Hong Kong Times

Hong Kong Pushes Ahead With Northern Metropolis Development as Costs Top HK$360 Billion

Hong Kong is accelerating land clearance and infrastructure work for the Northern Metropolis, a major development intended to create a technology and residential hub in the New Territories with stronger links to Shenzhen. Analysts estima...

Hong Kong Tourism Board Launches Summer Rewards Campaign to Support Local Retail

The Hong Kong Tourism Board has launched a citywide summer rewards campaign with major digital payment platforms, offering discounts on dining, hotels and shopping through late August. The initiative is aimed at encouraging spending by r...

Hong Kong IPO Proceeds Reach $41 Billion, Surpassing Full-Year 2025 Total

Hong Kong’s initial public offering market has raised $41 billion by early August, already exceeding the amount raised during all of 2025. The rebound strengthens Hong Kong’s role as a major international fundraising center as technology...

Hong Kong Exchange Fund Foreign Assets Rise to HK$3.69 Trillion

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority reported that foreign assets held by the Exchange Fund rose to HK$3.694 trillion in July. The larger reserves provide additional financial-system protection against geopolitical uncertainty, changes in Un...

Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre Doubles Private Jet Capacity With Airport Expansion

The Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre has opened an expanded terminal at Hong Kong International Airport featuring an all-weather canopy and upgraded VIP customs facilities. The expansion doubles private jet handling capacity as the air...

Hong Kong Exchange Launches Five-Year Chinese Government Bond Futures

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing has launched five-year Chinese Government Bond futures, giving international investors a standardized tool for managing interest-rate risks linked to mainland Chinese sovereign debt. The new contract adds...

Hong Kong Raises 2026 Growth Forecast to 3.5%-4.5% as AI-Driven Exports Surge

Hong Kong has raised its 2026 economic growth forecast to between 3.5% and 4.5% after the economy expanded 5.1% in the first half. Strong domestic consumption and a 28.8% increase in goods exports, driven by global demand linked to artif...

Hong Kong Reappoints Clement Cheung as Insurance Authority Chief Executive Through 2029

Hong Kong has reappointed Clement Cheung as chief executive of the Insurance Authority for another three-year term through 2029. The regulator is focusing on expanding regional business, implementing a new risk-based capital regime and d...

China Reports Record July Contraction in Bank Lending as Regulators Shut Hundreds of Rural Lenders

New bank lending in China contracted sharply in July as weak demand from companies and households continued to weigh on borrowing. At the same time, financial regulators have eliminated more than 700 legal-entity financial institutions, ...

SMIC Considers Unplanned Capacity Expansion as AI Chip Demand Pushes Utilization to 93.7 Percent

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation reported second-quarter factory utilization of 93.7 percent and is considering additional production equipment at existing facilities. The company also warned of potential price incre...

China’s Central Bank Unveils First Stand-Alone Five-Year Financial Plan for 2026-2030

The People’s Bank of China has released its first stand-alone five-year plan, setting out measures to expand international use of the renminbi, strengthen macro-prudential regulation and upgrade financial infrastructure including the dig...

China’s AI Adoption in Large Manufacturers Surpasses 30 Percent as State Council Pushes Industrial Deployment

More than 30 percent of designated large manufacturing enterprises in China are now using advanced artificial intelligence, according to official data. State Council guidelines for the Artificial Intelligence Plus initiative call for bro...

Xi Jinping Calls for AI and Satellite Technology to Strengthen China’s Disaster Prevention

President Xi Jinping has called for greater use of artificial intelligence and satellite remote sensing to improve China’s flood-control and disaster-prevention systems. In an essay published by Qiushi, Xi said global warming is increasi...

China’s Coastal Export Hubs Pull Further Ahead of Inland Provinces as AI and Green Technology Demand Grows

Economic indicators show a widening divide between coastal manufacturing centers benefiting from global demand for artificial intelligence components and green technologies and traditional inland regions facing weak domestic demand and l...

China Tightens Exit, Entry and Immigration Consulting Rules Under New State Council Decree

State Council Decree Number 841 will take effect in September 2026, introducing stricter requirements for cross-border travel and immigration services. The rules include enhanced verification of foreign visas, formal compliance obligatio...

Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji Dies at 98

Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, a leading figure in China’s economic reform era, has died at the age of 98, the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council announced. Zhu was credited with guiding China through th...

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...

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