THE enthusiasm at yesterday's benchmark government land auction was the clearest signal yet that the Sino-British dispute has not dented developer confidence.
Sun Hung Kai Properties' Walter Kwok, Sino Group's Robert Ng, Cheung Kong's Albert Chow and World International's Ray Tse were among those among the crowd.
Mr Tse, a prolific buyer of residential land last year, was noticeable by his absence from the bidding.
Swire Properties managing director Keith Kerr was also present, but remained a mere spectator.
Keen bidding came from across the board, in an auction room packed to capacity. Giant listed developers and smaller private developers were involved, giving a wide cross-section of industry sentiment.
The total amount bid for the four sites was $1.5 billion, 10 per cent more than analysts had expected.
