Hong Kong Times

Russia’s A7 Builds a State-Linked Payments Network Beyond Western Sanctions

The two-year-old platform says it handles almost one-fifth of Russia’s foreign-trade payments, while Western governments accuse it of helping Moscow bypass financial restrictions through crypto and opaque settlement channels.

Hyper-Realistic Reborn Dolls Draw Collectors Seeking Comfort and Craft

Handmade dolls that can cost from hundreds of dollars to well into five figures are gaining attention through specialist conventions and online communities.

SHEIN Opens HK$4.8 Billion Hong Kong IPO Subscription as City Courts Major International Listings

Online fashion retailer SHEIN has opened subscriptions for a Hong Kong listing seeking to raise about US$618 million, with Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan sponsoring the offering as Hong Kong seeks to attract major internation...

Hong Kong Data Centre Rents Nearly Double as Mainland Technology Firms Expand Artificial Intelligence Capacity

Wholesale data centre lease prices in Hong Kong have climbed to as much as US$180 per kilowatt this year as mainland technology companies and hyperscalers including Alibaba and Tencent expand capacity, driven by rising demand for artific...

Hong Kong Records 36.9 Degrees Celsius, Highest Temperature Since Records Began in 1884

Hong Kong recorded its highest temperature on record at 36.9 degrees Celsius as subsiding air around Typhoon Dolphin intensified an extreme heatwave, prompting public health warnings and renewed concerns about the city’s ability to cope ...

Hong Kong Faster Payment System to Face Ten-Hour Outage for Network Upgrade

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority will suspend the Faster Payment System for ten hours to carry out network upgrades, temporarily stopping real-time fund transfers and digital wallet transactions and prompting banks and stored-value facil...

Hong Kong Home Prices Forecast to Rise More Than 10 Percent in 2026 as Property Recovery Strengthens

International credit rating agencies and property analysts expect Hong Kong residential prices to increase by more than 10 percent in 2026, with stronger luxury-home demand, an influx of high-earning professionals and reduced developer d...

Hong Kong Exchange Launches Weekly Single-Stock Options to Expand Derivatives Trading

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing has introduced its first single-stock options with weekly and monthly expiries, initially covering companies including ZTE and NIO, giving investors more short-term tools for managing risk as trading in s...

Hong Kong Economy Grows 4.3 Percent as Artificial Intelligence Demand Drives Export Surge

Hong Kong’s real gross domestic product grew 4.3 percent year on year in the second quarter of 2026, while merchandise exports jumped 53.4 percent in June, driven largely by artificial intelligence-related products and supporting expecta...

Cathay Group Reports HK$6.2 Billion Interim Profit and Raises Dividend as Travel Demand Holds Up

Cathay Group recorded an attributable profit of HK$6.2 billion in the first half of 2026, helped by a one-off gain from the partial disposal of Air China shares, and raised its first interim dividend by 30 percent as passenger and cargo ...

Taiwan Holds Amphibious Defense Drills as Chinese Military Activity Continues

Taiwanese forces conducted exercises in Kaohsiung involving coastal missile systems and special operations boats to simulate repelling a landing, while authorities tracked fifteen Chinese naval vessels and multiple military aircraft cros...

Shanghai Commercial Property Deals Accelerate as Investors Seek Distressed Premium Assets

Commercial office transactions in Shanghai and other top-tier cities are picking up despite the wider property downturn, as domestic institutional investors increasingly target premium assets at what they see as potentially attractive ma...

China’s Shift to Real-Time Electricity Pricing Brings Greater Volatility to Power Markets

The expansion of spot electricity trading alongside rapid growth in renewable generation is producing sharper price swings across China’s power sector, increasing balancing costs for industrial users and state-backed generators.

China’s Central Bank Pledges Moderately Loose Monetary Policy and Support for Local Government Debt

The People’s Bank of China said it will strengthen counter-cyclical adjustments, maintain ample liquidity and support the market-oriented reform of local government financing vehicles in the second half of 2026 following a Politburo dire...

Huawei Poised to Capture Half of China’s Artificial Intelligence Chip Market as Nvidia Share Shrinks

Supply chain and equity analysts forecast Huawei could account for half of China’s artificial intelligence processor market by the end of 2026, while Nvidia’s share falls from about forty percent to eight percent as domestic buyers incre...

China Deploys Artificial Intelligence Satellites Capable of In-Orbit Data Processing

A Smart Dragon-3 rocket launched two remote-sensing satellites designed to process disaster-warning and agricultural data in orbit, marking a technology deployment involving partner countries including Uzbekistan and Indonesia.

Typhoon Dolphin Triggers Emergency Responses Across Shanghai and Zhejiang

Shanghai and neighboring Zhejiang province issued red rainstorm alerts as Typhoon Dolphin disrupted ports, flights and metro services, with severe rainfall threatening coastal infrastructure and causing widespread waterlogging.

China’s Export Growth Beats Expectations on Artificial Intelligence and Electronics Demand

Chinese customs data showed stronger-than-expected export growth, although analysts said the increase was driven largely by higher prices for technology components and artificial intelligence hardware rather than a broad recovery in glob...

China Tightens Offshore Trust Tax Rules With Twenty Percent Levy and Back-Tax Grace Period

The State Taxation Administration issued new guidance imposing a twenty percent tax on the establishment, operation and liquidation of offshore trusts, while giving wealthy individuals ninety days to settle outstanding taxes as authoriti...

Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns

The company’s capital spending is consuming most of its free cash flow as it races to turn new AI models and products into a commercially durable business.

Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says

Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says

The former president’s son described the advanced prostate cancer as painful and debilitating, while public details of his current condition remain limited.

Air Traffic Control Outage Grounded Flights Across the Midwest

A failure affecting radar and radio communications at a Minneapolis-area control facility disrupted air travel across nine states before systems were restored.

Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile

A bullish case rests on continued profit growth, easing policy uncertainty and a broader payoff from AI investment; high valuations leave little room for disappointment.

Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings

A lighter calendar can suppress expected stock swings temporarily, while AI spending remains the deeper question for investors.

Hong Kong Raises Silver Bond Coupon Rate to Four Point Two Five Percent Ahead of Fifty Billion Dollar Issuance

The Hong Kong government has increased the guaranteed coupon on its upcoming silver bond offering as it seeks to attract local retail investors and secure domestic funding amid changing United States interest rate conditions.

Swire Results Show Uneven Recovery Across Hong Kong’s Commercial Property Market

Swire Properties reported a stronger recovery in prime Central offices while secondary business districts continue to face high vacancy rates, underscoring the widening gap between Hong Kong’s leading commercial hubs and decentralized ar...

Hong Kong Tourism Spending Remains Well Below Pre-Pandemic Levels Despite Rising Visitor Numbers

Tourist spending fell to one hundred and ninety-seven point five billion Hong Kong dollars, forty-four percent below pre-pandemic levels, prompting industry leaders to call for more experiential attractions and closer cross-border cooper...

Hong Kong Commercial Property Investment Surges One Hundred and Twenty-Nine Percent in Second Quarter

Commercial real estate transactions reached three point one billion United States dollars in the second quarter, making Hong Kong the fastest-growing investment market in the Asia-Pacific region as receivership sales in the office sector...

More Than Two Hundred Mainland Chinese Companies Establish Hong Kong Offices for Global Expansion

Hong Kong Commerce Secretary Algernon Yau said more than two hundred mainland enterprises have established operations in the city as Chinese companies increasingly use Hong Kong as a base for expanding into international markets.

Falling Concrete Disrupts Automated Train Service at Hong Kong International Airport Terminal Two

Structural debris temporarily disabled the automated transit system at Terminal Two, forcing international travellers to use alternative boarding routes and raising concerns about maintenance and infrastructure resilience at the airport.

Hong Kong Charity Launches Artificial Intelligence Chatbot to Help Protect Migrant Workers

Migrasia has introduced an artificial intelligence-based support system for domestic workers that can process complaints, identify patterns of potential abuse and provide legal guidance to people seeking assistance.

Hong Kong Lawmakers and Educators Push for Social Media Ban for Children Under Sixteen

Political figures and educators are calling for legislation to restrict social media access for children under sixteen amid concerns over cyberbullying and digital addiction, potentially marking a significant change in the city’s approac...

Hong Kong Economic Growth Forecast Raised Above Four Percent as AI Exports and Foreign Capital Strengthen Recovery

Hong Kong’s economy expanded five point one percent in the first half of the year, prompting UBS and the Financial Secretary to raise full-year growth forecasts as artificial intelligence exports and returning foreign investment support ...

Hang Seng Index Rises Sharply on Strong Chinese Trade Data and Heavy Technology Buying

Hong Kong stocks climbed to close near twenty-five thousand six hundred and sixty-eight points as strong mainland export figures encouraged buying in healthcare and technology companies including WuXi Biologics and Lenovo.

State-Backed Tourism Developers Face Losses Despite China’s Travel Recovery

Major state-backed tourism companies are reporting heavy losses as idle projects and legacy debt weigh on their finances despite a strong rebound in domestic travel, adding pressure to local governments already constrained by financing b...

Unitree Technology Targets 61 Billion Yuan Valuation in Shanghai Robotics IPO

Chinese robotics maker Unitree Technology has priced its planned Shanghai listing at a valuation of 61 billion yuan, or about 8.4 billion dollars, underscoring strong domestic investor interest in the country’s humanoid robotics industry.

Ellington Electronic Technology Invests 3 Billion Yuan in AI Hardware Manufacturing

Ellington Electronic Technology plans to invest 3 billion yuan in a smart manufacturing facility in Zhongshan that will produce high-layer printed circuit boards for artificial intelligence servers, high-speed switches and optical modules.

China Rebukes Philippines Over Criticism of Ethnic Unity Law

China’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Philippine criticism of its new Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, calling Manila’s statement a political provocation as tensions between the two countries continue over wider bilateral and So...

General Motors and SAIC Extend China Joint Venture for Another 20 Years

General Motors and SAIC Motor have renewed their long-standing joint venture for two decades, with greater emphasis on electric vehicles and smart mobility and plans to use Chinese production capabilities to serve emerging markets.

Axera Semiconductor and BlackBerry QNX Secure Automaker Contracts for Intelligent Driving Platform

Chinese chipmaker Axera Semiconductor and BlackBerry’s QNX division have launched a production-ready intelligent driving platform that has won design contracts from several domestic automakers, with mass production planned for later this...

China Launches Surprise Inspections of Electric Vehicle Makers Over Price Wars

China’s industry ministry has conducted unannounced inspections of five electric vehicle manufacturers as Beijing moves to curb aggressive price-cutting that officials fear is damaging profitability and threatening the sector’s longer-te...

China’s Central Bank Pledges Accommodative Policy as Growth Slows

The People’s Bank of China said monetary policy will remain appropriately loose in the second half of 2026, with timely policy adjustments and ample liquidity aimed at supporting the economy after second-quarter growth slowed to 4.3 perc...

China Becomes South Korea’s Top Export Market as AI Hardware Demand Surges

South Korean exports to China jumped 96 percent in July to 21.7 billion dollars, driven by strong demand for memory chips and artificial intelligence infrastructure and putting China ahead of the United States as Seoul’s largest export d...

Super Typhoon Dolphin Forces Evacuations and Disrupts Yangtze River Delta Logistics

More than 100,000 people have been evacuated in Fujian and Zhejiang as Super Typhoon Dolphin approached China’s eastern coast, while passenger ferry services were suspended and thousands of fishing and construction vessels recalled.

HKG Times