Hong Kong Times

Hong Kong Launches First Tokenized Covered Call ETF With Citi and OSL

Mirae Asset Global Investments, Citi and OSL Group have introduced a blockchain-based unit class for the Global X Hang Seng China Enterprises Index Covered Call Active ETF, allowing investors to hold tokenized fund units through OSL’s re...

United States Visa Interview Pause in Hong Kong Disrupts Business Travel

A sudden suspension of US visa interviews in Hong Kong has affected more than one hundred applicants and raised concerns among businesses and professionals, prompting calls for companies to consider alternative expansion markets while di...

Hong Kong Expands Artificial Intelligence Across Public Services to Cut Processing Times

The Hong Kong government has launched thirty artificial intelligence projects across thirteen departments covering areas including licensing, environmental hygiene and complaint handling, with some applications expected to reduce process...

Hong Kong Moves to Attract More Family Offices and Private Funds With Expanded Tax Concessions

Financial authorities are advancing legislation to broaden tax concessions for privately offered funds and family offices by expanding qualifying investments and adjusting exemption and carried-interest rules, as Hong Kong seeks to attra...

Hong Kong Widens International Business Lead Over Singapore but Trails in Technology Investment

A Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce report says the city has strengthened its advantage over Singapore in business conditions, global connectivity and talent diversity, while warning that weaker technology investment could undermine ...

Hong Kong Government-Backed Program With Google and Microsoft Offers Free AI Training to SMEs

The Hong Kong Productivity Council is working with Google and Microsoft on free artificial intelligence training for small and medium-sized businesses under a fifty million Hong Kong dollar initiative aimed at accelerating digital adopti...

Hong Kong Luxury Rental Market Rebounds as Expatriate Demand Strengthens

Hong Kong’s luxury residential rental market is recovering as more wealthy expatriates and professionals relocate to or retire in the city, with analysts citing its low-tax environment and international connectivity even as high interest...

Hong Kong Cyberport Forum Showcases AI, Robotics and Extended Reality Technologies

Cyberport’s Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum is showcasing more than thirty-five interactive experiences involving artificial intelligence, robotics and extended reality, highlighting efforts to combine Hong Kong’s cultural content...

Hong Kong Exchange Moves to Ease Listing Rules Amid Surge in IPO Applications

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing is considering new rules to bring more than three hundred Growth Enterprise Market companies into the main listing pipeline while addressing about five hundred pending IPO applications, in an effort to re...

Hong Kong Raises 2026 Growth Forecast as AI-Related Exports and Domestic Demand Strengthen

Hong Kong’s government has raised its full-year real GDP growth forecast to three point five to four point five percent after the economy expanded four point three percent in the second quarter, supported by domestic consumption and glob...

China’s Electricity Market Faces Greater Price Volatility as Spot Trading Expands

The rapid adoption of market-based electricity pricing alongside rising renewable generation is producing sharper swings in power prices, increasing balancing and operational pressures for generators, retailers and industrial users.

German Companies in China Expect Slowest Wage Growth in More Than a Decade

A survey of German businesses operating in China found that projected employee wage increases are at their lowest level in more than ten years, reflecting caution over domestic consumption and growing pressure on foreign manufacturers' m...

Li Auto Reports Quarterly Loss as China’s Electric Vehicle Price War Intensifies

Chinese electric vehicle maker Li Auto reported weaker revenue and deliveries as consumers increasingly favor pure battery-electric vehicles, putting pressure on hybrid-focused manufacturers facing fierce price competition and high resea...

Chinese Artificial Intelligence Firms Shift Toward Enterprise Customers and Domestic Chips

Z.AI has introduced a low-cost model running entirely on Chinese-made chips, while MiniMax reported a 280 percent increase in revenue driven by enterprise customers, highlighting a shift beyond consumer chatbots as competition intensifies.

Chinese Battery Storage Makers Shift Toward Europe as US Trade Barriers Rise

Chinese energy-storage manufacturers are redirecting exports and investment toward European markets as higher US tariffs and tighter North American supply-chain restrictions make the region increasingly important for maintaining global g...

China’s Rural Medical Insurance Dropout Raises Calls for Greater Elderly Healthcare Support

Rising premiums and stagnant rural incomes are driving more people out of China's rural cooperative medical insurance system, prompting policy experts to call for broader government subsidies to protect healthcare access among the countr...

Deadly Glacial Collapse Hits China-Nepal Border Trade Corridor

A major ice collapse and mudslide along the Bhote Koshi River and in Gyirong County forced the evacuation of residents, workers and tourists from a key trans-Himalayan trade and logistics area after catastrophic flooding killed hundreds ...

China Advances Artificial Intelligence and Gene Editing for Agriculture

Chinese research institutions are developing artificial intelligence-assisted gene-editing tools for agriculture as Beijing seeks to strengthen food security, reduce dependence on imported genetically modified crops and expand domestic b...

Chinese Humanoid Robot Stocks Fall as Investors Demand Clearer Commercial Prospects

Shares of newly listed robotics maker Unitree fell more than 44 percent from their opening-week highs as investors reassessed valuations and sought clearer evidence that humanoid artificial intelligence can generate scalable industrial r...

China Tightens Oversight of Overseas Investments by Individuals and Offshore Structures

The National Development and Reform Commission has drafted rules removing the previous $300 million reporting threshold for overseas reinvestment, bringing wealthy individuals and complex offshore structures under closer scrutiny amid co...

China’s Industrial Profits Gain From Artificial Intelligence Boom as Consumer Demand Remains Weak

Official data show stronger earnings in electronics and technology are offsetting steep declines in automotive manufacturing and consumer goods, underscoring an uneven recovery increasingly driven by artificial intelligence hardware.

Hong Kong Ranks Asia’s Most International City for Second Straight Year

Hong Kong took first place in the 2026 Asian Cities Internationality Index compiled by Ipsos, ranking ahead of Singapore and Seoul on measures including financial markets, human capital and cross-border wealth management.

Hainan Commercial Space Firms Seek Research Partnerships With Hong Kong

Commercial aerospace companies based at Hainan’s Wenchang space hub are seeking closer cooperation with Hong Kong universities and research institutions to combine local research capabilities with mainland China’s growing satellite and r...

Sunny Optical Profit Rises as Chinese Property Developer Earnings Slide

Hong Kong-listed Sunny Optical Technology reported a nearly 10 percent increase in first-half net profit to 1.81 billion yuan, while China Overseas Land and Investment reported an 18 percent-plus decline as weakness in China’s property s...

China Spallation Neutron Source Phase Two in Dongguan Targets 2029 Completion

The second phase of the China Spallation Neutron Source in Dongguan is on track for completion by 2029, with the scientific facility expected to support advanced materials research and greater technology integration across the Greater Ba...

Hong Kong to Unveil First Five-Year Economic Plan Alongside September Policy Address

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said Hong Kong will publish its first Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development with the annual Policy Address on September 16, setting longer-term priorities and performance indicators for the c...

Hong Kong Home Prices Fall 0.5 Percent in July, Ending 13-Month Rise

Hong Kong’s private residential property price index declined 0.5 percent in July, ending its longest run of monthly gains since 2018 as home sales volumes fell about 40 percent from the previous month.

Hong Kong Exports Jump 50.7 Percent in July on Artificial Intelligence Demand

Hong Kong’s total merchandise exports rose 50.7 percent year on year to HK$672.5 billion in July, driven by strong global demand for artificial intelligence-related electronics and marking the strongest half-year trade performance in nea...

Hong Kong Investment Fraud Losses Exceed HK$3.5 Billion in First Half

Hong Kong police have warned of increasingly sophisticated investment scams after reported fraud losses exceeded HK$3.5 billion in the first six months of 2026, including a case in which a resident lost HK$2.8 million to a fake state-bac...

FWD Group First-Half Profit Triples to Record $172 Million

FWD Group reported a record net profit of $172 million for the first half of 2026, nearly three times the year-earlier figure, supported by demand in Hong Kong and its role as a cross-border wealth management hub.

China Tightens National Security Reviews for Outbound Investment

New State Council regulations are imposing broader national security reviews on overseas corporate investment and capital transfers, including restrictions involving sensitive data, core technologies and other assets considered critical ...

Hong Kong Court Keeps PwC as Defendant in $8.6 Billion Evergrande Lawsuit

A Hong Kong court has allowed liquidators of China Evergrande to keep PricewaterhouseCoopers as a primary defendant in an $8.6 billion negligence lawsuit, increasing the legal exposure facing the international accounting firm.

Geely to Pilot Solid-State EV Batteries With Claimed 1,000-Kilometer Range

Geely plans to begin pilot testing solid-state battery packs in passenger vehicles next year, with the company claiming a range of up to 1,000 kilometers per charge and a lifespan of one million kilometers.

Chinese Biotech Firms Use AI to Develop New Gene-Editing Tools

Chinese biotechnology startups are using artificial intelligence to design new DNA-editing mechanisms as they seek alternatives to technologies at the center of costly patent disputes with US companies.

Foreign Investors Sell Beijing and Shanghai Commercial Property at Deep Discounts

International institutional investors are accelerating sales of prime commercial real estate in Beijing and Shanghai at substantial discounts as weak consumption and a retreat from traditional property assets weigh on valuations.

Chinese AI Firm Z.AI Launches Model Designed for Domestic Chips

Z.AI has introduced a language model designed to operate on domestically manufactured semiconductor processors, highlighting efforts by Chinese technology companies to adapt to tighter US restrictions on foreign graphics processors.

German Companies in China Expect Slowest Wage Growth in More Than a Decade

German businesses operating in mainland China expect employee wage growth to reach its lowest level in more than ten years, reflecting cautious economic expectations, a cooling labor market and tighter cost controls.

EHang Abandons Annual Revenue Forecast After Fatal Aircraft Crash

Chinese autonomous aircraft maker EHang has withdrawn its annual revenue targets after a fatal crash led regulators to tighten oversight of low-altitude passenger flights, delaying the wider commercial rollout of urban air mobility servi...

Declining Rural Medical Insurance Enrollment Spurs Calls for More Central Funding

Public health researchers are calling for greater central government subsidies after resident medical insurance enrollment declined sharply over seven years, raising concerns about healthcare costs for elderly and vulnerable rural househ...

China’s Semiconductor Industry Profits Surge 18.5-Fold on Strong AI Demand

Profits in China’s integrated-circuit sector jumped 18.5 times in the first seven months of the year, helping drive a 50.1 percent increase in profits across high-tech manufacturing as domestic demand for computing hardware strengthens.

Taiwan Indicts Nine Over Alleged Smuggling of Advanced AI Servers to China

Taiwanese prosecutors have charged nine people, including employees of Nvidia and Super Micro, over an alleged network that supplied restricted high-performance computing hardware to entities in mainland China.

China Plans 25 Trillion Yuan Infrastructure Push as Property Slump Persists

Chinese state planners are advancing a six-network infrastructure strategy that could channel 25 trillion yuan into the economy through the end of the decade, shifting investment toward energy, logistics and digital infrastructure as res...

China’s Electric Vehicle Exports Jump 147.8 Percent as Domestic Deliveries Decline

Chinese electric vehicle exports rose 147.8 percent in July while domestic deliveries fell 5 percent, prompting automakers to accelerate overseas expansion amid intense price competition at home and tighter international trade barriers.

China Deploys Military Rescue Teams After Deadly Mudslide Near Nepal Border

China’s Western Theater Command has sent Y-20 transport aircraft and military rescue teams to Gyirong County after a major mudslide killed at least three people and left more than 550 missing near the China-Nepal border.

HKG Times