The mainland is now the major source of tourism and immigration to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong's public transport infrastructure has a high reputation throughout the world. The MTR is justly famous.
At the moment, announcements in the coaches is bilingual, in Cantonese and English. Would it be possible to add Mandarin to make things more convenient for Mandarin-speaking people while they are visiting and staying in the SAR?
Collision between Chinese ships expected to escalate tension in South China Sea
Analysts predict China will move to restore its image at sea while ramping up exercises to improve navy-coastguard coordination
Experts also warned that the incident could push China to enhance coordination between its navy and coastguard to prevent similar accidents in future.
Explainer | What do we know about the collision between 2 ships in disputed South China Sea?
The accident happened during a confrontation with Philippine coastguard and fishing boats near the disputed Scarborough Shoal
The incident, in which Beijing claimed it had expelled a number of vessels from the area, was the latest in a series of confrontations between the two countries in the South China Sea.
Here is what we know about the incident so far.
Which vessels were involved?
Two Philippine coastguard vessels – the BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Suluan – were in the area escorting the government-owned fishing carrier MV Pamamalakaya and 35 local fishing vessels as part of a government initiative to support fishing communities.
The coastguard said its ships were also delivering fuel and other supplies to the fishing boats at the time.
The Philippine coastguard said its ships were confronted by the China Coast Guard (CCG)’s cutter 3104 and a PLA Navy Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, the Guilin.
It added that the two vessels collided around 10.5 nautical miles (19.5km) east of the Scarborough Shoal, a reef that has seen numerous confrontations between the two sides.
How did the accident happen?
China has not released footage of the incident, but the Philippines released a video showing the accident.
The footage, apparently filmed on board the Suluan, showed the Chinese coastguard ship heading towards the Philippine vessels and firing its water cannons.
The camera then showed the destroyer at the rear of the Philippine vessel, where it was hit by the Chinese coastguard ship, which appeared to suffer extensive damage to its bow.
“The CCG 3104, which was chasing the BRP Suluan at high speed, performed a risky manoeuvre from the [Philippine] vessel’s starboard quarter, leading to the impact with the PLA Navy warship,” the Philippine coastguard said.
It also credited the crew’s “seamanship skills” for avoiding a direct hit from the water cannons.
What did China say?
China’s official statements have so far focused on its efforts to expel Philippine vessels from the waters around the Scarborough Shoal.
Gan Yu, a Chinese coastguard spokesman, said the Philippine ships had “disregarded repeated dissuasion and warnings from China” and “forcibly intruded” into the area.
Gan added the Chinese ships had taken “professional, standardised, legitimate and legal” methods to drive away the vessels.
It was unclear if anyone was hurt in the collision or the exact extent of the damage to either Chinese ship.
Ding Duo, an associate research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said that the “relatively small and fast” Philippine vessel had made a “risky” manoeuvre to cross directly in front of the destroyer.
“The Chinese coastguard vessel was pursuing from behind, could not stop in time, and did not give up the chase. The distance involved was actually normal, but the Philippine side chose a different tactic – one with a degree of recklessness and considerable danger,” he said.
What next?
The China Coast Guard and PLA Navy both carry out regular patrols in the South China Sea as part of Beijing’s efforts to assert its sovereignty.
But the accident has raised questions about how well they coordinate their operations in the disputed waters.
Other navies have suffered from similar accidents in the past, including the US Navy, which was involved in three separate collisions – two of them fatal – with commercial ships in the space of just four months in 2017.
Seven sailors died when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine cargo ship off the coast of Japan in June of that year. A further 10 died when the USS John McCain and an oil tanker crashed into each other two months later in waters east of Singapore.
Additional reporting by Carl Zhang and Zhao Ziwen
