Hong Kong's Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung has written to The Wall Street Journal to rebut an opinion piece on the forfeiture of media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai's assets, saying the commentary repeated "unfounded claims" and stressing that any forfeiture requires a court order under Hong Kong law. Here is the full text of the letter:
Dear Editor,
In the opinion piece, "Now China Is Taking Jimmy Lai's Property" (April 16), the authors resort to their old unfounded claims that have been repeatedly refuted and exposed as fake news, aimed at undermining China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
I reiterate that Hong Kong is a society underpinned by the rule of law. Lai Chee-ying was convicted of offences endangering national security after a fair, impartial and open trial. The court's verdict and sentence were published with detailed reasons and supported by overwhelming evidence, for which Lai chose not to appeal.
Under the law, the court may order the forfeiture of property upon application by the Secretary for Justice only if it is satisfied that the property to be forfeited meets relevant conditions. Applying to the court for a forfeiture order is one of the effective means to combat serious crimes and protect the public interest, and laws and mechanisms for forfeiture of offence-related property are commonly found around the world. The law in the United States provides that in general, for individuals involved in terrorist activities, all of their property is subject to forfeiture.
Regarding the repeated attempts to smear Hong Kong, I refer readers to the facts: In the Fraser Institute's annual report in 2025, Hong Kong has once again been ranked as the world's freest economy; Hong Kong continues to rank among the top three international financial centres alongside New York and London; the business sentiment survey conducted by American Chamber of Commerce this year showed that 94% of its member respondents have confidence in Hong Kong's rule of law.
Amid geopolitical conflicts and uncertainties, these facts speak volumes for Hong Kong's attractiveness as a safe haven for businesses and investors.
Tang Ping-keung
Secretary for Security
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
EPD participates in joint eco-environmental volunteer service campaign in coastal provinces (regions and municipalities)
In support of the National Event on the Environment Day 2026, and the Beautiful Hong Kong Green Fest launched on June 1, the Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB) and the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) held the joint eco-environmental volunteer service campaign in coastal provinces (regions and municipalities) in Hong Kong today (June 6). The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan; and the Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui, led a government volunteer team to conduct coastal cleanup activity at To Tau Wan, Wu Kai Sha, and also mobilised the community to carry out coastal cleanup activity across Hong Kong, demonstrating a territory-wide commitment to protecting the ocean and building "Beautiful Bays".
Speaking at the event, Mr Tse said that the Special Administrative Region Government has all along spared no effort in protecting the marine ecological environment. To align with the nation's comprehensive promotion of building a Beautiful China, the Government has actively taken forward the "Beautiful Bays" initiative, and Mirs Bay (Hong Kong Section) was honoured to be selected as a national "Outstanding Example of Beautiful Bays" at the end of 2025. In recent years, Hong Kong has also deepened regional cooperation with Guangdong Province and Shenzhen. In the monitoring of shoreline cleanliness, the Government has actively introduced smart technologies, such as drone monitoring and artificial intelligence image analysis, gradually moving forward to the goal of "clear water and clean beaches, thriving marine life, and harmonious coexistence between humans and the sea".
Mr Tse said, "To safeguard this beautiful ocean, it is not enough to solely rely on the Government's efforts, but rather on the concerted efforts from the entire society." He expressed his gratitude to the volunteers attending the activity and the volunteer groups participating in coastal cleaning at different coasts concurrently for their efforts to protect the ocean.
On the same day, a delegation led by the Deputy Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Environment), Ms Fabia Tam; and the Deputy Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Vanessa Au, attended the launching ceremony for the joint eco-environmental volunteer service campaign in coastal provinces (regions and municipalities) in Shenzhen.
The launching ceremony was guided by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), and co-organised by the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong Province, the Society Work Department of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, and the Center for Environmental Education and Communications of the MEE. During the ceremony, the Director-General of the Department of Publicity and Education of the MEE, Mr Pei Xiaofei, presented flags to the heads of the ecological environment departments from the participating coastal provinces (regions and municipalities). The heads then read the proposal of eco-environmental volunteer service campaign "united for blue seas and beautiful bays".
For event details of the Beautiful Hong Kong Green Fest, please visit www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/news_events/events/hk_green_fest_2026.html.
EPD participates in joint eco-environmental volunteer service campaign in coastal provinces (regions and municipalities) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
EPD participates in joint eco-environmental volunteer service campaign in coastal provinces (regions and municipalities) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
EPD participates in joint eco-environmental volunteer service campaign in coastal provinces (regions and municipalities) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
EPD participates in joint eco-environmental volunteer service campaign in coastal provinces (regions and municipalities) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
EPD participates in joint eco-environmental volunteer service campaign in coastal provinces (regions and municipalities) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
