Page 8 - Hong Kong

China opens new channel giving access to $3 trn swap market with Hong Kong

China has set a 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) daily limit for net trading under Swap Connect, and instruments eligible include swaps referencing the seven-day fixing repurchase rate

HSBC Holdings brushes aside Hong Kong investor's Asia spin-off proposal

The comment came as Ken Lui, an individual HSBC shareholder and leader of a Hong Kong-based investor group, called for the break up of the bank

Death whisperers: Elephant poaching for ivory remains unabated

Poachers kill 41 jumbos in 5 yrs; activists warn against India taking a softer stance on international ivory trade

Hong Kongers hold first protest in yrs since lifting of Covid restrictions

Dozens of people on Sunday joined Hong Kong's first authorised demonstration against the government since the lifting of major COVID-19 restrictions under unprecedentedly strict rules, including wearing a numbered badge around their necks. The rules set out by the police, who cited security reasons, came as the financial hub was promoting its return to normalcy after years of anti-virus controls and political turmoil. During the pandemic, protests were rare due to COVID-19 restrictions. In addition, many activists have been silenced or jailed after Beijing imposed a national security law following massive protests in 2019. Critics say the city's freedom of assembly has been eroded. Sunday's demonstration against the proposed reclamation and construction of rubbish-processing facilities was the first police-approved march of its kind after the city scrapped its mask mandate and social distancing limits. But organizers had to comply with police requirements such as taking measures t

Hong Kong traffic accident leaves some 70 people injured including children

Four passenger buses and a truck collided near a Hong Kong road tunnel on Friday and about 70 people were injured, including children. Most of the injuries were minor. The accident occurred after midday near a tunnel entrance on Tseung Kwan O Road in Lam Tin, a residential area in Kowloon. Some 60 people sustained light injuries and around nine others suffered more serious injuries, police said. It was unclear what caused the collision. Scores of firefighters, paramedics and police rushed to the scene. Several people lay on stretchers and at least one passenger was seen being helped out of a vehicle. A window on the side of a bus was shattered. Some of the injured, including elderly people, were treated by paramedics at the scene. A group of primary school students was seen sitting on the road and some of them sustained hand injuries.

Hong Kong registers air passenger traffic at 2.1 mn in Jan, up 28 times

The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) announced that in January, passenger traffic at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) registered around 2.1 million, marking a year-on-year surge of 28 times

Hong Kong population drops for third straight year under Covid shadow

Hong Kong's government announced Thursday that the territory's population dropped for a third straight year as deaths rose during the pandemic and anti-virus measures reduced the number of arriving workers, but did not mention an exodus of residents sparked by a crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. The city's population declined 0.9% to 7.3 million at the end of 2022 from a year earlier, according to provisional data released by the Census and Statistics Department. It said there was a net outflow of 60,000 residents, with 21,200 new residents arriving. For much of the pandemic, Hong Kong followed mainland China's stringent zero COVID strategy, deterring professionals from moving into the international financial hub. Its population decline has been exacerbated by a growing number of young professionals leaving for Britain, the United States and other countries in response to the erosion of Hong Kong's Western-style civil liberties after a harsh new National Security Law silenced

Hong Kong sees more pro-Beijing voices at United Nations rights review

Hong Kong supporters of a tough national security law imposed by China's ruling Communist Party have set their sights on a United Nations session, drawing concern from rights advocates. The law, which critics say Hong Kong authorities have used to crush dissent following massive 2019 protests, has been a focus at the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights' two-day hearing on China that concludes Thursday in Geneva. The committee reviews respect of those rights in nearly all UN member states every few years. Of some 30 reports on Hong Kong submitted for the session, more than half upheld the broadly applied national security law. None of the organisations some of which were led by pro-Beijing politicians that provided positive reports filed a submission in the previous review nine years ago, prompting concern from rights advocates that their participation could sway how the committee views human rights situations on the ground. They worry whether events are being ...

London the world's second most expensive city for driving, shows report

Running a petrol car cost £2,512 ($3,070) last year, about £550 more than in 2021, location technology business TomTom said Wednesday

China, Hong Kong lose cross-border travel quota, Covid test to drive growth

Travel between Hong Kong and China will no longer require COVID-19 PCR tests nor be held to a daily limit, authorities announced Friday, as both places seek to drive economic growth. Hong Kong's tourism industry has suffered since 2019 after months of political strife that at times turned into violent clashes between protesters and police, as well as harsh entry restrictions implemented during the pandemic. From Monday, there will be a full resumption of travel between Hong Kong and the mainland, Hong Kong leader John Lee said Friday at a news briefing. Lee said quotas for travelers will be scrapped and all boundary checkpoints will reopen next week. The announcement came a day after Lee unveiled a tourism campaign aimed at attracting travelers to Hong Kong that includes 500,000 free air tickets for tourists to visit the semi-autonomous Chinese city. China had already eased travel restrictions with Hong Kong on Jan. 8, dropping a mandatory quarantine period required for travelers

CBI seizes Rs 94 lakh cash related to illegal remittances sent to Hong Kong

The CBI has seized Rs 94 lakh cash during searches at 18 locations in connection with three ongoing cases related to illegal remittances worth over Rs 155 crore sent to Hong Kong camouflaged as payments for fake imports during 2014-16, officials said. The Central Bureau of Investigation is probing three cases related to foreign exchange remitted abroad by nine entities through eight nationalised banks by submitting fake import documents such as bills of entry and bills of lading etc., without any actual trade, an agency spokesperson said on Friday. The CBI has booked an alleged hawala operator Mohammed Farooq Mohammed Hanif Shaikh, unidentified officials of cooperative societies and others in the cases. Searches were conducted at 18 places, including in Mumbai and Bhopal etc., which led to the recovery of approximately Rs 94.37 lakh cash, incriminating documents and electronic gadgets etc., the spokesperson said. The agency is looking into aspects of Trade-Based Money Laundering ..

China reopens borders for travellers in final farewell to zero-Covid

Long queues formed at the Hong Kong international airport's check-in counters for flights to mainland cities including Beijing, Tianjin, and Xiamen

Chinese travelers rush to take advantage of reopening after Covid curbs

After two years of separation from his wife in mainland China, Hong Kong resident Cheung Seng-bun made sure he was among the first to cross the border following the reopening of crossing points Sunday. The ability of residents of the semi-autonomous southern Chinese city to cross over is one of the most visible signs of China's easing of border restrictions, with travelers arriving from abroad also no longer required to undergo quarantine. I'm hurrying to get back to her, Cheung, lugging a heavy suitcase, told The Associated Press as he prepared to cross at Lok Ma Chau station. Travelers crossing between Hong Kong and mainland China, however, are still required to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within the last 48 hours a measure China has protested when imposed by other countries. Hong Kong has been hard-hit by the virus, and its land and sea border checkpoints with the mainland have been largely closed for almost three years. Despite the risk of new infections, the reopening

S Korea to require pre-entry Covid testing for travelers from HK, Macao

South Korea will require a negative Covid-19 PCR test for arrivals from Hong Kong and Macao, in addition to the planned requirement for travelers from China

Hong Kong's actual Covid count could be up to 200,000 daily: Researchers

Airfinity predicts cases in Beijing are likely to have peaked by now, with hospitalisations and deaths likely to peak in the next 1-2 weeks

US announces testing for passengers from Hong Kong, China after Covid surge

The CDC said that starting from January 5, the United States would require international travellers coming from China to test negative for Covid-19 before entering the country

Japan registers 415 new Covid deaths, highest ever tally in a single day

Japan said it had 216,219 newly confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, which marks a rise of 4 per cent from a week earlier

Hong Kong eases Covid curbs, does away with vaccine pass, tests

Hong Kong will scrap some of its COVID-19 restrictions, including PCR tests for inbound travellers and vaccination requirements to enter certain venues, the city's leader said on Wednesday. For most of the pandemic, Hong Kong has aligned itself with China's zero-COVID strategy, requiring stringent COVID-19 tests and isolation for close contacts of infected cases as well as for incoming travellers. But the mainland has relaxed measures in recent weeks, and Hong Kong is preparing for the January reopening of its border with China, which had previously imposed harsh restrictions and snap lockdowns to stamp out the virus. Our society as a whole has built an extensive and high-level barrier of immunity (to COVID-19), said Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee at a news conference. Over 80 per cent of the city has at least three doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Close contacts of those who test positive for COVID-19 will also no longer need to isolate in Hong Kong, he said, and there will no longe

Hong Kong to scrap mandatory Covid-19 test for international travellers

This comes two days after China announced an end to the coronavirus quarantine rule for inbound travellers from January 8

WTO rejects US move for 'Made in China' labeling on Hong Kong goods

World Trade Organization arbitrators concluded Wednesday that the United States was out of line in requiring products from Hong Kong to be labeled as Made in China, a move that was part of Washington's response to a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters there in 2019 and 2020. A WTO dispute panel found the US violated its obligations under the trade body's rules and rejected Washington's argument that U.S. essential security interests allowed for such labeling. The panel said the situation did not pose an emergency that would allow for an exemption under the trade body's rules. The United States or Hong Kong could appeal the ruling to the WTO's appeals court. However, the Appellate Body is currently inactive because the U.S. has almost single-handedly held up appointments of new members to the court amid concerns it had strayed beyond its mandate. As a result, any such appeal would go into an arbitration void and remain unsettled. The United States trade representative's office all