Hong Kong authorities have slashed the time required for environmental impact assessments by up to half using artificial intelligence, with an official saying that AI adoption reduced wait times for some public services by up to 90 per cent. The first batch of 30 projects aimed at enhancing efficiency was announced on Monday. It involves 13 government departments, covering transport and food business licensing, leisure and sports facilities, environmental hygiene, complaint handling, and...

An ageing society and a widening income gap threaten Hong Kong’s social fabric. In the last of a five-part series on the city’s five-year plan, we look at what can be done to address these key issues. Read part one here, part two here, part three here and part four here. At 71, Man Chi-ying is the sole carer for her husband, Fung Yu-hoi, a Parkinson’s disease patient. Fung, who is also 71, has stiff limbs and, on some days, needs his wife’s help getting dressed. She has to hold his hand to keep...

Hong Kong authorities received more than 16,000 public submissions for the city’s inaugural five-year plan by the close of its consultation on Friday, with an official noting general support for more focused integration into national development and the strategic cultivation of emerging sectors. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Janice Tse Siu-wa described the blueprint, which is set to be delivered next month, as “a milestone in public administration”, adding that it would...