President Xi Jinping is expected to embark on a swing around Southeast Asia next month as Beijing accelerates its efforts to deepen neighbourhood ties amid regional anxiety about US foreign policy during Donald Trump’s second administration. Diplomatic sources said that Xi would be likely to set off in mid-April, with stops in Vietnam, Malaysia and…
Hong Kong will follow a strategy of “fiscal consolidation”, with the government “strictly controlling” public spending to address the deficit even as it seeks to improve services related to residents’ livelihoods, the finance chief has said. Three days before he is set to deliver his 2025-26 budget speech, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Sunday…
Hong Kong is expected to play a bigger role in the internationalisation of the yuan as liquidity increases and uses for businesses and individuals broaden significantly, according to officials and market participants. The city was already the world’s biggest offshore yuan business centre, with the largest offshore liquidity pool, foreign-exchange market and over-the-counter market for…
Malaysia’s trade minister has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening investment ties with Hong Kong amid worries that the US could impose further punitive measures targeting the city and mainland China. Tengku Zafrul Aziz, Malaysia’s minister for investment, trade and industry, said on Monday that Asean would continue to engage with the United States while…
Malaysia’s trade minister has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening investment ties with Hong Kong amid worries that the US could impose further punitive measures targeting the city and mainland China. Tengku Zafrul Aziz, Malaysia’s minister for investment, trade and industry, said on Monday that Asean would continue to engage with the United States while…
Registrations of local and non-local companies in Hong Kong reached all-time highs in 2024, according to authorities. While the Companies Registry said on Friday that it had made the process easier, a lawmaker attributed the increase to the government’s recent aggressive efforts in attracting overseas companies. Last year, 145,053 local businesses were established, bringing the…
China’s southern tech hub of Shenzhen is poised to surpass long-time foreign-trade champion Shanghai this year, having posted record trade by value and a record growth rate in the first 11 months of 2024. The strong growth has been buoyed by growing demand for electronics, hi-tech products, and an expansion of cross-border e-commerce, according to…
Manila should strengthen coordination with Southeast Asian nations on its policy towards China, a retired Philippine naval officer said on Monday, as engagement with Washington alone risks potential stronger resistance by Beijing over the contested South China Sea. “I believe that we made some mistakes … we could have engaged at least most of the…
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The return of Donald Trump to the White House adds a further layer of uncertainty for developing countries seeking to balance their relations between the United States and China. The Republican candidate had vowed to impose 60 per cent tariffs on all Chinese imports during the election and if he goes through with his pledge,…