Victoria Harbour snubbed over nomination for World Heritage site status

Victoria Harbour has been snubbed as a potential Unesco World Heritage site by Hong Kong government officials, who instead favour the nomination of the Chi Lin nunnery in Diamond Hill rebuilt in 1998.

The rejection came despite the harbour being the top choice of three independent experts drafted in by the government because of their knowledge of the evaluation process.

Just last week, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying confirmed the creation of a new Harbour Authority in his maiden policy address. Antiquities Advisory Board members expressed their concerns over the harbour's rejection, with one describing the process as "a fiasco".

The experts - all of whom have spoken to the Post but who prefer not to be identified - said officials from the Development Bureau and the Antiquities and Monuments Office seemed "focused on the nunnery".

They said the officials also failed to give them a proper explanation of why the harbour would not be considered.

The experts argued that the harbour fulfilled the majority of Unesco's criteria and that a compelling case for World Heritage site status could be made.