Events in the year 2018 in Hong Kong.
Incumbents Executive branch Chief Executive: Carrie Lam Chief Secretary for Administration: Matthew Cheung Financial Secretary: Paul Mo-po Chan Secretary for Justice: Rimsky Yuen (until 5 January), then Teresa Cheng
Legislative branch President of the Legislative Council: Andrew Leung
Judicial branch Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal: Geoffrey Ma
Events January 1 January The New Year's Day March, organised by Civil Human Rights Front, takes place. Demonstrators from the "Co-location" Concern Group and People Power enter the East Wing Forecourt of the Central Government Complex, also known as "Civic Square", after the march ended. Scuffles occur between protesters and security guards. The Sleeping Beauty Castle at Hong Kong Disneyland closes, and the last performance of the Disney in the Stars firework show takes place. This is to make way for the transformation of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. 3 January Frankly Chu, a retired superintendent, is found guilty of assault occasioning bodily harm and jailed for three months, for hitting a pedestrian with a baton in Mong Kok during the 2014 Hong Kong protests. He is released immediately on bail pending appeal. The balloting procedure for the sale of the subsidised housing Terrace Concerto (in Tuen Mun) and Mount Verdant (in Tseung Kwan O) takes place. 5 January The State Council approves the appointment of Teresa Cheng as the Secretary for Justice, replacing Rimsky Yuen, who had resigned earlier. Cleaning workers at Hoi Lai Estate in Cheung Sha Wan end a 10-day strike. An investigation by Queen Mary Hospital finds the behaviour of Kelvin Kwok-chai Ng, a former part-time associate professor at the hospital and the University of Hong Kong (HKU), 'unacceptable' and 'unnecessary'. On 13 October 2017, he left a liver transplant operation for another planned surgery in a private hospital. The report does not specify any penalty or responsibility. Ng accepts the report and hopes to become a full-time employee at the university. In late February, HKU's Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine announces Ng's contract will not be renewed. Ng has since become a consultant at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital. 6 January – Suspected unauthorised structures are found at the homes of Teresa Cheng, the Secretary for Justice, and her husband Otto Lok-to Poon at Villa De Mer, Tuen Mun. 8 January – Patrick Ho, former Secretary for Home Affairs, pleads not guilty in New York City, to federal charges that he had bribed officials from Chad and Uganda. 9 January The Buildings Department confirms the presence of unauthorised structures at the homes of Teresa Cheng and her husband Otto Lok-to Poon, including a basement, a rooftop glasshouse, a pond, and an extended wall on the ground floor. The father and stepmother of 5-year-old Sui-lam Chan, who allegedly died due to child abuse, appear in court. The prosecution says Chan was hurled up and hit the ceiling before her death, and both her and her brother have been repeatedly assaulted by bamboo sticks and scissors. Benny Tai, Chan Kin-man, Chu Yiu-ming, Tanya Chan, Shiu Ka-chun, Tommy Cheung, Yiu-wa Chung, Raphael Wong and Lee Wing-tat appear in court for charges of public nuisance during the 2014 Hong Kong protests. 14 January – A 42-year-old South Korean man is arrested for murdering his wife of the same age and 6-year-old son at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. 17 January – 16 participants of the 2014 Hong Kong protests, including Joshua Wong, Lester Shum and Raphael Wong are found guilty of failing to comply with a court order. Joshua Wong and Raphael Wong are sentenced to jail, while Shum and the other defendants receive suspended sentences. 18 January Edward Leung and 5 other protesters during the 2016 Mong Kok civil unrest appear in court for charges including rioting. Ray Wong and another protester fail to appear in court and are issued arrest warrants. Philip Dykes is elected as the next chairperson of the Bar Council of the Hong Kong Bar Association, defeating incumbent Paul Lam. 24 January – Tsz-kei Lau, the president of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) Students' Union, and Andrew Lok-hang Chan, a fifth-year student at the HKBU School of Chinese Medicine, are suspended for violating the students' code of conduct, until a disciplinary investigation into their protest on 17 January is complete. Over 10 students, including Lau and Chan, protested at the Language Centre for 8 hours, and demanded more transparency in an exemption test for an otherwise mandatory Putonghua course. A video clip later showed Lau speaking profanity to staff members. 26 January – The Hang Seng Index closes at an all-time high, at 33,154.12 points. 27 January – Agnes Chow, a member of Demosistō, is barred from standing in the March 2018 Hong Kong by-elections, on the grounds that her party advocates for self-determination for Hong Kong. 31 January Electoral officials bar Ventus Lau from running in the March 2018 Hong Kong by-elections, based on previous comments he had made in support of Hong Kong independence. The candidacy of Au Nok-hin, who runs in the place of Agnes Chow, is confirmed. An unexploded bomb from World War II is found in a construction site in Wan Chai, the second one in 5 days.
February 1 February Localist camp Sha Tin District Councillor James Kwok-keung Chan becomes the third candidate disqualified from the March 2018 Hong Kong by-elections. United States lawmakers nominate Joshua Wong, Nathan Law, Alex Chow and other contributors to the Umbrella Movement for the Nobel Peace Prize. 6 February – The Court of Final Appeal overturns the decision of the Court of Appeal by ruling to free Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow, who were charged for their entering of the East Wing Forecourt of the Central Government Office during the 2014 Hong Kong protests. The court rules the sentencing guideline endorsed by the Court of Appeal should not be applied retroactively. 9 February – Hang Seng Index closes at 29507 points, falling over 3000 points and marking the greatest weekly drop by points. 10 February – A Kowloon Motor Bus double-decker bus running on route 872 tips over on Tai Po Road near Tai Po Mei in Tai Po, killing 19 people and injuring 66. The driver allegedly lost control of the bus while making a turn. Victims say passengers have yelled at the driver for departing Sha Tin Racecourse late.
12 February – Albert Kwai-huen Wong, chairman of the Communications Authority, resigns as he announces his failure to disclose the ownership of China Mobile stocks. 13 February – The High Court dismisses the election petition submitted by Ho-tin Chan, convenor of the Hong Kong National Party and rules returning officers can ban candidates from running when their political views suggest they would not uphold the Basic Law. 14 February – The Court of First Instance upholds the requirement that foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong must live with their employers. 17 February – The annual ritual of drawing fortune sticks (also known as kau chim) takes place at Che Kung Miu. Kenneth Ip-keung Lau, chairperson of the Heung Yee Kuk, and Che-kee Lee, vice-chairperson of the Sha Tin Rural Committee, each draws a stick on behalf of Hong Kong and Sha Tin District respectively. The master of ceremonies mixes up the sticks, and Lau says it was arranged by the deity Che Kung. 20 February – The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing reopens its trading hall after renovation, renaming it the HKEX Connect Hall, which also houses the HKEX Museum of Finance. 24 February – Wai-yan Wan, brother of Wesley Wan and son of the former member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Tommy Tai-min Wan, dies from a car crash in Sai Wan. He is suspected to be having a heart attack before losing control of his car. 28 February – Financial Secretary Paul Mo-po Chan releases the Budget for the 2018–19 fiscal year.
March 5 March – The West Kowloon Magistrates' Court dismisses a charge of contempt of the Legislative Council against then-lawmaker Kwok-hung Leung, ruling the charge does not apply to lawmakers. 11 March – The March 2018 Hong Kong by-elections takes place for vacancies resulting from the disqualification of legislative councillors over the 2016 oath-taking controversy. The four vacancies are the Hong Kong Island, Kowloon West and New Territories East geographical constituencies and the Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape functional constituency. The opposition pan-democrats and pro-government camp each win two seats. Vincent Wing-shun Cheng of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong becomes the first pro-government candidate to win in a geographical constituency by-election. 16 March Ka-shing Li, Hong Kong's richest person and chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings, announces his retirement after the annual general meeting on 10 May. The government submits the outline of the National Anthem Bill to the Legislative Council. The High Court sentences Cheung-fai Lau to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting and murdering a 15-year-old part-time model. 23 March Financial Secretary Paul Mo-po Chan announces the Caring and Sharing Scheme after criticisms of the Budget. The scheme will see all Hong Kong residents aged 18 years or above who do not own property, are not under government allowance and do not pay income tax receiving HKD$4000. Residents who are eligible for tax breaks announced in the Budget will receive the difference between the concessionary amount and HKD$4000. The train to run on the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link is named Vibrant Express. 27 March HKTV announces it will withdraw the application for domestic free-to-air television programme service licence submitted to the Communications Authority in April 2014, and will surrender its mobile television license. The MTR Corporation announces a fare increase of 3.14% beginning June 2018, prompting backlash against the profitmaking and sole rail company in Hong Kong.
April 18 April – Hong Kong Broadband Network acknowledges a breach at an inactive customer database, affecting about 380,000 clients. 25 April – Opposition pan-democrat lawmaker Chi-fung Hui admits to and apologises for taking the phone of a female Security Bureau employee and then running into a men's washroom in the Legislative Council Complex during a committee meeting on 24 April. The employee was locating pro-government lawmakers in the Legislative Council Complex to ensure a sufficient number of them would turn up for the committee meeting, which has been debating a government bill for juxtaposed border control at the Hong Kong West Kowloon railway station. 26 April – The Task Force on Land Supply begins a 5-month public consultation on increasing land supply.
May 5 May – Opposition pan-democrat legislative councillor Chi-fung Hui is arrested over the phone-snatching incident on 24 April. 10 May – Ka-shing Li, Hong Kong's richest person officially retires and steps down as chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings, after holding his last meeting with shareholders. 11 May – A woman falls into an elevator shaft and dies at Paris Court in Sheung Wan Town Centre. 16 May – While covering a hearing on human rights lawyer Yanyi Xie in Beijing, a Now TV journalist is injured, handcuffed, dragged into a van and arrested by police officers. This comes after a Hong Kong Cable Television journalist is assaulted in Sichuan when reporting on the 10th anniversary of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. 17 May – Localist camp lawmaker Chung-tai Cheng keeps his seat, after the Legislative Council voted not to censure him for turning national and Hong Kong flag replicas upside down in 2016.