3 d. ago Hong Kong plan for shopping zone barriers sparks debate over access, congestion

A HK$5 million (US$641,000) plan to install crash barriers in Hong Kong’s bustling Causeway Bay shopping district is expected to improve pedestrian safety, but could also worsen congestion and restrict access for delivery workers and wheelchair users, according to a district councillor and nearby businesses. Wan Chai district councillor Peggy Lee Pik-yee agreed on Wednesday with the government’s plan to introduce about 60 bollards in the area, but said the move needed to meet residential and...

Economics

5 d. ago Hong Kong marathon sets record with 1 in 4 of 74,000 runners from outside city

About a quarter of the runners for the coming Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon are from outside the city, a record for the annual race, the organiser has said. Authorities also warned that road closures for Sunday’s marathon will affect services along 269 bus and 40 minibus routes, and called on residents to plan their trips in advance. The Hong Kong, China Association of Athletics Affiliates, which organises the event, said on Monday that among the 74,000 people set to take part this year,...

Politics

6 d. ago Hong Kong plans to complete Kowloon waterfront promenade projects by 2028

Hong Kong authorities plan to complete several promenade projects linking the Kowloon waterfront by the end of 2028, extending the total length of pedestrian pathways on both sides of Victoria Harbour to 34km (21 miles). The Development Bureau said on Sunday that 14km, or 70 per cent of the 21km developable waterfront on the Kowloon side, had already opened, nearly two weeks after the long-awaited 13km promenade on Hong Kong Island was fully connected. Some sections are set for completion within...

Politics

9 d. ago Hang Seng Bank shareholders set to back HSBC’s privatisation plan for Hong Kong lender

Hong Kong’s banking sector is set for a landmark transformation as thousands of Hang Seng Bank shareholders vote on HSBC Holdings’ bid to take the lender private on Thursday morning. Analysts expected an overwhelming approval for the proposal, which offers shareholders HK$155 a share – 30 per cent higher than Hang Seng Bank’s HK$119 closing price on the last trading day before the announcement on October 9. Since then, HSBC has risen 15 per cent to close at HK$127.20 on Wednesday, on the eve of...

Economics

9 d. ago Hang Seng Bank shareholders set to back HSBC’s privatisation plan amid bad debt concerns

Hong Kong’s banking sector is set for a landmark transformation as thousands of Hang Seng Bank shareholders vote on HSBC Holdings’ bid to take the lender private on Thursday morning. Analysts expected an overwhelming approval for the proposal, which offers shareholders HK$155 a share – 30 per cent higher than Hang Seng Bank’s HK$119 closing price on the last trading day before the announcement on October 9. Since then, HSBC has risen 15 per cent to close at HK$127.20 on Wednesday, on the eve of...

Economics

9 d. ago Hang Seng Bank shareholders approve HSBC’s US$14 billion privatisation bid

Hong Kong’s banking sector began a new chapter on Thursday as Hang Seng Bank shareholders approved HSBC Holdings’ bid to take the lender private in a deal worth nearly US$14 billion. The proposal, under which HSBC offered shareholders HK$155 a share – 30 per cent higher than Hang Seng Bank’s HK$119 closing price on the last trading day before the announcement on October 9, received strong shareholder support, with 85.75 per cent of the votes, according to Hang Seng Bank. It surpassed the...

Economics

2 w. ago How Hong Kong can take on a more frontier role in China’s development

On December 16, Chinese President Xi Jinping, on receiving a work report from Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, said the city should proactively align with the country’s 15th five-year plan and better integrate into, and serve, the national development agenda. In recent days, discussion of the coming plan across the Hong Kong government and wider society has underscored a growing consensus behind deeper integration with the mainland. While the 14th five-year plan spoke of “maintaining”...

Politics

2 w. ago Groups welcome updated Hong Kong biodiversity plan but call for more details

Concern groups have called for a more concrete timeline and clearer details in an updated action plan for Hong Kong’s biodiversity strategy, which for the first time lists assessing the capacity of ecotourism hotspots as a priority. The government on Wednesday unveiled its updated Hong Kong Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which covers four strategic areas – nature conservation, deepening mainstreaming, capacity building and collaborative partnering. It lists 30 priority actions and 81...

Politics

2 w. ago 300,000 Hongkongers to be offered free hepatitis B screenings in early 2026

About 300,000 Hong Kong residents will be offered free hepatitis B screenings early next year, as the city aims to meet a set of international goals to eliminate the disease as a public health threat by 2030. The screening scheme will run in parallel with authorities’ other measures to tackle hepatitis, as Hong Kong launched its viral hepatitis action plan for the next five years. “We can say that fighting hepatitis means tackling liver cancer at its root,” Dr Bonnie Wong Chun-kwan, a consultant...

Politics

2 w. ago District councillors call for more public amenities in Hong Kong Jockey Club school bid

More amenities should be provided to residents in Tseung Kwan O, district councillors have urged, after a plan by the Hong Kong Jockey Club to build its fourth public riding school in the neighbourhood was floated last week. Some residents were also worried about the light and noise issues that could potentially arise from the proposed school, and the club should address those concerns, the councillors said on Monday. “Some residents have said amenities in the area are insufficient,” Christine...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong accounting firms plan hiring spree and embrace AI to attract talent

Hong Kong-based accounting firms plan to continue expanding their workforce in 2026, hoping to attract newly minted accountants, even as the industry steps up the adoption of artificial intelligence, according to industry players. “We do not believe AI is a replacement for humans, and we have not seen any reduction in hiring in the past nor do we plan to [reduce hiring] in future,” said Andrew Wong, partner of audit quality and professional practice at KPMG China. “We see AI and our people as...

Economics

3 w. ago Hong Kong’s development role to be discussed in top legislature’s annual session

China’s top legislative body will deliberate the nation’s next five-year development plan in its annual session in March, where Hong Kong’s role in contributing to national development is also expected to be discussed, according to the city’s sole delegate to the body. Starry Lee Wai-king, a member of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said on Saturday that the proposed agenda for the session – which includes the 15th five-year plan, as well as the government’s work report...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong’s role to be discussed in China’s top legislature annual session

China’s top legislative body will review the nation’s next five-year development plan in its annual session in March, where Hong Kong’s role in contributing to national development is also expected to be discussed, according to the city’s sole delegate to the body. Starry Lee Wai-king, a member of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said on Saturday that the proposed agenda for the session – which includes the 15th five-year plan, as well as the government’s work report and...

Politics

4 w. ago Worried residents demand halt to renovation plan after deadly Hong Kong fire

Worried residents of a Hong Kong housing estate are demanding a halt to a planned renovation project following last month’s deadly fire at nearby Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po after a man arrested earlier was linked to its consultant for the scheme. Wang Fuk Court was undergoing renovations when the inferno swept through seven of its eight scaffolding-clad residential buildings, killing 161 and leading to the arrest of 23 people in connection with the blaze. Tensions were high at a homeowners’...

Events

4 w. ago Hong Kong’s MTR Corp gets green light to plan 7.5km South Island line extension

Hong Kong’s rail giant has been asked to plan an extension to the South Island line, with construction expected to be completed by 2034, after the city’s key decision-making body gave the green light to proceed with an updated design on Saturday. The Transport and Logistics Bureau said the Executive Council had given the government approval to invite the MTR Corporation to proceed with the line’s western extension project, which was first proposed more than a decade ago. The 7.5km (4.7-mile)...

Events