's High Court dismissed on Friday the judicial review filed by anti-government media tycoon Jimmy Lai concerning hiring an oversea lawyer to defend him in the national security trial.

John Shing-Wan Leung, a Hong Kong resident, was convicted of espionage and sentenced to life imprisonment, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of personal property of 500,000 yuan ($71,700), the Suzhou Intermediate People's Court in Jiangsu Province announced on Monday.

Only via deepening economic exchange and cooperation with the mainland, can the Taiwan island achieve better economic development and benefits for its people amid a world full of uncertainties, spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of State Council Zhu Fenglian responded Wednesday when asked for comments on decreasing trade volume between the two sides on the Taiwan Straits as the Democratic Progressive Party on the island attempts to follow the US' footsteps and decouple from the mainland

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)'s Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday revealed that the review of district administration has entered its final stage and the District Councils will be retained with a certain electoral component. At same time, he stressed that Hong Kong would not allow District Councils to become a platform for "Hong Kong secessionism."

Former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party Ma Ying-jeou's visit to the mainland fully demonstrates that the 1992 Consensus is the key plank for the peaceful development of both sides of the Taiwan Straits, a spokesperson of Taiwan Affairs Office of State Council said on Wednesday, while the transit of Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen through the USonly reveals the essence of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is to sacrifice the public welfare for their own political aims.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command organized its multiple affiliated military services and branches and conducted joint precision strike simulations on the island of Taiwan on Sunday, the second day of its Taiwan Island encirclement combat alert patrols and "Joint Sword" exercises, continuing to pressure "Taiwan independence" forces and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Chinese mainland welcomes former Taiwan regional leader Ma Ying-jeou's visit and is willing to offer necessary assistance for his trip, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said in a release on Monday.

The US Special Presidential Adviser for the Americas, Christopher Dodd, on Friday started a trip to Central America with a stop in Honduras, which is widely believed to be a move aimed at pressuring the country and soothing the secessionist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in the island of Taiwan.

Both cross-Straits ferry service operator and mainland-based Taiwan residents expressed high anticipation on closer exchanges on Friday, after the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities announced on Thursday that the scope of the cross-Straits ferry service between the island-administrated Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu to Chinese mainland's Fujian Province will be expanded to all Taiwan residents and their mainland spouses, from March 25, with also sailings increasing.

The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) should consider issuing medical visas for people from the Chinese mainland seeking treatment in Hong Kong, a deputy to the National People's Congress from Hong Kong proposed at this year's two sessions. Rising demand for medical services among mainland residents in Hong Kong has been observed since borders between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland reopened. Notably, the needs for receiving vaccinations, major operations and treatments of intractable diseases, according to the proposal of Dennis Lam Shun-chiu that obtained by the Global Times.

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reportedly is planning to meet Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen in the US in coming weeks. Chinese analysts warned of more tensions should the US continues to violate the one-China principle.

In implementing the overall strategy for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, it requires to resolutely launch major fights against separatism while promoting the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Sunday. Although adopting slightly different wording compared with the Government Work Report released last year, experts said the Party's policy for solving the Taiwan question remains the same, and the signal from government work report offers the island of Taiwan an opportunity to meet the mainland halfway toward a peaceful reunification. However, this signal should not be interpreted as the mainland abandoning other options, said experts.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government expressed strong dissatisfaction on Wednesday toward an incident involving the wrong Chinese national anthem played at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division III in Bosnia, urging the Hong Kong Sports Federation and Olympic Committee (SF&OC) to conduct an in-depth investigation and follow up on the incident.

Hong Kong's first school that offers a Chinese mainland curriculum will start operation as early as the 2026-27 school year, the Global Times learned. Yew Wah School of Hong Kong plans to offer 12 years of primary and secondary mainland curriculum education, ensuring students have a deep understanding of Chinese history, culture and values while cultivating their global vision and bilingualism in Chinese and English.

Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, met with Andrew Hsia, vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party and his delegation on Thursday. Song said that the mainland is willing to enhance exchanges and build up mutual trust with the KMT and work with the KMT to promote relations between the two parties and two sides of the Taiwan Straits, based on the common political foundation of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence," the Xinhua News Agency reported.

A national security law trial of 47 opposition figures began on Monday in Hong Kong, drawing worldwide attention. Experts on Hong Kong affairs stressed that the court must reveal to the public that the ultimate intention of these suspects was to take power in Hong Kong by using loopholes in the city's electoral system and then to seek independence by colluding with external forces. The case is an opportunity to show the public why it is necessary to reform the electoral system in Hong Kong and what is the bottom line of the national security law for Hong Kong, experts noted.

The good old days returned on Monday as the borders between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland reopened fully after three years, with daily quotas and COVID-19 tests dropped for travelers. People on both sides jumped on the first trains to the opposite side, some for work, some for school, and some just for a bite. Chris Lau, owner of a food company in Hong Kong, was among the first group who crossed the border and arrived in Shenzhen on Monday. He said he can't wait to visit his factories in South China's Guangdong Province.

Hong Kong further adjusted its COVID-19 response by ending compulsory quarantine for infected people starting from Monday, and those who tested positive are not required to report. In the eyes of experts, this move reflects the general trend of normalizing epidemic management and shows that the conditions for the city to treat it as endemic are already mature.

A Hong Kong legislator condemned the latest decision of UK parliamentary group to withdraw an invitation to the Hong Kong Legislative Council for attending an upcoming seminar in March, calling that the decision by the UK was “childish,” and it is hypocritical for British politicians to claim that they are in a democratic country but refuse to listen to voices from different jurisdictions, the legislator said.

John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said in his latest interview with local media that the government hopes to complete legislation for Article 23 of the Basic Law in 2023, which is expected to prevent national security risks, particularly targeting spying activities, with the help of new technologies.

In speaking to the press on the first day of assuming the duty as director of the liaison office of the central government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Zheng Yanxiong said that as long as there is no social turmoil in the city and it doesn't go in a wrong direction, Hong Kong will embrace a bright future.

Hong Kong's high-speed rail link to Guangzhou resumed services on Sunday after three years of border closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a move that is of great significance for holiday-goers and family reunions in the lead-up to Chinese Lunar New Year.

of the top legislature's interpretation of provisions in the national security law for Hong Kong into local laws, said a Hong Kong LegCo member, after the top legislature in December gave an interpretation of the law in deciding the case of whether infamous secessionist media tycoon Jimmy Lai is allowed to hire a London-based barrister to defend him in his national security case.

At a Tuesday press briefing on "adjusting the structure" of the military and defense, Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen announced to extend mandatory military service from its current four months to one year starting from 2024.

The Civic Party in Hong Kong has been left with no choice but to dissolve itself as its new executive committee cannot be formed, said the party's chairman and founder Alan Leong Kah-kit on Saturday, local media reported on Saturday. Observers noted that the Civic Party's dissolution is inevitable after a series of its moves over the years intended to disrupt Hong Kong. Its dissolution means disruptive forces are no longer welcomed by Hongkongers.

Hong Kong's top court rejected an appeal by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to overturn the permission to allow a UK barrister to represent Jimmy Lai, the imprisoned owner of Next Digital Media, in an upcoming national security trial, which is seen as a disappointing result.

The top court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Friday reserved a ruling on local prosecutors' last-ditch attempt to prevent jailed Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying from hiring a UK lawyer for his upcoming high-profile national security trial.

Officials and experts on the Chinese mainland and Taiwan are working together to treat the seriously ill giant panda Tuan Tuan despite the strained situation across the Straits since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's reckless visit to the island in early August. Authorities on the mainland are helping two experts from the mainland to go to Taiwan island as soon as possible to help treat Tuan Tuan, a mainland official said Friday.

Newly joined teachers and those who eye on a promotion in all the publicly-funded schools in Hong Kong are required to join a study tour to the Chinese mainland, Secretary for Education told local media on Saturday.

In a report made by Xi Jinping to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which started on October 16 in Beijing, Xi stressed upholding and improving the One Country, Two Systems policy, saying that the policy is a great innovation of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and must be adhered to over the long term. Officials in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong said that the report provides fundamental guidelines for Hong Kong and Macao-related work. Over the last few years, Hong Kong has experienced unprecedented challenges and witnessed many changes. Global Times reporters Chen Qingqing and Bai Yunyi recently interviewed Lau Siu-kai, vice president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, who is also a senior policy advisor on Hong Kong affairs. Lau, talked about why it's time for Hong Kong residents to learn about the Party correctly, comprehensively, and objectively.

As the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) opened on Sunday in Beijing, people of all walks of life in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) are not only paying more attention to the event that carries historic political significance for the entire Chinese nation, but also intently studying the important political agenda of the CPC with great interests, in a marked shift from previous years.

​Secondary schools in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) will change the name of the "life and society" course to "citizenship, economics and society," and strengthen national security education and the understanding of the Constitution and the Basic Law, said the Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB) on Wednesday.

Some Taiwan-based media, citing secessionist observers, welcomed the US idea on Monday, saying that stockpiling weapons in Taiwan island would be a "logistical asset," as they can immediately be obtained from the depot, without waiting for weeks to get them.

Chinese mainland officials and experts blasted Taiwan's secessionist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities for twisting the nature of cross-Straits relations, hyping "mainland threat" and colluding with external forces to seek secession, an attempt they believed is daydreaming and will be doomed to fail, in response to a provocative so-called "Double Ten" speech made by Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen on Monday.

The US government has been exerting pressure on Asian countries and regions, especially China's Taiwan region, to hobble the Chinese mainland's chip industries after the US' efforts to lure Asian chip companies away from Chinese mainland markets had proved unsuccessful. In particular, the US is eyeing Taiwan island as a "sally port" to meet its ends, and some Taiwan politicians have showed an inclination to comply with US orders under the latter's pressure.

With the US' so-called Indo-Pacific Strategy getting more aggressive, countries in Asia including China and North Korea appear on high alert ahead of US Vice President Kamala Harris' first official visit to Japan and South Korea in the wake of what is called a fourth instance in which President Joe Biden committed to defending the island of Taiwan from a "potential attack" from the Chinese mainland.

Only by returning to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus can peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait be effectively ensured, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday after a media report claimed the US is considering sanctioning China to "deter it from invading Taiwan."

The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will consider a draft of the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022, which is described as the most comprehensive restructuring of US policy toward China's Taiwan region since the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. Chinese experts warned that if the bill passes, it will lead to the complete elimination of the US' "one-China policy," and that China will take strong countermeasures.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry urged US politicians to immediately stop any form of official exchanges with China's Taiwan region, and stop sending wrong signals to Taiwan secessionists, in response to the ongoing trip by a US bipartisan delegation led by Representative Stephanie Murphy, vice chair of the House Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations.

A few days after US-based Boeing Co sealed an aircraft deal worth $4.6 billion with Taiwan island's largest airline to replace aging Airbus planes, a French Senate delegation was reportedly about to start a visit to the island next week, as observers said the salespeople-like politicians aim to squeeze profits from the secessionist Taiwan authorities, who conventionally pursue those countries' "support" by offering economic incentives in any form.

The US on Sunday, more than 20 days after the PLA's massive drills encircled Taiwan island to respond to the provocative visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island, sent two Ticonderoga-class cruisers to sail through Taiwan Straits, with the PLA announced that the entire passage of the US warships have been monitored and everything is under control.

After China-US relations seriously worsen due to the provocative trip to Taiwan made by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this month, Washington, instead of reflecting on its own mistakes and correcting them, continues to provoke China with the latest reported trip by US lawmakers to Taiwan on Thursday night. It keeps its chicanery and tries to make the world believe that China's legitimate actions, including military drills that encircled the island, to safeguard its sovereignty are "overreaction," and to cover the fact that it was the US who ignored China's repeated serious warnings to damage the regional peace and stability to serve Washington's selfish and hegemonic anti-China strategy. China on Thursday released 11 facts to clearly refute the US lies and reaffirmed China's rights to take military countermeasures.

After issuing "a letter to Taiwan compatriots," Chinese embassy in Cambodia has received more than 10 requests for help from Taiwan people via telephone and email, most of whom are forced to engage in online gambling, telecommunications fraud and subject to personal restrictions, or have even lost contact, the embassy told the Global Times exclusively on Thursday.

In the context of the great power game between China and the US, the situation across the Taiwan Straits has entered a more dangerous and fragile new stage featuring long-term confrontation, experts on the Taiwan question said. They noted that the new stage would also be a preparation and transition period for the mainland to further create conditions for the final settlement of the Taiwan question.

Six former employees of Hong Kong's secessionist media Apple Daily are going to plead guilty on the charge of violating the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong, according to the court's hearing on Monday. They faced charges of colluding with foreign forces to jeopardize national security, as well as printing, publishing, distributing, displaying, or copying inflammatory publications.

The governor of Indiana's visit to the island of Taiwan shows a toxic trend of US politicians using Taiwan as a pawn after US house speaker Nancy Pelosi's provocative visit to this island earlier this month, said Chinese experts.

"Taiwan compatriots are Chinese citizens, so if you have any difficulties, please contact the embassy," Chinese Embassy in Cambodia told the Taiwan compatriots after some of them were reportedly forced to join online gambling, telecommunications fraud and other illegal activities and have been subjected to movement restriction in Cambodia.

Keiji Furuya, head of a bipartisan group of Japanese lawmakers working to advance so-called relations with the island of Taiwan, is reportedly planning a visit to the island next week, amid heightened cross-Straits tensions as the result of a provocative visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and on the heels of a sudden visit to the island of Taiwan by a US congressional delegation led by US Senator Ed Markey on Sunday.

Chinese Ambassador to the US said that China is handling the "serious fallout" from US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's highly provocative visit to China's Taiwan region despite China's firm opposition and repeated representations, urging the US to draw lessons from it and stop its words and actions that would escalate the tension.

People arriving in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) from overseas will be required to be quarantined in designated hotels for three days instead of seven, starting from Friday, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee announced at a news conference on Monday.

Chinese netizens have swarmed to social media to express firm and full support for and confidence in the central government's measures to tackle the US after Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday announced countermeasures against the US' provocation and sanctions against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi due to her Taiwan island visit.

Chinese netizens on Friday heatedly discussed the detailed maps of Taiwan island cities provided by Baidu and Gaode map services, which allegedly became newly available since Thursday, the day the People's Liberation Army kicked off live-fire missile drills surrounding the island following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's reckless visit to the island.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Mission to the EU on Thursday slammed the statement of the G7 foreign ministers and the EU high representative over China's Taiwan region following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island, saying it is “ugly” and “shameless,” and is reminiscent of the “Eight-Power Allied Forces” that invaded China a hundred years ago.

Chinese authorities announced Wednesday that a number of diehard “Taiwan secessionist” individuals, two funds, and multiple companies related to secessionist activities will be punished in accordance with the law, after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan island Tuesday night in disregard of stern warnings from China, a visit that has sent a wrong message to “Taiwan independence” forces and has escalated the tension across the Taiwan Straits.

The intensity of the situation across the Taiwan Straits has drastically escalated as the military deployment from the Chinese mainland, US and the island of Taiwan continues creeping up, after US and Taiwan-based media disclosed that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to visit the island on Tuesday night, a serious provocation and violation to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity which would be met with severe countermeasures from the Chinese military.

If anyone tries to separate the island of Taiwan from the country, if anyone wants to challenge China's bottom line, Chinese military will take forceful measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Chinese Ambassador to the US told at a recent event.

While US government officials remain divided over the still unannounced Taiwan trip by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said he would visit the island with her. Chinese observers believe that Pompeo is pinning his hopes on "making a mess" and fanning the flames of Pelosi's unannounced visit in order to politically rise again for the 2024 presidential election, but as the two are completely opposed on most domestic issues, it's impossible for Pompeo and Pelosi to visit Taiwan island together.

Anyone who dares to challenge the bottom-line of the “one country, two systems”, to and assume an anti-China stance and instigate riots in Hong Kong and in Macao will be severely punished, Xia o Baolong, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, told said at a panel discussion in studying Chinese President Xi Jinping's latest speech in Hong Kong on Monday.

The Patriotic Education Center established by the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers – the largest teachers union in the city – was officially launched on Saturday with the aim of promoting patriotic and national security education. Industry representatives said pushing forward the patriotic education tops the agenda of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government with more measures expected to be rolled out.

​Ahead of the first Executive Council meeting held by the sixth-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, John Lee Ka-chiu, the Chief Executive of the HKSAR government, along with the 16 senior unofficial members, met the press, vowing to work on issues such as shortening the quarantine period for arrivals and accelerating the supply of public housing.

Bidding farewell to the era of saying "Yes, Sir!" in English, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) will embrace more new changes starting Friday, from taking Chinese-style marching, to new uniforms for counterterrorism units, and equipping officers with domestically produced anti-riot vehicles - all of which have been hailed by the Chinese people as they recalled the historical moment 25 years ago when the city's defense was handed over back to the People's Liberation Army (PLA), washing away a century of humiliation from the West.

President Xi Jinping arrived in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) by train on Thursday afternoon to inspect the city and attend a meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of the city's return to the motherland.

Taiwan island officials attempted to sneak into the United Nations Ocean Conference on Monday by hiding in the Tuvalu delegation but failed. Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at Wednesday's media briefing that stooping to join the entourage of a foreign country in order to tag along and wedge into the United Nations Ocean Conference only brings disgrace to themselves.

Over the past 25 years, the country has been treating Hong Kong very well, but some in Hong Kong do not feel grateful for that, and now they have to understand it and be grateful for the care shown by 1.4 billion compatriots, Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, the president of the first-term Legislative Council after the city returned to the motherland, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview. Over the past years, Hong Kong made achievements not by itself but they are backed by the country's overall strength, she said.

Hong Kong has to walk on a path of democracy that fits its own, and the essence of the universal suffrage in the election of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and a Chief Executive is a procedural matter of how a governing team generates. While the democracy has multiple aspects, it is not just a question of how the leadership arises but to the general public, any political system needs to fix economic and livelihood issues that people concern the most, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, the chairperson of the New People's Party, who was also appointed recently as convener of the Executive Council (ExCo) meeting of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.