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Letters

Letters

Letters | China’s Mazu system is a win for climate adaptation and cultural heritage

Pilgrims carry a sedan chair holding a statue of Mazu, the sea goddess, during a ceremony in 2023 in Ningde, Fujian province. It is fitting that a modern weather warning system designed to protect lives should carry the name of a guardian long associated with the sea. Photo: VCG via Getty Images

Readers discuss Chinese names for scientific projects, why ride-hailing cars pose a problem for Hong Kong, and the quality of teaching at universities.

Letters | Manage tourist flow to Sharp Island for a better travel experience

Sharp Island in Sai Kung on May 1. On the first day of the Labour Day golden week, around 3,000 people flocked to the island. Photo: Dickson Lee

Readers discuss why Sharp Island visitor data must be monitored, the Wang Fuk Court fire inquiry, how to remember those who died in the fire, and executive-led governance.

Letters | Climate change demands stronger worker protections in Hong Kong

People wait to cross the road in Tsim Sha Tsui during heavy rain on July 16. For delivery workers and part-timers, income is tied directly to hours worked and work suspensions during extreme weather can mean immediate financial hardship. Photo: Jelly Tse

Readers discuss workers’ safety and rights during extreme weather, the state of Earth’s life support systems, and how to rejuvenate Chinese football.

Letters | Dog-killing video debate distracts attention from a more pressing task

A woman holds her dog as she takes a picture of glowing bamboo rafts during the Dragon Boat Festival in Beijing on June 19. China has made enormous economic and technological progress, yet it still lacks a national law prohibiting cruelty towards all animals. Photo: EPA

Readers discuss animal protection legislation in mainland China, dogs in restaurants in Hong Kong, and animal welfare.

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Letters | China’s new human rights action plan is a significant step forward

Relatives carry a coffin in Polewali Mandar, Indonesia in 2023, during the funeral for a victim of the explosion of a smelting furnace at a Chinese-owned nickel plant on Sulawesi island. Photo: AP

Readers discuss the obligations of Chinese enterprises and projects abroad, and the economic landscape of Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Letters | A little more patience in crowded places please

People wait at a bus stop in Kwun Tong. Photo: Edmond So

Readers discuss how to do better in terms of etiquette online and offline, and the stock market craze.

Letters | Success of the Northern Metropolis will come down to leadership culture

The Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in Lok Ma Chau Loop on April 22. Photo: Edmond So

Readers discuss the need for Northern Metropolis leadership development programmes, and structural reforms for Singapore.

Letters | Why transparency on pre-made meals would help Hong Kong dining

Tourists pack seafood restaurants in Sai Kung on May 2, during the Labour Day golden week holiday. Photo: Dickson Lee

Readers discuss diners’ expectations of transparency and accountability, teaching children not to waste food, and dog-friendly restaurants.

Letters | Clearer standards would strengthen urgent care in private hospitals

Li Zhijian (left) and Peng Hongying meet the media on July 5, after the Medical Council found paediatrician Sit Sou-chi guilty of professional misconduct in a case involving their child Yuanjian. Photo: Edmond So

Readers discuss care arrangements in private hospitals, a proposed cooling-off period for prepaid services, and innovation.

Letters | In a sea of generic AI writing, a smart brand would let humans write

People work on their laptops at a cafe in Shanghai. As companies rush to automate, the value of an authentic voice might have been overlooked. Photo: EPA

Readers discuss what is lost when AI does the initial drafting, animal-assisted services in Hong Kong, and the anti-drug video fiasco.

Letters | Hong Kong’s very own font would be a genuine world first

Tourists gather at a photo hotspot in Kennedy Town. No government anywhere has commissioned an official bilingual typeface for traditional Chinese and Latin scripts. Hong Kong is well placed to attempt one. Photo: Sam Tsang

Readers discuss a craft-intensive investment that says Hong Kong believes in its future, the city’s focus on university rankings, and a World Cup red card scandal.

Letters | To reduce waste, Hong Kong must connect lunch to learning

Children volunteer to collect vegetables in Tai Po, for their food recycling scheme, on August 30, 2019. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Readers discuss the need to incorporate sustainability goals at the curriculum level and how to set young entrepreneurs in conflict zones up for success.

Letters | Automation must be designed with the human worker in mind

A worker supervises the training of a humanoid robot in Qingdao, Shandong province, on April 22. Photo: Xinhua

Readers discuss the importance of human dignity as robots upend industry, and the negative online reactions to a viral video of an expressive schoolchild.

Letters | Hong Kong must resist turning DSE results day into a public spectacle

Students wait to receive their DSE results in 2019. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Readers discuss how schools’ promotional activities could affect student well-being, Hong Kong’s economic prospects, and the basis for Japan-Malaysia cooperation.

Letters | As heatwaves soar, a trade war with China will only leave Europe sweating

People cool off in a fountain at Madrid Rio park during a heatwave in Madrid, Spain, on July 8. Photo: Reuters

Readers discuss Europe’s air conditioning crisis, setting clear priorities for Hong Kong’s first five-year plan, and the prison service’s bungled anti-drug message.

Letters | As global bans tighten, Hong Kong must act against social media harm

Youths use mobile phones in a mall in Hong Kong’s Central district. The city should introduce a social media ban for youth, following the example set by Australia and other jurisdictions. Photo: Jelly Tse

Readers discuss the growing awareness of the risks teenagers face, the arrest of a lawmaker for drink-driving, and the heatwave in Europe.

Letters | How dispute resolution rules can evolve to meet business needs

A Star Ferry sails past the Hong Kong skyline in Victoria Harbour. Hong Kong plans to set up an international commercial court specialising in adjudicating major cross-border disputes. Photo: AFP

Readers discuss three necessary adaptations for legal services, compare their experiences in the Hong Kong and Boston airports, and reminisce about America’s founding ideals.

Letters | ‘China Opportunity 2.0’ will boost innovation – and Europe-China ties

Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivers his speech at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Dalian, Liaoning province, on June 24. Photo: AFP

Readers discuss the benefits of deepening scientific cooperation, how Hong Kong can be truly Muslim-friendly, and the HK$2 transport scheme expansion.

Letters | 29 years since the handover, Hong Kong is charting its own course

People hold a Chinese national flag at Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour on July 1, to mark the 29th anniversary of the handover. Photo: EPA

Readers discuss the 29th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty, Malaysia’s revision of child sexual abuse law, and Centra Asia’s complex ties with Russia.

Letters | From Tang China to the Samurai Blue, Japan’s global engagement has deep roots

Fans cheer for Japan during a World Cup Group F match against Tunisia at Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico, on June 20. Photo: Kyodo

Readers discuss how an outward-looking mentality can strengthen Japan, and the science of managing emotions.

Letters | Western-centric university rankings overlook Asia’s rise

People take photos near a John Harvard statue on the Harvard University campus in January 2024. Photo: AP

Readers discuss the Centre for World University Rankings methodology, the plan for bigger flats in Northern Metropolis, and the Bangladeshi PM’s visit to China.

Letters | Society must act to save youth careers amid the AI cull

People sit on a promenade along Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong on June 23. Photo: AFP

Readers discuss the consequences of a shrinking graduate jobs market, the disputes in Japan over Muslim mosques and cemeteries, and hygiene in Hong Kong’s SoHo district.

Letters | Hong Kong health service ad rules should apply to all providers

Passengers cross the border via the Shenzhen Bay control point on June 17. Hongkongers cross the border not just to shop and dine, but also to seek medical and dental services. Photo: Jelly Tse

Readers discuss service promotion ads by mainland dental clinics, Bangladesh’s enduring love for football, and the independence bid by a Canadian province.

Letters | A family-friendly Hong Kong should allow unfolded prams on buses

Children in strollers at Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui district. The blanket requirement that baby prams and strollers be folded before boarding buses is a challenge for parents, especially those travelling alone with a newborn. Photo: Jelly Tse

Readers call for a rethink of the long-standing rule, and discuss the historical context from which Leibniz’s binary arithmetic emerged.

Letters | What Hong Kong, China must do to become global capital’s ultimate safe haven

Boats are moored at a typhoon shelter in Hong Kong on June 10. The Hong Kong and Beijing governments would do well to remember that merely being reliable is a most potent competitive advantage. Photo: AFP

Readers discuss the draw of a stabilising force amid a world in crisis, living with the consequences of a bad call on the HK$2 transport scheme, and Indonesia’s delay in taxing coal profits.

Letters | Beyond the wealth gap: Hong Kong must first secure basic living standards

Hong Kong’s skyline, as seen from the city’s Tsuen Wan district on June 15. As long as absolute living standards are dignified, peaceful and secure, extreme relative wealth disparities are acceptable. Photo: AFP

Readers discuss why addressing wealth disparities may be missing the point, Hong Kong’s harbourfront ambitions, and how Singapore’s education system caters to late bloomers.

Letters | Men don’t have to suffer their health woes in silence

A man looks at his phone at the at the Sai Ying Pun waterfront on May 5. Photo: Karma Lo

Readers discuss why men must take charge of their mental and physical well-being and ways to reverse Singapore’s fertility rate decline.

Letters | AI hasn’t killed entry-level jobs. It’s raising the bar

People visit booths at a job fair at MacPherson Stadium in Mong Kok on May 12. Photo: Dickson Lee

Readers discuss the more demanding skill set now required of fresh grads, health authorities’ commitment to protecting patient privacy, and Cathay’s fuel levy reductions.

Letters | Hong Kong should rethink the push for 24-hour stock trading

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing in Exchange Square, Central. Photo: Jelly Tse

Readers discuss the complications that can arise with a stock exchange that never sleeps, and bracing for El Nino’s impact on Asia.

Letters | Hong Kong’s academics mustn’t be caught up in flawed university rankings

Prospective students visit the Chinese University of Hong Kong campus in Sha Tin on October 11, 2025. Photo: Edmond So

Readers discuss university ranking systems, US-Hong Kong relations, and spoken English.

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