Uber backs away from Hong Kong offer, decides to keep its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore

In May, the ride-hailing firm said it was ready to move its office to Hong Kong if it was allowed to operate in the city legally

But on Thursday it said it had not received the required level of certainty from the Hong Kong government

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Uber says it has not received the level of certainty from the Hong Kong government that it needs, to shift its office to the city. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 1:16pm, 30 Jul 2020Updated: 1:46am, 31 Jul 2020

Uber has decided to keep its regional headquarters in Singapore for the medium term, backing away from its earlier offer to move the office to Hong Kong, if the ride-hailing firm was allowed to operate there legally.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Uber said that in May it was ready to move its Asia-Pacific headquarters to Hong Kong if it saw progress on ride-sharing regulations.

“Since then, we have seen strong public support for reforms, but not the level of certainty from the government that we need. As we continue those efforts, we have decided to keep Singapore as a regional hub for the medium term,” it said.

The US-based firm originally planned to relocate its regional offices out of Singapore in the next 12 months, with the Covid-19 pandemic hammering its business.

The decision comes at a time when the national security law Beijing has imposed on Hong Kong has stoked fears of uncertainty about the city’s future as an international business hub.

Hong Kong is already battling the double whammy of anti-government protests that erupted in June last year in opposition to the now-withdrawn extradition bill and a worsening third wave of the pandemic which sees city residents and businesses subjected to the toughest social-distancing rules so far, including a restriction on gatherings to two people.