Three people who were arrested by national security police over alleged illegal weapons training last December have been charged with conspiracy to commit subversion.

Students Wong Kit-lun, 20, and Tang Ngai-pok, 23, as well as waiter Chan Hiu-chun, 23, appeared at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday.

They are among a group of 10 people arrested in December for alleged “unlawful drilling” – an offence under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.

They stood in the defendant dock beside Gallian Pang and Lee Chun-sum, who were charged with the same offence of conspiring to subvert state power – an offence under the Beijing-imposed national security law – a week after the arrests. At the time they were charged in December, both Pang and Lee were security guards aged 24 and 25 respectively.

On Thursday, the prosecution accused Wong, Tang and Chan of conspiring with Pang, Lee and “other persons unknown between November 1, 2024 to December 11, 2025 to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts to subvert the state power.”

Wong faced an additional charge of possession of child pornography, an offence under the Prevention of Child Pornography Ordinance.

The prosecution also announced that it was charging Lee for allegedly possessing explosives and radio communications apparatus without a licence.

Possession of explosives is punishable by a maximum of 14 years’ imprisonment, while possession of radio communications apparatus without a licence is punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment.

In a statement published on Thursday, the government said the December arrests were made after investigation revealed a “syndicate” that “conducted firearms drills, knife techniques, and martial arts combat in a unit of an industrial building in Kowloon.”

Their aim was to subvert state power by means or threat of force, “i.e., to overthrow [Hong Kong’s] organs of power,” the government said.

The arrests marked the first time authorities had invoked the unlawful drilling offence.

The remaining arrestees in the case who were not charged have been released on bail. They are required to report to the police in mid-June, the statement added.

Conspiring to commit subversion, an offence under the national security law, is punishable by up to life imprisonment in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong government said it has issued buyback offer letters to homeowners of the fire-hit Wang Fuk Court, moving forward with its plan to acquire property titles from displaced residents.

The government said on Thursday that it has distributed “letters of offer” to flat owners of the seven blocks affected in the massive inferno in November that killed 168 people – Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades.

The move follows the authorities’ announcement in February that they would spend up to HK$6.8 billion to buy back flats from owners. The budget consists of HK$4 billion in taxpayers’ money and HK$2.8 billion from a support fund largely made up of public donations.

Owners can choose cash or a flat swap for a new government-subsidised unit under a special sales scheme, according to the February plan.

The government has established a company named Wang Fuk Court Property Rights Acquisition Limited, which has distributed the offer letters to owners, it said on Thursday.

Owners have until August 31 to sign a “letter of acceptance” enclosed with the offer letter and return it to the company if they choose to accept the acquisition, it said.

“Upon receipt of the owners’ duly signed ‘Letter of Acceptance,’ the government will make every effort to promptly assist in completing the Agreement for Sale and Purchase and the [Deed of] Assignment,” a government spokesperson said in a statement.

Early flat selection

For owners who opt for cash, authorities will expedite the payment for them to make purchases in the private market, the government said.

Those who want to participate in the government’s special sales scheme will be allowed to select their flats earlier if they accept the buyback offer quickly, authorities added.

They will receive priority if they return the letter of acceptance by June 30.

For homeowners of Wang Chi House, the only block not affected by the blaze, the government said that if 75 per cent of owners sign the letter of acceptance by June 30, the buyback plan will be made available to them. The government previously said buying out Wang Chi House would require an additional HK1 billion.

The Thursday statement did not mention what arrangements were available for those choosing not to accept the government’s buyback offers.

Amid calls from some residents for the housing estate to be rebuilt at its original location, the government has said that the buyback plan is final.

Authorities said the seven towers hit by flames suffered “irreversible” internal damage, and that they would be torn down to build a park or other community facilities.

However, some residents expressed scepticism about the government’s proposal after a public inquiry into the fire revealed that damage was concentrated in a number of buildings.

Some residents also expressed a desire to return to the estate after they were allowed to return to their homes to retrieve their personal belongings and found their flats largely unscathed, according to local media.

Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong, who is leading the buyback plan, said in February that the government would study whether “special legislation” would be needed if some owners refuse to sell their flats.

Hong Kong International Airport is among the top polluting hubs in the world, a UK thinktank has found.

On Wednesday, new data from global affairs thinktank ODI Global ranked Hong Kong’s airport as the world’s sixth most polluting in terms of flight CO2 emissions, and second in Asia-Pacific.

The study, based on 2023 data from the International Council on Clean Transportation, concluded that the fossil-fuel dependent aviation sector would be the fifth-largest emitter if it were a country.

Hong Kong emitted 15.1 million tonnes of CO2, and saw 138,764 flights, in 2023.

Seoul was Asia-Pacific’s most polluting airport, responsible for 16.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2023. Dubai topped the global ranking with 23.2 million tonnes of CO2, followed by London’s Heathrow.

The research also showed that Hong Kong’s airport was a significant source of local pollutants – it ranks ninth in the world, emitting 4,572 tonnes of nitrogen oxides in 2023.

The thinktank warned against reliance on so-called “sustainable” aviation fuels to bring down emissions, citing “high production costs and price premiums, limited policy support, weak long-term offtake commitments, bankability challenges and constraints on feedstock availability and sustainability.”

It also said that jet fuel emissions are predicted to increase and eat up future carbon budget: “The sector’s own high-growth scenario projects passenger demand could increase by 3.3% annually, from 9.0 trillion revenue passenger-kilometers (RPKs) in 2024 to 21.9 trillion RPKs in 2050. Between now and 2050, aviation is projected to consume 15% of the remaining carbon budget associated with 1.7ºC of warming.”

HKFP has reached out to the Environmental Protection Department and the Airport Authority for comment.

A US jury convicted a man on Wednesday for his role in running a clandestine Chinese “police station” in New York as part of a campaign to monitor US-based dissidents.

“Harry” Lu Jianwang, 64, faces up to 30 years in prison for acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government in setting up and running the “overseas police station” in Manhattan’s Chinatown, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Lu and another man, Chen Jinping, were arrested in April 2023 and accused of operating the secret police station, which operated from an office building, on behalf of China’s Ministry of Public Security.

Canada and several European governments have cracked down on similar “police stations,” whose existence was first revealed by Spain-based rights group Safeguard Defenders.

They often operate with little or no indication they are there, though US officials said the Manhattan office had been visited by officials from the Chinese consulate in New York.

According to Safeguard Defenders, the stations have been involved in pressuring nationals to return home to face criminal charges.

“Lu Jianwang used a police station in New York City to target PRC (People’s Republic of China) dissidents in furtherance of the Chinese government’s political agenda,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr.

FBI agents first searched the outpost in October 2022 and found a blue banner reading “Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station, New York, USA,” referring to a city in southeastern China.

“The New York police station was part of a global initiative by the MPS (Ministry of Public Security) to establish overseas police service stations all over the world,” the Justice Department said.

“Lu was tasked by his MPS handler with collecting information on behalf of the Chinese government, such as locating a pro-democracy advocate who had fled from China and moved to the US,” it added.

Beijing said in December last year that there was no “so-called police station.”

“China is a country governed by the rule of law and has always strictly abided by international law and respected all countries’ judicial sovereignty,” said foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian when asked about the case at a regular news conference.

Lu’s co-defendant Chen Jinping is awaiting sentencing.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has proposed amendments to laws governing the institution that would allow university heads to be sacked on new grounds, including “misconduct, incompetence, and inefficiency.”

The University Council, the school’s governing body, said in an email addressed to alumni on Wednesday that it also proposed replacing the Convocation, an alumni representation body, with an Alumni Advisory Board.

The CUHK Ordinance, drafted in 1976 and now more than 50 years old, is an “antiquated piece of legislation,” it said. “The University Council has therefore decided that it is now time to overhaul the CUHK Ordinance by modernizing and streamlining the structure and contents of the legislation.”

The CUHK council proposed that the grounds for removal of officers, including pro-vice-chancellors and vice presidents, be aligned with those of other publicly funded universities in Hong Kong, “which is to include the ground of ‘misconduct, incompetence, [and] inefficiency’ in addition to the general term of good cause.”

It also proposed raising the appointment threshold for pro-vice-chancellors and vice presidents from a simple majority to at least two-thirds of voting council members. Votes in favour should constitute no less than half of the council’s total membership.

See also: Chinese University of Hong Kong college student unions suspend operations over school’s recognition

The two-thirds threshold will also apply to the removal of the vice-chancellor, pro-vice-chancellor, and vice-presidents.

Alumni body

Noting that there are some 300,000 members of the CUHK Convocation, the council said it “has proved to be a near impossible logistical task” to convene annual general meetings in accordance with current requirements.

There have been significant difficulties since 2020 in conducting the meetings “in an orderly manner,” the council said. The last annual meeting at which elections were successfully concluded was in July 2022, and it has also failed to elect its standing committee since 2023.

“The existing framework no longer allows the Convocation to effectively fulfil its intended functions and contribution – a reality that will only intensify as our graduate community continues to expand.”

It is “unrealistic” to expect a reversal, the council said. “It is therefore proposed that the Convocation be replaced by a new CUHK Alumni Advisory Board, leveraging and empowering the extensive and established alumni association networks.”

The board will be made up of members nominated by “established alumni associations” and appointed by the University Council.

The council had previously taken steps to reduce the Convocation’s influence by reducing the number of representatives it could have on the university’s governing body from three to one.

In February, two CUHK graduates lost a legal bid to challenge their disqualifications from running in the Convocation Standing Committee election in February 2023.

Lawmaker Bill Tang, who sits on the CUHK council, told local media that there is “no shortage of avenues for alumni to engage with university affairs,” pointing to alumni links maintained by the university’s colleges and its Alumni Affairs Office.

Joshua Wong’s national security case has been transferred to a higher court, where the pro-democracy activist faces up to life imprisonment, following the conclusion of committal proceedings.

Wong appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday morning to face a charge of conspiring to commit foreign collusion, a crime under the Beijing-imposed national security law.

He was arrested in June last year while in jail. Wong is currently serving a four-year-and-eight-month jail sentence for his involvement in another national security case relating to election primaries in 2020, in which he pleaded guilty.

In the present case, the 29-year-old stands accused of conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and “other persons unknown” between July 1 and November 23, 2020, to request foreign countries, organisations, or individuals based overseas to impose sanctions, blockades or engage in other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China.

Law, who now lives in the UK, and Wong, along with other former student activists, co-founded pro-democracy political party Demosisto, which was disbanded hours after China’s legislature passed the national security law on June 30, 2020.

Magistrate Victor So said in August last year that Wong’s case would be transferred from the magistrate’s court to the High Court, where the maximum penalty is life imprisonment. At the magistrate’s court, the maximum penalty is two years, or three years when a defendant faces more than one offence.

Since then, Wong has appeared at a number of hearings related to the committal of the case to the High Court.

Under court reporting laws, media reports relating to procedures involving the transfer of cases from the magistrate’s court to the High Court are severely restricted.

Reports cannot publicise the contents of the procedures, and can only describe information such as the names of defendants, judges and lawyers, and information on the charges.

Wong has been remanded since November 2020, when he was detained in an unauthorised assembly case linked to the anti-extradition protests and unrest in 2019.

Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. 

The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.

By Danny Kemp

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart Donald Trump that missteps on Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict”, a stark opening salvo as they met in Beijing on Thursday at a superpower summit.

Trump had arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend”, as he predicted that their countries would have “a fantastic future together”.

But beyond the pomp as he welcomed Trump, Xi in less effusive tones said the two sides “should be partners and not rivals”, while highlighting the issue of self-ruled democratic Taiwan — which Beijing claims as its territory — straight off the bat.

“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said, according to remarks published by Chinese state media shortly after talks began.

“If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation,” he added at the opening talks that lasted around two hours and 15 minutes.

Trump’s trip to Beijing is the first by a US president in nearly a decade, with the grand reception belying a host of unresolved trade and geopolitical tensions between the two countries.

Xi greeted Trump with a red-carpet welcome at the opulent Great Hall of the People, with military band fanfare, a gun salute and a host of schoolchildren jumping and chanting “welcome!”.

Seemingly enjoying the ceremony, Trump said “the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before”.

Xi instead referenced an ancient Greek political theory about the risks of war when a rising power rivals a ruling power.

“Can China and the United States transcend the so-called ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new paradigm for major-power relations,” Xi asked, adding that “cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both”.

There has been plenty of the latter since Trump’s last visit in 2017, with the two countries having spent much of 2025 embroiled in a dizzying trade war and at odds on many major global issues.

‘Blunt language’

Taiwan is a longstanding sore point.

The United States recognises only Beijing but under domestic law is required to provide weapons to Taiwan so that it can defend itself.

China has sworn to take the self-ruled democracy and has not ruled out using force, ramping up military pressure in recent years.

Following Xi’s comments on Thursday, Taipei called China the “sole risk” to regional peace, and insisted that “the US side has repeatedly reaffirmed its clear and firm support”.

But Trump said Monday he would speak to Xi about US arms sales to Taiwan, a departure from historic US insistence that it will not consult Beijing on the matter.

Adam Ni, editor of newsletter China Neican, told AFP that while such “blunt language” was not uncommon in Chinese foreign policy, it was unusual coming from Xi himself.

“Xi wants to make it very clear… he thinks the Taiwan issue is the potential powder keg between the two superpowers,” Ni added.

China has been “signalling a desire for US compromise on Taiwan in the lead up to the summit,” the National University of Singapore’s Chong Ja Ian told AFP.

Xi’s demand could suggest “they see some opportunity to convince Trump”, he said.

Iran overshadows

A new addition to the list of contentious issues to be discussed, the Iran war, threatens to weaken Trump’s position, having already forced him to postpone his trip from March.

The US president said he expected a “long talk” with Xi about Iran, which sells most of its US-sanctioned oil to China, but insisted that “I don’t think we need any help” from Beijing.

However, his secretary of state Marco Rubio, historically a fierce opponent of Beijing, said the US side was hoping “to convince (China) to play a more active role”.

Trump is also hoping for business deals on agriculture, aircraft and other sectors.

Elite businessmen in his delegation, including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Tesla’s Elon Musk, were on the stairs of the Great Hall of the People on Thursday for the welcome ceremony.

Musk told reporters afterwards the meeting had been “wonderful”, while Huang said the two presidents “were incredible”.

Xi later told the delegation that his country’s “doors to the outside world will open wider and wider” and that US companies would enjoy “even brighter prospects in China”.

On the eve of the summit, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met in South Korea to seek progress in ending a long-simmering trade war between the two.

Xi said the talks “reached results that were generally balanced and positive”, and urged both sides to “safeguard the current hard-won positive momentum”.

Trump and Xi are set to discuss extending a one-year tariff truce reached during their last meeting in South Korea in October.

China’s controls on rare earth exports and AI rivalry are among other topics expected to be taken up.

After their morning meeting, the two men took a break from negotiations, heading to the Temple of Heaven, a World Heritage site where China’s emperors once prayed for good harvests.

The two will return to the Great Hall of the People this evening for a state banquet.

A Hong Kong taxi driver has been arrested after a fatal traffic incident in Ngau Tau Kok that killed a woman and seriously injured four people.

A taxi driven by a 70-year-old man went out of control while he was driving downhill along Chun Wah Road and mounted the pavement and a sitting-out area on Choi Ha Road, knocking down two female pedestrians at 1.50pm on Wednesday, according to police.

One of the pedestrians, a 38-year-old woman, suffered serious leg injuries and was rushed to United Christian Hospital in an unconscious state and was later certified dead at 2.26pm on Wednesday.

The other female pedestrian, 31, also suffered leg injuries and was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in an unconscious state.

The two passengers in the taxi were sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital with injuries. The 62-year-old male passenger sustained chest and leg injuries, while the 62-year-old female passenger suffered chest, back and neck injuries.

According to the government, as of 10.30am on Thursday, the second female pedestrian was in critical condition, and both passengers were in serious condition.

The taxi driver, who sustained chest injuries, was sent to United Christian Hospital in a conscious state.

He was arrested for dangerous driving causing death and is being detained, the police said. He was in stable condition as of 10.30am on Thursday.

The police are investigating the traffic accident and are urging witnesses to call 3661 0277.

Hong Kong is mulling tighter health checks for elderly taxi drivers, but progress has been slow.

Currently, all drivers – including taxi drivers – aged over 70 must provide the Transport Department with a medical examination certificate completed by a registered medical practitioner at least once every three years.

See also: Hong Kong taxi union hits back at lawmakers’ suggestions of mandatory retirement age for cabbies

The government proposed in 2023 that taxi drivers aged over 65 should conduct mandatory health checks every year.

The government is working on law amendments related to mandatory health checks for taxi drivers and plans to table the bill later this year, Sing Tao Daily reported on Wednesday.

The administrator of the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court has said it will seek to extend the statutory deadline for holding a homeowners’ meeting, citing the need for more time to verify owners’ signatures and find a suitable venue.

In a letter to Wang Fuk Court flat owners on Wednesday afternoon, Hop On Management confirmed that on April 29, the company had received a requisition for a general meeting from Wang Fuk Court homeowners.

The company is currently seeking legal advice and will also apply to the Lands Tribunal to extend the statutory deadline for holding the meeting, it added.

The Chinese-language letter was issued exactly one week after a group of homeowners published a statement, saying that they had delivered a petition to Hop On on April 29, requesting a general meeting with the property management firm.

The petition collected 247 handwritten signatures – more than 12 per cent of households at Wang Fuk Court.

Hong Kong’s Building Management Ordinance requires 5 per cent of all homeowners to call a general meeting. Upon receiving such a requisition, the management committee should issue notice of the meeting within 14 days and hold the general meeting with owners within 45 days, according to the ordinance.

Wednesday was the deadline to issue a notice for the homeowners’ meeting. It is unclear whether Hop On has made an application for an extension.

In the letter, the management company also said it would need extra time to verify the signatures of each homeowner, citing previous owners’ meetings that were embroiled in controversies about proxy votes and statutory quorums.

Hop On will conduct searches at the Land Registry to verify the owner of each unit, compare their signatures against the samples kept in the owners’ existing property records, and request signatories to present their Hong Kong identity cards in person to verify their identities.

If the requisition is signed in the capacity of an Administrator of Estate or an Executor, Hop On will review copies of the relevant Letters of Administration or Grant of Probate to verify the legal authorisation to act on behalf of the deceased owner.

The company said it would also need time to find “a suitable venue capable of accommodating at least 1,000 people and of hosting a continuous six-hour meeting.”

Speaking to HKFP on the condition of anonymity, a Wang Fuk Court homeowner who signed the petition accused Hop On of working too slowly and unprofessionally.

He also questioned why Hop On did not announce the decision to delay the meeting and the procedures to verify the signatures during the Zoom briefing session on Tuesday.

“Today is the deadline [for issuing notice of a meeting]. Why didn’t they talk with us about this yesterday?” he said. “I think Hop On should understand more about its role – it is a management company to serve homeowners.”

‘Sincere communication’

Hop On Management was appointed by the government in early January to act as administrator of Wang Fuk Court after the Lands Tribunal dissolved the owners’ board of the Tai Po residential estate in the wake of the deadly fire.

The company, a subsidiary of real estate giant Chinachem Group, said its work as administrator is pro bono.

Hop On also said on Wednesday that it would maintain “sincere communication” with homeowners.

“As the administrator, Hop On’s responsibility is to represent and serve all owners of Wang Fuk Court, rather than communicating only with a portion of owners or specific individuals,” the company said.

Displaced homeowners, who are scattered across Hong Kong following the deadly fire, have urged Hop On to call a general meeting, but to no avail.

Earlier this year, the company rejected the demand to hold a meeting after more than 430 homeowners signed an online petition.

After being criticised for lacking direct communication with the residents, Hop On set up a website to facilitate communication in early February.

Full-time job vacancies suitable for Hong Kong university graduates have plummeted by 60 per cent, as artificial intelligence (AI) sweeps through the city’s labour market, a minister has said.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said on Wednesday that entry-level jobs vulnerable to automation have been hit hardest, with vacancies in administration dropping nearly 90 per cent over the three-year period and roles in information technology and programming falling by 80 per cent.

The number of full-time job vacancies suitable for university graduates shrank from 80,000 in 2022 to just 31,000 in 2025, the minister said.

The figures were derived from the Joint Institutions Job Information System, an online job search platform for students from Hong Kong’s eight publicly funded universities seeking employment, Sun said in his reply to enquiries by lawmaker Priscilla Leung.

“We all know the impact of AI is sweeping and global. We are all exploring how to help young people find jobs in a world changed by AI,” Sun told the Legislative Council in Cantonese.

Citing a survey by global consulting firm International Data Corporation, Sun said over 60 per cent of companies surveyed around the world had indicated they would cut entry-level positions in the next three years due to AI.

He vowed that the Labour and Welfare Bureau would analyse the impact of AI on Hong Kong’s overall labour market and specific industries.

Findings are expected to be released in the fourth quarter of this year as part of the mid-term update of the government’s Manpower Projections, he added.

He also said that, between 2025 and 2028, the eight University Grants Committee-funded universities will introduce 30 new academic programmes covering emerging sectors, such as AI, cybersecurity, and the creative industries.

Sun noted that, despite the drops in job vacancies, the unemployment rate among university graduates has not increased significantly.

The number of employed people aged 15 to 29 with a degree or above was about 268,000 in 2025, compared with 270,000 in the previous year, Sun said, citing government data.

Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, the use of generative AI chatbots and tools has become increasingly common across industries around the world.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has pushed for expanding the applications of AI across government departments and social sectors. In his Policy Address last year, he said the authorities would promote “extensive and deep integration of AI” across industries.

During his annual budget speech in February, finance chief Paul Chan announced that he would chair a new “AI+ and Industry Development Strategy” committee.

The government will also provide “AI training for all,” embedding AI education at different levels of education and vocational training, Chan said at the time.

The government-appointed administrator of the fire-hit Wang Fuk Court has outlined a HK$127 million refund plan for displaced homeowners, but has yet to schedule a general meeting for owners to decide on estate matters.

Hop On Management, appointed as the Tai Po housing estate’s administrator after the owners’ board was dissolved in the wake of the fatal blaze, announced the refund plan during an online Zoom briefing with residents on Tuesday.

The briefing was the first of two sessions organised by the management firm to explain its work, the financial situation of the owners’ board, and refund arrangements for the renovation project that was ongoing when the fire broke out in November.

Hop On representatives said during the briefing that the owners’ board had paid about HK$180 million to contractors for the renovation project, and a remaining balance of about HK$127 million in the estate’s renovation fund would be refunded.

Wang Fuk Court flat owners had to pay between HK$150,000 and HK$180,000 in six instalments after the renovation began in July 2024, depending on the size of their homes.

Frankie Chan, Hop On’s service director, said the amount of refund each household is entitled to receive will be based on the instalments they had previously paid.

According to Hop On’s data, 102 households had paid all instalments and would receive a refund ranging from about HK$84,700 to HK$98,840.

A total of 1,766 households had paid five instalments and would receive approximately HK$61,200 to HK$71,400. Meanwhile, 29 households had paid three or four instalments, and their refund would range from HK$15,800 to HK$44,030.

Hop On said that 30 households had paid only one or two instalments, while 57 never paid at all. In total, these households owed the estate’s management between HK$6,600 and HK$80,800.

Chan said the refunds would be distributed starting from June, with details to be announced at a later stage. He did not say whether the company would collect the owed amount from residents.

During a Q&A session, a resident asked why Hop On had not scheduled an owners’ meeting despite 247 of them – comprising around 12 per cent of households at Wang Fuk Court – petitioning for the gathering. An owners’ meeting will allow residents to vote on estate matters.

In response, Chan said he noted that previous owners’ meetings were embroiled in controversies about proxy votes and statutory quorums.

Hop On has to be “strict and precise” in verifying the authenticity of owners’ signatures, he said, adding that the firm is seeking legal advice.

During Tuesday’s briefing, Hop On also said that Wang Chi House – the only block that escaped the blaze – may need more than HK$30 million for repairs.

Hop On said the building sustained damage to its electrical and water systems and fire safety equipment, citing the visual examinations by a team of experts.

Delegations from China and the United States met for trade talks in South Korea, Chinese state media reported Wednesday, hours before US President Donald Trump is due to arrive in Beijing.

The talks were taking place at Incheon International Airport, near Seoul, Xinhua news agency said, without providing further details.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had said he would be meeting Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, both of whom have led previous rounds of negotiations.

The officials are likely to put the finishing touches on any announcements made during Trump’s summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

See also: Trump brushes aside Taiwan concerns ahead of meeting with Xi

Washington and Beijing last year slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on each other’s exports, with levies exceeding 100 percent.

Trump and Xi agreed on a year-long trade truce at their October meeting in South Korea.

“Economic security is national security,” Bessent said as he announced his South Korea trip on social media.

Bessent will then travel to Beijing for the Trump-Xi summit, he added.

More than a dozen business executives including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Tesla boss Elon Musk are also travelling to China with Trump.