Hong Kong’s anti-corruption chief has said trust is the real currency of finance, with an official from mainland China’s watchdog pledging to continue fostering a clean business environment and deepen regional cooperation. At an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) seminar on Tuesday, Danny Woo Ying-ming, commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), said corruption harmed…
In my travels around the world, I’m often asked if the best days of Hong Kong are behind us. My answer is always an emphatic “no” – and this is not merely a pep talk. When you step back and take a broad macroeconomic view, it becomes clear that, structurally speaking, our greatest opportunities lie…
Hong Kong will expand a travel scheme that allows mainland Chinese motorists to enter the city for leisure, opening it to drivers from five more Greater Bay Area cities and doubling the daily quota for urban trips. Authorities said on Monday that the Southbound Travel Scheme for Guangdong Vehicles would be extended to all nine…
Hong Kong should revive plans for large-scale reclamation off Lantau Island to run in parallel with the Northern Metropolis project, property magnate Gordon Wu Ying-sheung has said, warning that a lack of urban land will hold back the city’s development as the population grows. The 90-year-old founder and chairman of Hopewell Holdings also described it…
The arrival of Yuan Gujie, the new deputy director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, has sparked widespread speculation. Her legal background and experience in Guangdong province suggest that her posting carries a clear agenda: to promote deeper integration between Hong Kong and other Greater Bay Area cities. One thing is clear: if the…
Visiting indoor ski resorts, enjoying water parks and eating at dim sum restaurants in Shenzhen and other nearby cities have become weekend draws for Hong Kong residents holding foreign passports, who praise a travel permit that has made crossing the border easier and faster. But even two years after the launch of the scheme, some…
Mainland customers can still open bank accounts in Hong Kong, but banks must adopt stringent new checks to ensure their processes are “compliant and orderly”, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said in a statement on Saturday. “The banking industry has implemented the new regulatory requirements set out in the HKMA circular to ensure the…
A Hong Kong tour guide accused of threatening visitors into making shopping purchases has been struck off for damaging the sector’s reputation and breaching professional conduct, in the second disciplinary action of its kind in less than two months. The Travel Industry Authority said on Friday it revoked Siu Man-chung’s tour guide licence after investigating…
The central government has greenlighted yachts from Hong Kong and Macau to enter nine mainland Chinese cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) without customs guarantees and with temporary ship registrations. A yacht in Hong Kong. Photo: Shreyaan Vashishtha/Pexels. The State Council said on Friday that the pilot scheme came into effect the same day….
Hong Kong-registered yachts can berth more easily in designated mainland Chinese ports in the Greater Bay Area, as Beijing has waived customs guarantees and simplified administrative procedures. In a directive published on Saturday night, the State Council revamped its maritime policies, allowing Hong Kong and Macau leisure yachts to enter designated mainland ports “exempt from…