Hong Kong

SenseTime's shares are due to start trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Dec 30.
IPO

SenseTime relaunches $767m Hong Kong IPO after U.S. investment ban

Company plans to sell 1.5bn shares; the final price due to be set on Thursday

20 December 2021
Some 10,000 police officers have been deployed across Hong Kong to ensure "smooth operations" and address perceived security threats.
Politics

Turnout hits new low in Hong Kong 'patriots only' election

Barely half as many cast votes as in 2016 legislative polls

20 December 2021
Cryptocurrency companies are keen to break into the Singapore market, but local regulators are taking a cautious approach to giving their approval. (Source photo by AP)
Market Spotlight

Crypto entrepreneurs find Singapore is not so hospitable after all

Scores of businesses fail to win licenses from city-state's financial regulator

20 December 2021
Independent candidate Adrian Lau said it is better to participate than to "lay flat." (Photo by Pak Yiu)
Politics

Independent candidates face uphill battle in Hong Kong election

Scorned by opposition parties a few still seek Legislative Council seats

18 December 2021
A health worker prepares a dose of China's Sinovac shot in Jakarta on Dec. 10. Indonesia is one of dozens of countries that have received the jab.
COVID vaccines

Two Sinovac shots not enough for omicron, but 3rd shows effect

Double dose of Pfizer shows more protection than Chinese shot

16 December 2021
Chinese ride-hailer Didi disclosed a plan to withdraw from the New York Stock Exchange and relist in Hong Kong in a brief statement on Dec. 3, barely five months after its June 30 IPO.
Caixin

Didi's rocky road to a Hong Kong share listing

Chinese ride hailer walks regulatory, cost tightrope to pull out of Wall Street

14 December 2021
Hongkong Land's holdings in Central include Exchange Square, home to the city's stock market. (Photo by Kenji Kawase)
Property

Hongkong Land turns office space into eateries amid slowdown

Jardine Matheson unit updates dining offerings to drum up new demand

14 December 2021
Hong Kong's Legislative Council election on Dec. 19 is the first since a Beijing-approved overhaul effectively barred anyone deemed "unpatriotic" from running.
Asia Insight

Reshaped in China's image, Hong Kong set for 'patriots only' polls

Election highlights divide among democrats reeling from impact of security law

14 December 2021
Media mogul Jimmy Lai arrives for an earlier court appearance. He was sentenced to 13 months on Dec. 13 for his involvement in a banned Tiananmen vigil.
Hong Kong security law

Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai gets 13 months in June 4 vigil case

Judge says 'deterrent and punitive sentence' needed for violating COVID controls

13 December 2021
SenseTime launched its debut share sale last week, aiming to raise as much as $767 million.
IPO

Chinese AI group SenseTime postpones IPO following U.S. sanctions

Company 'remains committed' to plan for Hong Kong share sale

13 December 2021
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses a press conference in Stockholm on Dec. 2.
Your Week in Asia

Blinken in Asia, Taiwan referendum, Hong Kong legislative election

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

12 December 2021
SenseTime had said it expected its shares to begin trading in Hong Kong on Dec. 17.
IPO

SenseTime IPO plan in jeopardy as U.S. adds it to blacklist

AI unicorn labeled part of China military-industrial complex before Hong Kong listing

11 December 2021
Media tycoon Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, looks on as he leaves the Court of Final Appeal by prison van, in Hong Kong in February.
Hong Kong security law

Hong Kong media tycoon found guilty over banned Tiananmen vigil

Jimmy Lai and two others charged for taking part and inciting others to join

9 December 2021
Weibo, which had 573 million monthly active users as of Sept. 30, has lost half its U.S. market value since July. 
IPO

Weibo to reach Hong Kong market as Didi pulls up stakes in U.S.

Squeezed by Beijing and Washington, China tech companies seek new sanctuary

7 December 2021
Nine cornerstone investors, mostly state-owned enterprises, have committed to buy as much as 60% of SenseTime's IPO shares.
IPO

Chinese AI group SenseTime launches downsized Hong Kong IPO

Company known for facial recognition seeks up to $767m, down from $2bn target

7 December 2021
Foreign-backed financial technology companies have bought a series of Indonesian banks in 2021.
Finance

Hong Kong online platform WeLab to take control of Jakarta bank

Group to invest $240m to buy and upgrade traditional Indonesian lender

7 December 2021
Students participate in a flag-raising ceremony at a school in Hong Kong in October. The city government is instructing educators to focus on more "patriotic" education.
Hong Kong security law

Thousands of students leave Hong Kong schools in growing exodus

Concerned parents plot escape amid China's national security law

7 December 2021
A restaurant in London's Chinatown is nearly empty but for takeout customers due to the pandemic in December 2020.
Life

Hong Kong exodus set to boost U.K. restaurant sector

China's security crackdown will bring new diners, ease labor shortages

6 December 2021
The case against Eugene Yeoh centered on 12 IPOs approved between 2014 and 2019. 
Finance

Former HKEX executive acquitted in bribes-for-IPOs case

Court rules prosecutors failed to prove corruption in $1m paid to official's wife

3 December 2021
Didi's shares have fallen more than 50% since its IPO, leaving it with a market capitalization of $37.62 billion.
China tech

China's Didi Global to delist from New York in favor of Hong Kong

Leading ride-hailer to make dramatic retreat after $4.4bn June IPO

3 December 2021
Consumers scan QR codes with Hong Kong's LeaveHomeSafe COVID-19 contact tracing app at a restaurant. The app will be updated to include a mainland-style system.
Coronavirus

Hong Kong to adopt China-like 'health codes' for visiting mainland

Registration to start Dec. 10 amid privacy concerns, omicron fears

2 December 2021
A Suncity-affiliated website lists 17 group VIP rooms within casinos attached to all six of Macao’s operators.
Travel & Leisure

Top Macao VIP room operator Suncity suspends operations

More than 2,000 workers affected as group seeks restructuring

1 December 2021
Suncity's listed units have denied soliciting Chinese gamblers to go to the group's Tigre de Cristal casino hotel near Vladivostok, Russia. 
Travel & Leisure

Suncity shares plunge after Macao arrests gaming group chairman

Company warns loss of founder Alvin Chau's support will have 'adverse affects'

30 November 2021
Hong Kong has been FedEx's Asia-Pacific hub since 1992.
Business trends

FedEx, Cathay Pacific squeezed by Hong Kong's 'zero COVID' rules

Courier pulls remaining pilots from Asian hub, while airline cancels flights

27 November 2021
Health workers in Hong Kong earlier this year: Authorities are on alert after finding two cases of a new, highly mutated variant in quarantining passengers.
Coronavirus

New COVID variant's arrival in Hong Kong sows Asiawide concern

Singapore bans entry from 7 African states; India orders 'rigorous screening'

26 November 2021