In a series of four investigative reports published starting last week, the independent Hong Kong outlet The Collective (集誌社) exposed potential irregularities in a government-funded mainland China internship program. According to the series, the budget of the Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland has ballooned from HK$23 million in 2014 to over HK$113 million this year, with mainland programs this year accounting for 87 percent of Hong Kong’s overseas exchange budget. The Collective‘s investigation found that over half of audited projects violated guidelines by failing to publish financial reports, while some organizations with questionable backgrounds received millions in funding. Among the recipients, the series alleges, three companies linked to All-China Youth Federation member Wong Yiu-ying (王耀瑩) secured HK$23 million across 18 projects over three years, despite having websites created on identical dates and posting synchronized content.
Read On: Report 1 | Report 2 | Report 3 | Report 4
