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Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po stated today (December 14th) that public consultation on the new fiscal year's budget is about to begin. One of the key issues will be how to further expand the scope and areas of economic development, accelerate the cultivation and application of innovative technologies, expedite the optimization of the industrial structure, create more high-quality jobs, and add momentum to high-quality development. We look forward to more concrete suggestions from everyone, working together to build a better future for Hong Kong.

On December 14, the Sansha Maritime Safety Administration issued a navigation warning stating that rocket debris will fall in certain waters of the South China Sea between 10:15 and 12:15 on December 16, and entry is prohibited.

On December 14th, a political funds income and expenditure report revealed that at least five branches of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Mie, Osaka, Yamaguchi, Nagasaki, and Kagoshima prefectures used political funds to pay for entertainment venues such as bars and nightclubs. In 2023, these expenditures totaled approximately 1.11 million yen (about 50,000 yuan). According to regulations, LDP branches are not required to record single political fund expenditures of less than 50,000 yen (about 2,264 yuan), suggesting the actual amount of political funds involved in the alleged misuse may be higher. In response to the allegations, the Osaka branch claimed the expenditures were "intended to create a smooth communication environment." The Mie and Nagasaki branches stated they would strengthen their management.

On December 14th, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that two U.S. Army soldiers and one civilian translator were killed and three others wounded in an attack in Syria on December 13th. The Department of Defense stated that the attack was carried out by militants from the extremist group ISIS, and the attackers were killed. In response, U.S. President Trump stated that retaliatory action would be taken. Also on December 13th, Nourdin Baba, a spokesman for the Syrian transitional government's Interior Ministry, said that the gunman who attacked a joint Syrian-U.S. patrol in Homs province in central Syria was a Syrian security officer who may have held extremist views.

On December 14th, local time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is preparing for meetings with the United States and European allies in the coming days. He will travel to Berlin to meet with US and European representatives to discuss "building the foundations of peace." Zelenskyy stated that this series of consultations is "decisive" for Ukraine, and that Ukraine's core objective is "to achieve a decent and just peace." Earlier that day, Germany announced that it would host a US and Ukrainian delegation on the 14th to hold talks on issues such as the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire and to prepare for the summit of European leaders, including Zelenskyy, to be held in Berlin on the 15th. According to previous reports, US Presidential Envoy Witkov and former White House senior advisor Jared Kushner have already departed for Germany to meet with Zelenskyy and other European leaders.

On December 14th, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated on the 13th that if the EU were to utilize frozen Russian assets, it would trigger serious problems. Orbán explained that, firstly, such a move would erode public trust in European trustees; secondly, the Russian central bank has filed a lawsuit against the European Clearing Bank (ECB), which holds a large amount of frozen Russian assets, potentially putting the ECB under pressure to repay its debts. Furthermore, given the enormous sums involved, the economy of Belgium, where the ECB is located, could face collapse.

The Ukrainian POW Reconciliation Center reports that Belarus has transferred 114 civilians to Ukraine, including Ukrainian and Belarusian citizens.

The U.S. Embassy in Lithuania reported that nine prisoners, including Nobel laureate Ales Bialyatsky, have been transferred from Belarus to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Other prisoners are being transferred from Belarus to Ukraine.

On December 13, the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius (the capital of the Republic of Lithuania) announced that Belarus had released 123 prisoners following a meeting between U.S. Special Envoy Cole and Belarusian President Lukashenko, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialyatsky. The released prisoners, who were transferred to Lithuania, included Belarusian citizens, U.S. citizens, and citizens of other countries. The U.S. will continue diplomatic efforts to release the remaining political prisoners in Belarus. The embassy stated that the U.S. is prepared to engage with Belarus in a manner consistent with U.S. interests.

The Belarusian Presidential Palace announced that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 123 prisoners in connection with an agreement reached with the United States. Those pardoned include individuals convicted of terrorism, extremism, and espionage.

According to Belarusian opposition media: Belarusian authorities have released Belarusian opposition politician Maria Kolesnikova.

Two Syrian local officials said that a joint US-Syrian military patrol was attacked by unidentified attackers in central Syria.

December 13th - According to Japan's Jiji Press, Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama essentially expressed her approval of the Bank of Japan's expected interest rate hike on Saturday. Speaking in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, she stated, "There are no major disagreements between us and the Bank of Japan. Given the continued circulation of related reports, I felt it necessary to make a clear statement." Previous media reports indicated that the Bank of Japan might raise its policy rate from the current approximately 0.5% to approximately 0.75% at its two-day monetary policy meeting ending next Friday.

The Israeli military said it struck a "key Hamas terrorist" in Gaza City.

On December 13th, Chery Automobile (09973.HK) issued a statement expressing its firm support for the "Guidelines on Price Behavior Compliance in the Automotive Industry" and its commitment to promoting high-quality development. Chery Automobile consistently upholds a long-term perspective, opposes price wars and "involutionary" competition, and will actively respond to the spirit of the "Guidelines," comprehensively reviewing price behavior across the entire supply chain and continuously strengthening compliance management and system construction. Chery Automobile pledges to ensure transparent pricing, oppose any form of price fraud and manipulation, return competition to its core value creation principles, oppose any malicious competition that disrupts the healthy ecosystem of the industry, deepen cooperation through compliance, and encourage partners to implement the spirit of the "Guidelines" to jointly maintain a healthy market ecosystem.

On December 13, the head of the Zaporizhia region appointed by Russia, Baritsky, stated that two external power transmission lines simultaneously disconnected in the early hours of the day, causing the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to lose its external power supply. During this time, backup diesel generators automatically started, and all systems were operating normally. No incidents were recorded that could compromise the safe operation of the nuclear power plant. Baritsky stated that the external power supply to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has now been fully restored. The backup diesel generators have entered standby mode, all safety systems are operating normally, and radiation levels are within normal ranges. Relevant departments are investigating the cause of the external power line disconnection.

According to Belarusian state media, U.S. envoy Kohler stated that he discussed the issues of Ukraine and Venezuela with Belarusian President Lukashenko.

On December 13, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated, "In response to last night's terrorist attacks on civilian targets within Russia by Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces launched a large-scale strike early this morning against facilities of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex and the energy facilities that support their operation." The Russian Armed Forces used land-based and sea-based precision-guided weapons in the attack, including Kinzhal missiles and drones. Energy and industrial facilities in Odessa were damaged. Much of Odessa is experiencing power outages, water shortages, and heating disruptions. An explosion was also reported in Podolsk, Odessa Oblast. Ukraine's DTEK Energy Company stated that 20 substations in the region were damaged.

Russian Ministry of Defense: Troops from the Eastern Military District are advancing in a special military operations zone.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: I hope to discuss a Ukraine-Russia peace plan with US President Donald Trump after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.