Economy

Beijing pays very close attention to Jack Ma's fealty to the motherland.
Opinion

Ant Group is its own GDP indicator for East versus West

World's biggest IPO, but the success of Jack Ma's empire is not a given

2 November 2020
Taiwan, left, and Hong Kong are having contrasting economic fortunes. (Source photos by Reuters and Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

Taiwan's economy bounces back as Hong Kong stays in recession

Q3 growth of 3.3% in Taiwan compares with 3.4% contraction for Hong Kong

30 October 2020
Thai pro-democracy protesters use their phones as flashlights during a demonstration in Bangkok.
Turbulent Thailand

Tech-savvy Thai protesters take page out of Hong Kong's playbook

Russian 'secret chat' app becomes go-to tool among activists

30 October 2020
Greenwashing is on the rise.
Opinion

Greenwashing leaves a stain the world must not tolerate

Disclosure on climate related risks can be conducted on a global basis

23 October 2020
A Singaporean preschool class in the COVID-19 era: Across Asia, the pandemic is making some couples think twice about marriage and having kids.
Coronavirus

Singapore and rest of aging Asia scurry to avoid COVID baby bust

Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong all eye ways to spur marriage and childbirth

21 October 2020
The departure hall of the Changi Airport in Singapore, pictured on Oct. 12: the costs of international travel restrictions grow with each passing month.
Opinion

Why Asia should rethink strict travel rules

Ultra-cautious reopening policies risk deeper economic pain

21 October 2020
Police stand guard to avoid mass a gathering during a protest by Hong Kong activists.
Business trends

Hong Kong downsizing considered by one-third of Japanese companies

Only 1% say new national security law has increased stability

20 October 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping tours the city of Chaozhou, near Shantou, one of China's four special economic zones, in southern Guangdong Province on Oct. 12.
Economy

Shenzhen's success overshadows China's other special economic zones

Xi visit to tech hub shows Greater Bay Area could further widen gap among cities

17 October 2020
(Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)  
Economy

Xi visits Shenzhen, China's reform showcase: five things to know

Beijing plans for international business hub put Hong Kong under pressure

13 October 2020
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, at Monday's news conference, announced the postponement of her annual policy address.
Politics

Hong Kong leader postpones policy address to attend Xi's speech

Carrie Lam to meet with officials in Beijing later this month for economic talks

12 October 2020
Construction workers build Beijing's new National Speed Skating Oval on Sept. 23 -- one of many infrastructure projects now underway in China.
Economy

China and India infrastructure construction paves way out of crisis

Governments look to buoy COVID-hit economies, setting builders on recovery path

12 October 2020
Shoppers in Shanghai on Sept. 24: China's growing middle class could help the country's economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Economy

China GDP growth headed for 5.2% in Q3 rebound: Nikkei survey

Economists split on whether Biden election win would ease US-China tensions

6 October 2020
Cranes are seen at Tanjung Priok port amid the coronavirus outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 3.
Economy

Emerging Asia set for 1st recession in six decades, says ADB

Nobel laureate Stiglitz signals the end of region's labor intensive growth model

15 September 2020
The campus at Hong Kong's Polytechnic University, and a government-sponsored advertisement promoting the new national security law (Source photos by Getty Images and Reuters)
Education

Hong Kong security law spurs fears over academic freedom

Overseas scholars and students shun territory's universities

10 September 2020
Pro-democracy protesters take part in a rally at Edinburgh Place in November 2019: Xi can spin his Hong Kong putsch as retaliation against U.S. interference.
Opinion

Death of Hong Kong with an assist from Trump will be Singapore's gain

City's demise a natural extension of what Xi has done on the mainland since 2012

13 August 2020
Li & Fung, a supply-chain manager that connects thousands of companies, sold a 6.7% stake in the company to China's JD.com (Source photos by Reuters and screenshot from Li and Fung website) 
Business deals

Hong Kong's Li & Fung taps JD.com for digital supply chain revamp

Century-old company raises $100m from Chinese e-commerce operator

31 July 2020
The restaurant sector has been one of Hong Kong's worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. From Wednesday, restaurants are barred from serving dine-in customers for one week as the city battles its worst COVID-19 outbreak. Tsui Wah and other chains have already closed outlets around the city. 
Economy

Hong Kong reaches full year of economic recession

Contraction looks set to exceed record set in Asian financial crisis

29 July 2020
Residential flats on Lantau Island, pictured on Jan. 15: Lantau Tomorrow is a plan to build 17 sq. kilometers of artificial land with housing for up to one million people in the ocean waters off of the island.
Opinion

Hong Kong wants a massive new island, but where will it get the sand?

Carrie Lam's plan to fix area's housing crisis risks calamitous environmental damage

29 July 2020
An empty restaurant with social distancing screens displayed on the tables in Hong Kong, pictured on July 16: job losses are acute among lower-paid services workers.
Opinion

COVID-19 is only making Hong Kong's inequality worse

Low taxes and poor safety net need to change to help working and middle classes

23 July 2020
More Hong Kong citizens are applying for Thailand's long-term residency program. (Source photo by Akira Kodaka and Reuters) 
Economy

Thai residency visa draws Hong Kongers after China security law

Kingdom poised to compete with UK and Australia to attract territory's emigrants

17 July 2020
Zhang Xiaoming, executive deputy director of Beijing’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, could be one of the officials considered for sanction by the U.S. for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy.
Finance

Banks in Hong Kong grade clients for US sanction risk

Institutions squeezed between Washington penalty threat and national security law

15 July 2020
Major Chinese internet groups are facing extreme scrutiny but it does not mean that they must stop expanding internationally.
Opinion

China's aggression is undermining its tech giants' global ambitions

TikTok's troubles shows ByteDance and others will face U.S. pushback as they expand

15 July 2020
Hong Kong's financial district: a key selling point for the city has long been the stablest exchange rate in Asia.
Opinion

Donald Trump's White House would strangle Hong Kong to hurt China

Idea to end city's currency peg is one face of president's economic war on Beijing

13 July 2020
A woman carries an American flag during a protest outside the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong on July 4: Pro-Beijing activists decry what they call foreign meddling over a new national security law.
Economy

Security law threatens Hong Kong's arbitration and trade hub status

Prospect of politicized courts and US sanctions has business community sweating

12 July 2020
Workers take their lunch breaks in Hong Kong's Central financial district.
Economy

White-collar Chinese in Hong Kong face shock tax bills from mainland

Bank executives told to pay tens of thousands of dollars on top of local levies

10 July 2020