10 h. ago Taiwan war game triggers US questions over island’s ‘will to fight’

A high-level civilian war game held in Taipei this week has exposed serious vulnerabilities in Taiwan’s defences of its outer perimeter and eastern regions, prompting a retired US admiral to warn that Washington’s involvement depended on “Taiwan’s will to fight”. In the exercise simulating a 2030 cross-strait conflict, Taiwan lost control of key outlying territories – most notably Penghu, a group of islands 50km (30 miles) east of the main island – as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched...

Sport

10 h. ago Taiwan war game triggers US questions over its ‘will to fight’ if PLA attacks

A high-level civilian war game held in Taipei this week has exposed serious vulnerabilities in Taiwan’s defences of its outer perimeter and eastern regions, prompting a retired US admiral to warn that Washington’s involvement depended on “Taiwan’s will to fight”. In the exercise simulating a 2030 cross-strait conflict, Taiwan lost control of key outlying territories – most notably Penghu, a group of islands 50km (30 miles) east of the main island – as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched...

Events

12 h. ago ‘Probe under way on whether Beijing will take over collusion case in Hong Kong’

Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong conducted its first publicly known joint operation with the city’s police to determine whether a suspected collusion case is complex to the extent that it requires mainland China to take over, the security minister has revealed. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Saturday that no arrests had been made so far, adding it would require the central government’s approval if the case were to be handed over. His remarks were made after the...

Politics

12 h. ago Authorities still studying if Hong Kong collusion case needs to be handled by Beijing

Beijing and Hong Kong are investigating the complexity of a suspected collusion case to determine whether mainland China needs to take over, security minister has said, in what may become a precedent for the central government to exercise its jurisdiction over such matters. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Saturday that authorities were gathering information to ascertain if Article 55 of the national security law, which applies to complicated and severe cases, should be...

Events

52 h. ago Xpeng and Chinese EV peers aim to win over Hongkongers amid global push

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng aims to start offering Hong Kong consumers smart cars featuring semi-autonomous driving systems next year as it gears up to take on Tesla’s FSD (Full Self-Driving) feature outside mainland China. He Xiaopeng, co-founder and CEO of the Guangzhou-based carmaker, said in Hong Kong on Thursday that testing of its Xpeng Navigation Guided Pilot (X NGP) driver-assistance system in the city would take only two months before sales could begin. However, he added...

Politics

56 h. ago Hong Kong Airlines cuts Japan routes over sluggish tourism and tremor concerns

Hong Kong Airlines is set to cancel flights to Kagoshima and Kumamoto in Japan in July and August, citing sluggish demand for tourism in the country, while flight schedules between the city and Nagoya will also be adjusted. The carrier announced the flight adjustments on Thursday amid growing concerns about a long-feared megaquake predicted to hit Japan. The airline said affected passengers could rebook to other destinations, including other cities in Japan and mainland China, as well as Taipei,...

Society

56 h. ago Hong Kong flights to 2 Japanese cities cut over sluggish tourism and quake fears

Hong Kong Airlines is set to cancel flights to Kagoshima and Kumamoto in Japan in July and August, citing sluggish demand for tourism in the country, while flight schedules between the city and Nagoya will also be adjusted. The carrier announced the flight adjustments on Thursday amid growing concerns about a long-feared megaquake predicted to hit Japan. The airline said affected passengers could rebook for other destinations, including other cities in Japan and mainland China, as well as...

Politics

64 h. ago Mainland China scientists build electronic war game for Taiwan and nearby waters

A PLA mobile electronic warfare platform deployed southeast of Taiwan activates its emitter, shattering the electromagnetic silence with powerful pulses, which are initially blocked by the island’s towering central mountain range. But while the key eastern military bases are unaffected at first, gradually the signals navigate the complex terrain, reflecting like mirrors off slopes and scattering across rough surfaces. Eventually, they cross the peaks to blanket the entire island and its...

Events

3 d. ago Hong Kong environment chief rejects relaxed quarantine rules for imported pets

Hong Kong’s environment chief has ruled out flexible quarantine arrangements, including at home, for imported cats and dogs, but will consider extending hours and increasing the number of checkpoints for pet transport from mainland China. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan told a Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday that existing quarantine facilities are sufficient for imported pets, adding that the government would not consider altering the quarantine method for now due to...

Politics

3 d. ago Haitian eyes US$1.22 billion Hong Kong IPO, one of the year’s largest

Foshan Haitian Flavouring and Food Company, the largest listed condiment producer in mainland China, is seeking to raise up to HK$9.56 billion (US$1.22 billion) in Hong Kong, marking one of the city’s largest initial public offerings (IPOs) this year and giving a boost to its status as a world-leading fundraising hub. The company is offering 263.2 million H shares at a maximum price of HK$36.30 each, with the final offer price to be determined on or before June 17, Haitian said in a statement to...

Economics

4 d. ago National Games ticketing to start in August for Hong Kong, 3 months before event

Tickets for the National Games will be available in Hong Kong from August, three months ahead of the event, to synchronise with sales in Macau and on mainland China, the head of the local coordination office has said. Yeung Tak-keung, head of the National Games Coordination Office, said on Tuesday that the tickets would be sold on a unified platform to ensure easier management. “We are preparing to sell souvenirs from July, and in August, tickets will go on sale in the three places at the same...

Sport

4 d. ago Civilian group hosts Taiwan tabletop simulation of attack from mainland China

A think tank in Taiwan has started a two-day war game with retired US and Japanese generals to simulate the island’s defence in the event of a military attack from the Chinese mainland. The Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation, which organised the tabletop exercise, said the aim was to “identify the defence issues that Taiwan urgently needs to strengthen and provide recommendations for the government”. Described as the first operational-level military simulation by a...

Events

5 d. ago Man arrested after fireworks ignited at Hong Kong’s Avenue of Stars

Hong Kong police have arrested a man on suspicion of discharging fireworks at Tsim Sha Tsui’s Avenue of Stars. A video circulating on social media since Sunday shows a man with a braid igniting a firework at the waterfront promenade near K11 Musea. In the clip, the man was heard speaking in Mandarin, repeatedly telling the person filming to stop recording. Officers from the Yau Tsim police district arrested a 21-year-old man from mainland China in Tsim Sha Tsui on Monday afternoon, a force...

Events

5 d. ago Hibor plunge a bigger deal for stock market than Hong Kong’s property sector

Hong Kong needs all the help it can get. Since 2018, the city has suffered one shock after another, preventing a meaningful recovery from taking hold and fuelling concerns about its position as a global financial centre. As an importer of US monetary policy with an economy that is far more synchronised with that of mainland China, Hong Kong has been the biggest casualty of economic and policy divergence between the world’s two largest economies, prompting renewed questions about the suitability...

Economics

6 d. ago Hong Kong minibus operators hail arrival of over 800 drivers from mainland China

Hong Kong has brought in more than 800 minibus drivers from mainland China as part of a temporary solution to the city’s labour shortage, with operators hopeful the scheme will be extended to help plug gaps in the ageing workforce. Minibus companies made the appeal after authorities reiterated that importing labour was only a “short-term” fix and that the workers were not meant to stay in the city in the long run. The government launched the labour import scheme in 2023 for three sectors that...

Transport

7 d. ago Social media giant RedNote opens Hong Kong office, its first outside mainland

Chinese social media giant RedNote has opened an office in Hong Kong, its first outside mainland China, a move the city’s finance chief hopes will provide a boost to local businesses and the platform’s international expansion. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Saturday that he had personally invited the company, also known as Xiaohongshu, to set up a base in the city. “When I visited Shanghai at the end of last year, I made a special visit to Xiaohongshu’s headquarters,” Chan wrote on...

Politics

7 d. ago Hong Kong’s top judge urges new senior counsels to defend rule of law

Hong Kong’s top judge has called for newly minted senior counsels to defend the rule of law when it is under threat and ensure “unimpeded” access to the city’s courts for every individual to safeguard public trust in the legal system. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok, who spoke separately at the senior counsel admission ceremony on Saturday, urged the new silks to tackle three challenges facing the profession: the use of artificial intelligence, synergy with mainland China’s legal system...

Events

7 d. ago Hong Kong’s top judge urges new senior counsel to defend rule of law

Hong Kong’s top judge has called for newly minted senior counsel to defend the rule of law when it is under threat and ensure “unimpeded” access to the city’s courts for every individual to safeguard public trust in the legal system. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok, who spoke separately at the senior counsel admission ceremony on Saturday, urged the new silks to tackle three challenges facing the profession: the use of artificial intelligence, synergy with mainland China’s legal system...

Events

8 d. ago Chinese chipmaker SMIC offloads stake in Ningbo unit to focus on core operations

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), mainland China’s largest contract chipmaker, has divested its entire stake in an unprofitable chip foundry operation amid a new wave of consolidation in the domestic integrated circuit (IC) industry. Shanghai-based SMIC agreed to sell its 14.83 per cent stake in Ningbo Semiconductor International (NSI) for 57.01 yuan (US$7.94) per share to semiconductor design firm Goke Microelectronics, according to the chipmaker’s filing on Thursday. The...

Politics

8 d. ago After CATL’s spark, China’s EV players bank on Hong Kong IPOs for growth funds

More than a dozen smart mobility companies from mainland China are making a beeline to raise funds in Hong Kong, capitalising on the growing appetite among global investors for the country’s unpolished industrial gems. The prospective initial public offerings (IPOs) from electric vehicle (EV) assemblers like Chery Automobile and Seres Group to autonomous driving technology providers such as Pony.ai are expected to enhance China’s leading automotive technologies on the global stage, bankers and...

Economics