Hong Kong Times

CK Hutchison Profit Surges on European Asset Sales as Group Maintains Cautious Outlook

CK Hutchison reported first-half net profit of twenty-six point eight billion Hong Kong dollars, up sharply because of gains from selling stakes in United Kingdom utilities and telecommunications assets, while underlying profit rose seve...

Hong Kong Completes Consultation on First Five-Year Economic and Social Development Plan

The Hong Kong government has concluded a two-month consultation on its first five-year plan for 2026 to 2030, which aims to align the city’s development with China’s national planning priorities while strengthening innovation, technology...

Hong Kong Home Prices Rise Eight Percent in 2026 as Property Market Recovery Gains Ground

Hong Kong residential property values increased three percent in the second quarter, taking the year-to-date gain to eight percent as lower interest rates, the removal of market-cooling measures and renewed demand from mainland Chinese b...

Hong Kong Launches First Regulated Hong Kong Dollar Stablecoin With Institutional Access

Anchorpoint Financial, backed by Standard Chartered, Animoca Brands and HKT, has launched HKDAP, a regulated stablecoin pegged to the Hong Kong dollar, initially for institutional and professional investors with retail access planned for...

High-Speed Rail Trips Between Hong Kong and Mainland China Surpass Twenty Million

Passenger journeys on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed rail network exceeded twenty million by the second week of August, reaching the milestone eleven days earlier than last year as tourism, cross-border business and consumer...

MTR Reports Strong First-Half Revenue as Railway and Property Businesses Support Growth

MTR Corporation recorded first-half revenue of twenty-six point two billion Hong Kong dollars and underlying profit of fifteen point six billion Hong Kong dollars, beating market expectations as its railway operations and property busine...

Hong Kong IPO Fundraising Surpasses Forty-One Billion Dollars, Already Exceeding Full-Year 2025 Total

Initial public offerings in Hong Kong have raised forty-one billion US dollars by early August, surpassing the total for all of 2025 as global investors increasingly look to Asian markets for diversification and the city targets another ...

Hong Kong Raises 2026 Growth Forecast as Artificial Intelligence Demand Drives Export Surge

Hong Kong has lifted its full-year economic growth forecast to three point five to four point five percent after the economy expanded five point one percent in the first half, with second-quarter goods exports rising twenty-eight point n...

China’s C919 Passenger Jet Completes First International Commercial Flight

The domestically developed narrow-body aircraft completed its first international flight to Mongolia, marking a significant step in China’s effort to establish the C919 as a competitor to Airbus and Boeing in the global commercial aviati...

Alibaba Opens Qwen Artificial Intelligence Platform to Third-Party Consumer Developers

Alibaba is allowing outside developers to integrate its Qwen artificial intelligence agents into smartphones, personal computers and smart devices as the company seeks to expand the technology’s consumer reach.

Chinese AI Startup Manus Buys Back Meta Stake as Tencent Emerges as Lead Investor

Manus has secured a two-billion-dollar valuation in a buyback of equity from Meta after Chinese regulators ordered the unwinding of the American technology company’s acquisition, with Tencent emerging as the startup’s leading backer.

China Directs Flying Vehicle Industry to Develop Freight Applications Before Passenger Services

Chinese aviation regulators have told electric vertical takeoff and landing manufacturers to establish viable cargo businesses before pursuing more complex urban passenger operations, reflecting a cautious approach to commercializing fly...

China Rejects Philippine and Australian Protests Over South China Sea Operations

China’s Defense Ministry has defended recent coast guard operations near Ren’ai Jiao as restrained responses to Philippine vessels, rejecting diplomatic criticism from Manila and Canberra over activities in the disputed maritime area.

Ecuador President Daniel Noboa Plans State Visit to China

President Daniel Noboa is scheduled to visit Beijing in a move aimed at strengthening political trust and economic cooperation between Ecuador and China, including broader trade and infrastructure ties.

Chinese Chipmaker Yangtze Memory Rises to Third in Global NAND Flash Shipments

Yangtze Memory Technologies overtook Kioxia to become the world’s third-largest NAND flash supplier in the second quarter, benefiting from strong artificial intelligence demand and tight industry capacity despite United States export con...

China’s New Energy Vehicles Surpass Sixty Percent of Domestic Auto Sales

Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles accounted for more than six in ten new vehicle sales in China in July, marking a historic threshold in the country’s shift away from conventional internal combustion engines.

Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji Dies at Ninety-Eight

Zhu Rongji, a key architect of China’s economic reforms who oversaw major state-owned enterprise restructuring and China’s entry into the World Trade Organization, has died at the age of 98.

China’s Central Bank Sets Five-Year Plan to Deepen Financial Reform and Renminbi Internationalization

The People’s Bank of China has unveiled a 2026-to-2030 framework to expand cross-border payments, develop offshore renminbi markets and strengthen Shanghai and Hong Kong as international financial centers while containing financial risks.

Tai Po Fire Probe Finds Non-Compliant Safety Nets Were Ordered Before Deadly Blaze

Documents from an independent investigation into the fatal Wang Fuk Court fire show that subcontractors had explicitly ordered non-fire-retardant safety nets, prompting lawmakers to call for tighter procurement rules and stronger account...

MTR Corporation Profit More Than Doubles to HK$15.87 Billion on Property Gains

Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation reported first-half net profit of HK$15.87 billion, up 106 percent from a year earlier, as property development gains lifted results and the rail operator prepared to tender two major property projects over th...

Hong Kong Exchange Expands Weekly and Monthly Single-Stock Options

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing is introducing new single-stock option classes in August, including weekly and monthly expiries, as it seeks to deepen derivatives liquidity and give investors more targeted tools for managing market risk.

A-H Share Premium Hits One-Year High as Mainland Investors Favour AI Stocks

Mainland-listed shares of companies with Hong Kong dual listings are trading at a 23 percent premium to their H-share counterparts, the widest gap in nearly a year, as strong mainland demand for artificial intelligence and technology sto...

Hong Kong Seeks Companies for Logistics Hub in Northern Metropolis

Hong Kong authorities have designated large land parcels in the Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen New Development Area for a logistics cluster intended to support cross-border trade and connect the city’s supply chain infrastructure more closel...

UBS Expects Hong Kong Home Prices to Stay Flat Through 2027

UBS expects Hong Kong residential property prices to remain broadly unchanged over the next 18 months as interest-rate uncertainty, wider economic pressures and restrictions on cross-border investment continue to limit demand from mainla...

Hong Kong IPO Market Raises $41 Billion, Surpassing Full-Year 2025 Total

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing says the city’s initial public offering market has raised $41 billion by early August, exceeding the full-year 2025 total as the exchange attracts a broader mix of international listings alongside Chinese...

Mainland China’s 20% Offshore Trust Tax Raises Concerns for Hong Kong Wealth Managers

New mainland Chinese tax oversight and a 20 percent levy on offshore trusts are creating uncertainty for Hong Kong’s wealth management and insurance sectors, although regulatory experts say greater transparency in cross-border arrangemen...

Hong Kong Watchdog Raids Contractors Over Suspected HK$500 Million Bid-Rigging Scheme

Hong Kong’s Competition Commission has searched four building contractor offices as part of an investigation into suspected bid-rigging involving 28 building maintenance projects with a combined estimated value of HK$500 million.

SF Real Estate Investment Trust Reports 7.3% Drop in First-Half Distributable Income

SF Real Estate Investment Trust reported a 7.3 percent decline in first-half distributable income despite maintaining portfolio occupancy of 96.8 percent at the end of June, highlighting pressure on Hong Kong’s logistics property market ...

Shein Targets Hong Kong Listing That Could Raise Up to $3 Billion

Fast-fashion retailer Shein is targeting a Hong Kong listing in August that could raise as much as $3 billion at a valuation of about $50 billion, turning to the city’s exchange after facing regulatory obstacles to listings in New York a...

Hong Kong Closes Consultation on First Five-Year Economic and Social Development Plan

Hong Kong has concluded a two-month public consultation on its 2026 to 2030 economic and social development plan, with professional groups urging the government to expand the city’s role in global capital markets and strengthen its posit...

Hong Kong Professionals Use Artificial Intelligence at More Than Twice the Global Average

A new academic survey found that 72 percent of corporate professionals in Hong Kong regularly use artificial intelligence tools in their daily work, although the rapid adoption is also contributing to increased job-security concerns amon...

Former Hong Kong Observatory Directors Push for Global Heat Warning Standard

Several former directors of the Hong Kong Observatory are urging the government to replace the existing heat-stress alert system with the internationally recognized Wet Bulb Globe Temperature standard, seeking stronger protections for ou...

CK Hutchison Reports 1% Decline in Global Port Throughput After Panama Exit

CK Hutchison Holdings said the forced termination of its operating rights at key Panamanian ports contributed to a 1 percent decline in global port throughput during the first half of the year, underscoring the impact of geopolitical and...

Standard Chartered-Backed HKDAP Becomes Hong Kong’s First Regulated Stablecoin

A joint venture led by Standard Chartered has launched HKDAP, described as Hong Kong’s first regulated stablecoin, for corporate clients and professional investors as the city develops its digital-asset market amid competition and restri...

Beijing Expands World Humanoid Robot Games as China Pushes Embodied AI

The second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing will feature more than 2,000 robots from 16 countries across 51 technical categories, quadrupling the scale of last year’s inaugural event as China expands its focus on commercializing hum...

Senior ICBC Retail Banking Executive Disappears Amid Expanding Corruption Investigation

Zhang Hangyu, a senior retail banking executive at Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, has disappeared amid an expanding graft investigation, adding to recent regulatory and disciplinary actions involving personal banking operations...

Huawei Holds 20% Weekly Smartphone Share in China Despite Market Contraction

Huawei maintained about 20 percent of China’s weekly smartphone market during the first half of 2026 even as overall domestic sales fell 8.6 percent year on year, reinforcing the company’s position as competition intensifies with Apple a...

China Drafts New 2030 Air Quality Plan With Tighter Regional Pollution Controls

China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment is preparing a nationwide action plan targeting average fine particulate matter concentrations below 27 micrograms per cubic meter by 2030, with stricter controls planned for major industrial r...

Hong Kong Excludes Proprietary Traders From Planned Corporate Tax Break

Hong Kong financial authorities have confirmed that proprietary trading firms will not qualify for a planned corporate tax exemption designed to strengthen the city’s capital markets, limiting the scope of the measure as Hong Kong compet...

China Extends Anti-Dumping Duties on Indian Optical Fiber for Five Years

China’s Ministry of Commerce will extend anti-dumping duties on single-mode optical fiber imported from India for another five years from August 14, following a review requested by domestic manufacturers and as the country expands next-g...

China’s New Energy Vehicles Reach Record 65.1% Retail Market Share

China’s new energy vehicles captured a record 65.1 percent of retail car sales in July as battery-electric sales rose 6 percent while internal combustion engine vehicle sales plunged 44 percent year on year, widening the shift toward ele...

Huawei Leads China’s Push Toward Domestic Artificial Intelligence Chip Supply

China’s high-end artificial intelligence processor market is projected to become nearly 90 percent domestically supplied by the end of the year, with Huawei expected to lead local producers as export controls and rising demand accelerate...

China’s Central Bank Signals Greater Focus on Short-Term Rates and Targeted Technology Lending

The People’s Bank of China plans to diversify loan-pricing benchmarks and refine its short-term interest-rate framework to improve monetary policy transmission, while continued strong lending to technology, green energy and digital econo...

China Aligns Administrative Rules With New Ecological and Environmental Code

Premier Li Qiang has approved revisions to 12 administrative regulations and the repeal of three others ahead of the Ecological and Environmental Code taking effect on August 15, strengthening alignment with national pollution controls a...

China’s Kimi Launches AI-Focused Credit Card With Agricultural Bank of China and American Express

The July launch links credit-card spending and rewards to Kimi memberships and AI computing benefits, although some claims about conversational banking functions go beyond what the companies’ official materials currently confirm.

HKG Times