Hong Kong Times

AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices

The race to build data centres and buy advanced chips is lifting investment, construction and stock values, while increasing debt, import demand and pressure on technology supply chains.

Indonesia’s Free School Meals Plan Has Been Hit by Poisoning, Corruption and Cuts

President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship nutrition programme aimed to reach tens of millions of children and pregnant women, but its rapid rollout has exposed major failures in food safety and oversight.

Hong Kong Launches First Offshore Five-Year China Government Bond Futures Contract

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing has introduced a Five-Year China Government Bond Futures contract, the first of its kind in the offshore market, giving global investors a new hedging tool while strengthening the city's role in offshore ...

UBS Raises Hong Kong's 2026 Growth Forecast on Strong Exports and Financial Activity

UBS has lifted its 2026 economic growth forecast for Hong Kong to 4.5 percent from 3.3 percent, citing resilient high-value exports, a recovering tourism sector and expectations that the government's upcoming five-year development plan w...

Shein Seeks Lower Valuation Ahead of Planned Hong Kong Initial Public Offering

Online retailer Shein is targeting a valuation of between 30 billion and 40 billion US dollars for its planned Hong Kong listing, down sharply from its previous 64 billion dollar private valuation, while offering 1.1 billion dollars in c...

Cathay Pacific Raises Passenger Fuel Surcharges as Jet Fuel Costs Increase

Cathay Pacific will increase passenger fuel surcharges from August 1 after higher global jet fuel prices linked to tensions in the Middle East pushed up operating costs, although the revised charges remain below the levels seen earlier t...

City University of Hong Kong Wins Record Research Funding for Science and Computing Projects

City University of Hong Kong secured the largest share of funding under the latest Research Grants Council flagship schemes, backing three major five-year projects in clean energy, applied physics and computing to strengthen the city's r...

Hong Kong Home Sales Fall Sharply as Property Market Loses Momentum

Residential sale and purchase agreements in Hong Kong fell 41.7 percent from the previous month to 4,462 transactions in July, while total transaction value dropped nearly 45 percent to 41.9 billion Hong Kong dollars, pointing to a marke...

Hong Kong Begins Public Consultation for Policy Address and First Five-Year Development Plan

Chief Executive John Lee has launched territory-wide consultations to gather public and stakeholder views for this year's policy address and Hong Kong's first comprehensive five-year development blueprint, with the aim of guiding long-te...

China Strengthens Outbound Investment Rules to Counter Foreign Trade Restrictions

New State Council regulations on outbound direct investment have taken effect, giving Chinese authorities the power to investigate and respond to foreign governments that impose what Beijing considers discriminatory trade or investment m...

Indonesia Launches First Sovereign Panda Bond in China's Domestic Market

Indonesia raised seven billion yuan through its inaugural sovereign panda bond, strengthening financial ties with China while marking a significant step in the broader international use of the renminbi.

Taiwan Expands Civilian Mobilization Planning Ahead of Annual Military Exercises

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said this year's Han Kuang exercises will include simulations for relocating arms production and mobilizing civilian infrastructure in response to growing concerns over potential Chinese blockade ope...

DeepSeek Expands Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Development as Competition Intensifies

Chinese artificial intelligence developer DeepSeek has begun broader testing of software that enables large language models to operate as autonomous agents, while continuing aggressive price reductions in the global race for artificial i...

Alibaba Gains as New Qwen AI Model Counters Broader Technology Selloff

Alibaba shares rose seven percent in Hong Kong after the company unveiled an advanced multimodal Qwen artificial intelligence model with enhanced autonomous agent capabilities, outperforming a broader decline in technology and semiconduc...

China Tightens Controls on Cross-Border Fund Trading to Limit Financial Risks

Financial regulators ordered brokerages to suspend new cross-border total return swaps for private funds, closing a regulatory loophole that had enabled offshore leverage and capital outflows.

People's Bank of China Signals Continued Monetary Support and New Technology Bond Market

China's central bank pledged to maintain a moderately loose monetary policy, ensure ample liquidity and establish a dedicated technology board in the bond market to channel more financing into strategic scientific and technological innov...

China's Manufacturing Growth Slows as Domestic Demand Remains Weak

The Caixin Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index eased to 50.9 in July, missing expectations and following contraction in the official manufacturing survey, highlighting continued weakness in domestic demand despite recent policy supp...

Market-Based Electricity Pricing Increases Cost Pressures for Heavy Industry

China's transition toward real-time electricity pricing is exposing manufacturers and energy-intensive artificial intelligence data centers to greater fluctuations in power costs as the country deepens electricity market reforms.

China Prepares Response to Potential United States Sanctions on Artificial Intelligence Companies

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce are drafting countermeasures, including possible restricted-entity designations, after the United States threatened sanctions against Chinese technology companies over alleged ...

China Revises Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling Rules to Improve Safety

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology removed cascade utilization provisions from regulations governing used electric vehicle batteries, reshaping the recycling framework to address safety concerns as electric vehicle adopt...

China Approves Major Infrastructure and Nuclear Expansion Under Fifteenth Five-Year Plan

Premier Li Qiang chaired a State Council meeting that accelerated construction of six national infrastructure networks covering computing, next-generation communications and power grids, while approving four new nuclear power projects to...

Hong Kong and Shenzhen Advance Cross-Border Data Links and Northern Metropolis Integration

Hong Kong and Shenzhen have agreed to develop new cross-boundary transport connections and secure data transfer infrastructure, supporting closer cooperation between technology companies and research institutions across the Greater Bay A...

Hong Kong's Top Talent Pass Scheme Attracts More Than 100,000 Skilled Professionals

The Hong Kong government said its Top Talent Pass Scheme has brought more than 100,000 highly qualified professionals to the city and is now shifting its focus toward long-term integration through housing support and employment initiatives.

Hong Kong Issues Record Multi-Currency Sovereign Green Bond Offering

The Hong Kong SAR Government has successfully issued a record multi-currency sovereign green bond under its updated Sustainable Finance Framework, attracting strong demand from international institutional investors and reinforcing the ci...

Hong Kong Tourism Strategy Shifts Toward Higher-Value Cultural and Business Visitors

The Hong Kong Tourism Board is expanding campaigns aimed at cultural, business and experiential travellers as the tourism industry adapts to changing spending patterns and increasing demand for premium travel experiences.

Hong Kong Technology Parks Secure New Venture Capital for AI and Microelectronics

Cyberport and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation have secured fresh institutional venture capital commitments to support the commercialization of artificial intelligence and advanced microelectronics research through publ...

Hong Kong Arbitration Centre Reports Record Caseload as Cross-Border Legal Cooperation Expands

The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre has recorded its highest number of cases, supported by legal arrangements with Mainland Chinese courts that strengthen cross-border commercial dispute resolution and asset enforcement.

Hong Kong Launches Green Maritime Fuel Framework and Digital Port Platform

The Hong Kong government has introduced incentives for green bunkering alongside a unified digital port community platform to improve logistics efficiency, support shipping decarbonization and strengthen the city's position as a global t...

Hong Kong Wealth Management Assets Surpass HK$40 Trillion as Cross-Border Investment Grows

Assets under management in Hong Kong's private wealth sector have risen above HK$40 trillion, supported by expanded Wealth Management Connect quotas, relaxed eligibility rules and continued growth in family offices establishing operation...

Hong Kong Property Market Shows Signs of Recovery After Mortgage Rule Changes

Residential property transactions have strengthened following mortgage lending reforms by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and lower prime lending rates from commercial banks, improving buying conditions for local purchasers and incoming...

Hong Kong Expands Southbound Stock Connect to Include Foreign Primary Listings

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing has completed regulatory approvals allowing Mainland investors to trade foreign companies with primary listings in Hong Kong through Southbound Stock Connect, strengthening the city's role as a gateway co...

Hong Kong International Airport Completes Three-Runway System Expansion

Hong Kong International Airport has fully commissioned its Three-Runway System, increasing capacity to as many as 100 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of cargo annually while reinforcing the city's position as a leading aviation ...

Hong Kong Approves New Licensed Digital Asset Platforms and Stablecoin Issuers

The Securities and Futures Commission has granted full licences to a new group of virtual asset trading platforms and fiat-backed stablecoin issuers, further developing Hong Kong's regulated digital asset market while maintaining strict ...

China Finalizes Core Infrastructure Framework for International Lunar Research Station

The China National Space Administration has completed the architectural framework for the planned International Lunar Research Station, outlining key systems for power distribution, autonomous robotics and surface communications presente...

Greater Bay Area Digital Integration Advances Through Cross-Border Financial Cooperation

The launch of a unified data validation platform between Shenzhen and Hong Kong reflects continued efforts to deepen financial integration in the Greater Bay Area by reducing administrative barriers for businesses operating across the bo...

Shenzhen and Hong Kong Launch Cross-Border Data Platform for Corporate Finance

The Shenzhen Municipal Government and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority have introduced a shared data validation platform designed to simplify compliance requirements and improve the efficiency of cross-border financing and trade settleme...

State Grid Begins Operating New Ultra-High-Voltage Transmission Line for Clean Energy

State Grid Corporation of China has commenced operations on a new 800-kilovolt ultra-high-voltage direct-current transmission line that delivers electricity from large-scale desert solar projects to major industrial centers along China's...

China Updates Export Framework for Solid-State Battery Technologies

The Ministry of Commerce has revised export procedures for next-generation solid-state battery technologies, streamlining customs clearance while strengthening intellectual property protections for domestic developers.

China Expands Local-Currency Settlement Across Southeast Asian Trade Corridors

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said China is broadening local-currency settlement arrangements with Southeast Asian trading partners through new bilateral banking agreements aimed at reducing foreign exchange risks and supporting region...

China Expands Western Computing Infrastructure to Strengthen Artificial Intelligence Capacity

The National Development and Reform Commission is expanding computing infrastructure across western provinces, including higher-capacity optical fiber links connecting eastern economic centers with western data hubs to support large-scal...

China Accelerates Approval Standards for Domestic Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has introduced new technical standards to speed up testing and commercial deployment of Chinese-made semiconductor equipment, supporting greater adoption across domestic chip fabricatio...

China Broadens Local Government Powers to Purchase Unsold Housing for Rental Programs

The State Council has issued updated guidelines allowing local governments to make wider use of special-purpose bonds to acquire unsold residential properties and convert them into state-managed rental housing, supporting efforts to redu...

People's Bank of China Expands Targeted Lending Support for Advanced Manufacturing and Green Industries

The People's Bank of China has increased structural re-lending quotas to direct more credit toward high-end manufacturing and green industries, reinforcing targeted policy support while maintaining an overall prudent monetary stance.

FIFA’s Retreat Leaves a Larger Question Over Who Guards the Game

Gianni Infantino has abandoned a private-investment plan for football’s most valuable commercial rights, but the revolt it provoked has widened into a dispute over FIFA’s power, process and future leadership.

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