4 d. ago Mainland Chinese money to drive 10% rise in Hong Kong commercial property deals: Colliers

Surging mainland Chinese investment in Hong Kong’s commercial real estate sector has helped set the stage for a “measured recovery” in 2026, according to Colliers. In the luxury residential segment, mainland capital accounted for about 80 per cent of transactions exceeding HK$100 million on The Peak and in Southern district, according to Centaline Property Agency. Investment from the mainland rose to the highest level in five years in the last quarter of 2025, and deal value in 2026 was set to...

Economics

6 d. ago Jimmy Lai trial: Hong Kong judges to hear mitigation arguments from defence

Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying is set to return to West Kowloon Court alongside eight co-defendants, as three judges hear mitigation arguments from defence lawyers in his high-profile national security case on Monday. The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily is the most prominent figure yet to be convicted under the national security law imposed by Beijing in June 2020. Last month, he was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and a...

Events

6 d. ago Expert panel formed in Hong Kong to probe chronic water loss at Yuen Long estate

Hong Kong authorities have set up a three-member expert group to look into persistent freshwater losses at Yuen Long’s Fairview Park housing estate, following criticism from landlords over bureaucratic inertia. But the Water Supplies Department maintained that it was not responsible for repairing water pipes laid within private land, though authorities would provide technical support to residents. In a Facebook post on Sunday, the department said it had commissioned an independent expert panel...

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

1 week 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

1 week 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

1 week 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

1 week ago Hong Kong firms set to return to projects as new scaffolding nets expected soon

Hong Kong contractors will be able to start installing new scaffolding nets to resume renovation works as early as next week after the deadly Tai Po blaze triggered the citywide removal of mesh at around 420 buildings, an industry body has said. The Construction Industry Council planned to procure 50,000 scaffolding nets, costing HK$170 (US$21.80) each, with the first batch of 12,000 expected to be ready on January 15, executive director Albert Cheng Ting-ning said on Wednesday. Cheng said the...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong issues cold weather warning as temperatures set to dip to 11 degrees

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. The Hong Kong Observatory has issued its second cold weather warning of 2026, saying temperatures will drop to around 12 degrees Celsius (53.6 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday and lower in rural areas. The forecaster also said the cold weather would persist for a few days as it issued the warning at...

Events

1 week ago Police to deepen Asean ties as Hong Kong set to host first top Interpol meeting

Hong Kong’s police chief has pledged to ramp up collaboration with Asean countries to fortify the force’s role as a “superconnector” in law enforcement, as the city gears up to host Interpol’s top annual meeting in November for the first time. Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming, who worked at Interpol’s Lyon headquarters as a criminal intelligence officer between 2012 and 2013, said the high international standing of the force could help foster ties. “Hong Kong’s position hasn’t changed...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong’s Route 6 set to fully open in 2026, transport chief Mable Chan says

A new route connecting Hong Kong’s Yau Ma Tei and Tseung Kwan O will fully open this year, the city’s transport chief has said. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan also said on Saturday that the route, on which construction began in 2017, would be fully connected by the end of the year following the completion of a Kowloon Bay tunnel section linking to the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel. “We are striving to open the entire Route 6 within this year, which will slash travel time between...

Politics

2 w. ago Occupancy rate at Hong Kong tech park set to hit 90% in first quarter of 2026

The occupancy rate at the Hong Kong side of a new innovation and technology (I&T) hub co-developed by the city and Shenzhen is expected to hit 90 per cent in the first quarter of this year, a target previously set for the end of 2025. Kevin Choi Kit-ming, permanent secretary for innovation, technology and industry, said on Saturday that lease renewals would be based on certain key performance indicators (KPIs) set for firms, but authorities would avoid overly stringent standards and make...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong’s IPO dominance in 2025 set to carry on into new year

Hong Kong’s momentum as an initial public offering (IPO) venue is set to hurtle onwards in 2026 after funds raised from share sales more than tripled in 2025, placing the city’s exchange atop the global rankings for the first time since 2019. A total of 114 companies raised US$37.22 billion on the Hong Kong stock exchange’s main board in 2025, according to data released on Friday by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). That translates to a 229 per cent increase from US$11.3 billion in...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong set to unveil results, disciplinary action after bottled water probe

Hong Kong’s government is expected to announce next month the results of its investigation into a bottled water scandal that rocked the city and disciplinary action against those officials involved after confirming that the probe has been completed. The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, which set up a task force to probe the scandal that emerged in August, on Tuesday said both the review of the government’s procurement system and related disciplinary investigation had been...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong set to unveil bottled water probe results, take disciplinary action

Hong Kong authorities are expected to announce next month the results of their investigation into a bottled water scandal that rocked the city and take disciplinary action against those officials involved after confirming that the probe has been completed. The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, which set up a task force to probe the scandal that emerged in August, on Tuesday said both the review of the government’s procurement system and related disciplinary investigation had been...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong sets up Hung Shui Kiu industrial park operator, sweetens land tender

Hong Kong’s government will set up a dedicated company to run a huge industrial park in Hung Shui Kiu and launch a six-month tender for a pilot area within the zone, offering incentives to encourage bids as part of an initiative to accelerate development of the Northern Metropolis. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho on Monday said the newly formed Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company is expected to be financially self-sustaining despite the government’s initial capital infusion,...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong hospital staff rally for Operation Santa Claus with active spirit

Doctors, nurses and students at HKSH Medical Group in Hong Kong set aside their clinical routines to join a day of physical activity and fundraising, inspiring all to “throw kindness and catch health”. The staff-led activity on December 19 formed part of HKSH OSC Month, a month-long fundraising campaign contributing to Operation Santa Claus (OSC) – a cause the group has supported for the 17th consecutive year. Awards were given to individual employees and teams across departments in recognition...

Politics

4 w. ago West must face the facts of Jimmy Lai’s trial and conviction

On December 15, Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was found guilty on two charges of conspiring to collude with external forces and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious materials by the High Court of Hong Kong. The verdict was welcomed in the city and, as expected, prompted another round of outcries from some Western countries. As Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, I feel obliged to set the record straight...

Politics

4 w. ago Market rates set Hong Kong’s HK$150,000 subsidy for Tai Po fire victims: minister

Hong Kong authorities took market rates into account before setting a two-year annual subsidy of HK$150,000 (US$19,278) for flat owners displaced by the Tai Po fire, the city’s home affairs minister has said, amid calls for the government to monitor whether the new measure will further drive up rents in the area. Under the new measure, homeowners of the fire-damaged Wang Fuk Court will each receive the subsidy to rent homes in the private market, at a total cost of HK$1.2 billion. Both flat...

Events