Charisse Pham
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The complex had been under renovation and was covered in bamboo scaffolding and netting.
The netting and some other construction material were not up to standard, according to police.
As they caught fire, some scaffolding collapsed and turned into falling debris, blocking emergency vehicles in the early hours of the fire, an official from the fire department said.
Police have arrested three people from the contract company in charge of the renovations on suspicion of manslaughter.
For NPR News, I'm Charisse Pham in Hong Kong.
It's the deadliest fire Hong Kong has seen in decades.
The Five Alarm Fire, Hong Kong's highest level, burned for several hours.
The public housing complex where the fire broke out is home to about 4,600 people.
The high-rise apartment towers had been under renovation and covered in bamboo scaffolding.
Three people have been arrested on suspected manslaughter charges.
Hong Kong police said that construction material found around the buildings did not meet safety standards, were highly flammable, and may have been the reason the fire spread so quickly.
For NPR News, I'm Charisse Pham in Hong Kong.
I'm so surprised how well it's going.
Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer will meet Beijing's lead economic representative He Lifeng in Switzerland. The meetings could potentially pave the way for broader trade talks. The U.S. and China have been locked in a tit-for-tat trade war. Both sides have imposed hefty tariffs on each other's goods, making trade between the two nations near impossible.
Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer will meet Beijing's lead economic representative He Lifeng in Switzerland. The meetings could potentially pave the way for broader trade talks. The U.S. and China have been locked in a tit-for-tat trade war. Both sides have imposed hefty tariffs on each other's goods, making trade between the two nations near impossible.
Investors and global policymakers will be looking for any signs of an off-ramp as the ongoing trade war threatens a global recession. A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said that China's door remains open for negotiation, but that it will not, quote, sacrifice its principles for just any agreement. For NPR News, I'm Cherise Pham in Hong Kong.
Investors and global policymakers will be looking for any signs of an off-ramp as the ongoing trade war threatens a global recession. A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said that China's door remains open for negotiation, but that it will not, quote, sacrifice its principles for just any agreement. For NPR News, I'm Cherise Pham in Hong Kong.