https://www.scmp.com/rss/317388/feed The latest news, analysis and opinion on SCMP Experiences. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com An unprecedented flood of submissions on planned amendments to anti-discrimination laws will delay results of the public consultation on the changes by two to three months. With three days left for submissions, more than 80,000 have been received, with many revealing misconceptions about the planned amendments. "I've worked in the government for so many years and I've never seen this great a volume of submissions on a public consultation," Equal Opportunities Commission chairman Dr York Chow... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1627107/response-anti-discrimination-amendments-becomes-flood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1627107/response-anti-discrimination-amendments-becomes-flood?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2014 20:15:15 +0000 Sexual harassment remains a major barrier to gender equality, especially in the workplace, the discrimination watchdog says. But York Chow Yat-ngok hopes a bill to be discussed by the Legislative Council soon will improve the situation. "On the issue of sexual harassment, there are many things that haven't been done," the Equal Opportunities Commission chairman said yesterday. "People are still not aware that some things they do will be considered sexual harassment." There was already... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1627069/equal-opportunities-commission-vows-close-sex-harassment-loophole?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1627069/equal-opportunities-commission-vows-close-sex-harassment-loophole?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2014 15:00:45 +0000 Raising the existing Old Age Living Allowance is a more politically efficient option than setting up a universal pension scheme to provide for the city's elderly, a former senior official says. Former secretary for civil service Joseph Wong Wing-ping was speaking yesterday at a seminar, organised by the South China Morning Post, on how the city should address the ageing crisis. "Politically, it's impossible to introduce a pension payroll tax in addition to the [Mandatory Provident Fund]," he... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1618871/improve-old-age-allowances-rather-replacing-them-pension-joseph-wong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1618871/improve-old-age-allowances-rather-replacing-them-pension-joseph-wong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2014 20:00:15 +0000 Entrepreneurs are the life blood of Hong Kong's economy and their contribution to keeping the city globally competitive must be properly recognised, according to the sponsor of a major new awards programme organised by the South China Morning Post. "These awards will help to promote best practices in relation to sustainable growth and international expansion, whilst also inspiring the next generation of up and coming business people in Hong Kong," said Ken Lee, managing director Hong Kong and... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1599787/new-awards-signal-smes-role-keeping-hong-kong-competitive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1599787/new-awards-signal-smes-role-keeping-hong-kong-competitive?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2014 21:45:45 +0000 High property prices and inadequate infrastructure were more serious threats to Hong Kong's competitiveness than Occupy Central, speakers at the South China Morning Post's Redefining Hong Kong debate said yesterday. "We have no problems with Occupy Central. It's not a huge issue. I don't think it will slow down business," said Ian Bolin, chief transformation officer of Infiniti, the luxury brand of Japanese car giant Nissan Motor. Infiniti's global headquarters is in Citibank Tower in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1581949/business-leaders-who-arent-worried-about-occupy-central?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1581949/business-leaders-who-arent-worried-about-occupy-central?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:45:30 +0000 A prominent political economist has put forward a new compensation scheme for villagers displaced by development, amid a stand-off in and outside the legislature over plans to build two new towns in the northeast New Territories. Instead of the HK$600,000 cash that the government is now offering to squatter families, Professor Richard Wong Yue-chim says it should build flats in urban areas and offer them to affected villagers at prices they can afford - even below cost. "The current compensation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1542112/new-compensation-model-displaced-villagers-proposed-hku-economist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1542112/new-compensation-model-displaced-villagers-proposed-hku-economist?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2014 19:45:30 +0000 Luxury retailers are the last bastion against the surge of e-commerce, thanks to the assumption that going digital dilutes the DNA of a high-end brand. However, experts say firms that do not adopt an online outlook risk losing out altogether on converting the new digital generation into big-spending customers. "You can't avoid it," David Au, managing director for Fung Retail Group, which owns prestige menswear brands Gieves & Hawkes and Kent & Curwen, told a panel discussion yesterday of... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1525564/luxury-brands-must-embrace-digital-strategies-industry-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1525564/luxury-brands-must-embrace-digital-strategies-industry-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jun 2014 21:30:00 +0000 Hong Kong has the basic wiring but needs to make better connections if it wants to be a global technology centre, industry experts said yesterday at the South China Morning Post's Redefining Hong Kong panel discussion. "Hong Kong can be the brain that drives the technology revolution. We need to reset out brains and rethink," said Simon Squibb, CEO of Nest, an incubator firm that supports technology start-ups. Local technology start-ups are still bit players in the city's overall economy, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1519110/citys-technology-sector-needs-reset-panel-participants-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1519110/citys-technology-sector-needs-reset-panel-participants-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 May 2014 18:30:30 +0000 Hong Kong's capital market is set to embrace a new breed of Chinese issuers that have left the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange for a listing in the city, as a more favourable valuation of shares and the depth of liquidity have lured them back home. "There are more take-private activities by [the mainland] companies previously listed in the US markets since they got disillusioned and saw less benefit from a US listing," Mark Hyde, Clifford Chance's head of finance in Asia Pacific, said in a... https://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1477075/hong-kong-exchange-welcomes-new-york-defectors-keen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1477075/hong-kong-exchange-welcomes-new-york-defectors-keen?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Apr 2014 16:00:45 +0000 The West Kowloon arts hub is appointing a chief operating officer to develop its commercial and residential space. "The idea is to assist on commercial deals and establish the retail and residential side of the project," Michael Lynch, chief executive officer of the West Kowloon Cultural District, said in a Redefining Hong Kong panel discussion hosted by the South China Morning Post. Cultural facilities will take up 35 to 40 per cent of the gross floor area of the development. Developers will... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1432944/west-kowloon-arts-hub-name-coo-steer-commercial-development?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1432944/west-kowloon-arts-hub-name-coo-steer-commercial-development?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Feb 2014 15:45:30 +0000 Patrons will be taking their seats - at least some of them - at the West Kowloon Cultural District next year after 10 years of planning and angst. Part of the development designed by Norman Foster is set to open next year, as is an arts pavilion on the waterfront for small exhibitions and events. The Xiqu Centre and the visual culture museum M+ are set to open in 2016 and 2017. But speakers at a Redefining Hong Kong panel discussion hosted by the South China Morning Post yesterday wondered... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1432869/west-kowloon-cultural-district-should-be-about-arts-not-money-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1432869/west-kowloon-cultural-district-should-be-about-arts-not-money-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Feb 2014 14:45:30 +0000 Hong Kong's Asian minorities are the poorest of the poor, with needs that are often different from the rest of the population, ethnic minority rights advocate Fermi Wong Wai-fun said. Speaking yesterday at the year's final "Redefining Hong Kong" discussion, sponsored by the South China Morning Post, Wong said the needs of the South and Southeast Asian communities should not be left until last merely because those groups are relatively small. "It's easy to overlook them. They seem to live in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1380038/southeast-and-south-asians-are-hong-kongs-poorest-poor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1380038/southeast-and-south-asians-are-hong-kongs-poorest-poor?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Dec 2013 21:30:45 +0000 Education is the long-term key to tackling poverty in Hong Kong but immediate efforts must be made by the government to treat welfare as an entitlement rather than a handout. That was the message from panellists taking part in this year's final SCMP Redefining Hong Kong debate yesterday. Speakers said that a more entitlement-based approach to welfare, as well as a commitment, backed by resources, to boosting education, should form significant components of chief executive Leung Chun-ying's... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1380111/participants-scmp-poverty-debate-tell-government-focus-education?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1380111/participants-scmp-poverty-debate-tell-government-focus-education?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Dec 2013 21:30:45 +0000 How one of the world's most prosperous cities manages to let nearly a fifth of its population exist in poverty is a question that bothers many. Bad policies contribute to Hong Kong's widespread poverty and the government seems unwilling to tackle the issue, according to a panel of speakers at the year's final "Redefining Hong Kong'' discussion, hosted by the South China Morning Post. The government talks about statistics ... but I don't see any concrete action FERMI WONG WAI-FUN "The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1380039/poverty-wont-be-tackled-until-more-speak-poor-forum-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1380039/poverty-wont-be-tackled-until-more-speak-poor-forum-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Dec 2013 15:30:30 +0000 The next generation of women who want to sit on company boards ought to aim high and start positioning themselves for those roles now by networking and approaching headhunters, said senior female executives at the South China Morning Post's Women of Our Time conference yesterday. The conference gathered women from a variety of businesses to discuss how companies can increase female participation in top-level management and their boards. In March, the Women's Foundation, a non-profit... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1368243/women-told-aim-high-and-start-networking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1368243/women-told-aim-high-and-start-networking?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Nov 2013 20:15:00 +0000 As the competition to capture the spending of China's tourists grows globally, Hong Kong should focus on elevating its service standards and offering one-of-a-kind experiences rather than just being a giant retail outlet, a panel of luxury experts said yesterday. The consensus emerged from a gathering of luxury industry executives at the JW Marriott hotel to discuss how the city can retain its edge as a luxury- shopping mecca, in the fifth of a series of talks, "Redefining Hong Kong", organised... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1359775/hong-kong-must-raise-standards-and-offer-more-luxury-forum-agrees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1359775/hong-kong-must-raise-standards-and-offer-more-luxury-forum-agrees?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Nov 2013 21:15:45 +0000 Leading figures from both the Beijing-loyalist and pan-democratic political camps joined the latest of the Post's Redefining Hong Kong seminar series at the JW Marriott hotel. Legislative Council President Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, former chief secretary and lawmaker Anson Chan Fang On-sang, businessman David Tang and Post columnist Alice Wu joined moderator and former Executive Council convenor Ronald Arculli to discuss 'Passage to 2017 - The Next Milestone of One Country, Two Systems'. Their... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1343181/seeking-solutions-democratic-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1343181/seeking-solutions-democratic-future?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Oct 2013 20:30:45 +0000 Hong Kong cannot afford to stand still on the subject of electoral reform, but must prepare for the arrival of universal suffrage in 2017 by debating the issue of constitutional reform. That was the consensus, and a rare moment of unanimity, at the South China Morning Post's "Redefining Hong Kong Debate" yesterday. The panel consisted of four people with widely divergent views: Legislative Council President Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, often identified as pro-establishment; former chief secretary... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1342738/hong-kong-must-move-forward-electoral-reform-scmp-debate-panellists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1342738/hong-kong-must-move-forward-electoral-reform-scmp-debate-panellists?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Oct 2013 10:09:07 +0000 The government should take a bigger role in planning for green transport and assessing the impact of housing plans in rural areas if the city is to achieve its vision of a green metropolis. This was the call from speakers at the Redefining Hong Kong debate hosted by the South China Morning Post as part of its Celebrating Hong Kong campaign to mark the paper's 110th anniversary. The conference, Towards a Green Metropolis - Vision of Asia's Most Liveable City, attracted about 150 guests from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1317118/scmp-hosts-redefining-hong-kong-debate-development-challenges-facing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1317118/scmp-hosts-redefining-hong-kong-debate-development-challenges-facing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Using more electric vehicles, preserving country parks and improving waste management were among ways to ease Hong Kong's pollution problems put forward at a seminar yesterday. The ideas came from a panel of experts put together by the South China Morning Post for the latest in its "Redefining Hong Kong" series. One of the speakers, Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing, set out how the government planned to tackle waste issues by introducing charges for disposal and building... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1317012/experts-propose-ways-make-hong-kong-green-metropolis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1317012/experts-propose-ways-make-hong-kong-green-metropolis?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 More Hongkongers today are anxious about the mainland's environmental problems and fret about landfill space in the city than 12 years ago, a survey shows. The percentage of respondents concerned about environmental degradation on the mainland hit 33 per cent, more than double the figure in a 2001 survey, according to a study by the think tank Civic Exchange. It said 36 per cent expressed concern that the city's landfills are approaching capacity, 11 percentage points more than in the 2001... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1317013/more-hongkongers-worried-about-mainlands-environmental-woes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1317013/more-hongkongers-worried-about-mainlands-environmental-woes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong should think about offering "effective and fair" incentives to encourage developers to build more environmentally friendly buildings, a construction industry leader said. Conrad Wong Tin-cheung, vice-chairman of Yau Lee Holdings, said the absence of a consensus on how to encourage energy-efficient buildings - not technical issues - was the biggest obstacle to the use of greener techniques. "In Hong Kong, it's very difficult incentivising developers. It's likely to be criticised because... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1317014/help-property-developers-go-green-industry-leader-tells-forum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1317014/help-property-developers-go-green-industry-leader-tells-forum?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong must prepare for the day when China opens fully to the world, changing forever the city's traditional role as a gateway to the Middle Kingdom, a senior Hong Kong government official says. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Professor Chan Ka-keung told a seminar organised by the South China Morning Post that the city needed to catch up to the changing circumstances on the mainland as its economic development reached a new level. "China will be eventually completely open.... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1297330/hong-kong-must-prepare-china-fully-open-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1297330/hong-kong-must-prepare-china-fully-open-world?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong's role as the gateway to and from the mainland could be at risk unless the city becomes more socially inclusive and acts more decisively to capitalise on shifting business trends. "The way things are shaping up in Hong Kong I think it is going to be a very difficult time ahead," Vincent Lo Hong-shui, chairman of Shui On Land, told an audience of business leaders assembled by the South China Morning Post as part of its 'Redefining Hong Kong' seminar series. Lo said Hong Kong should do... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1297384/business-leaders-say-hong-kong-must-act-quicker-face-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1297384/business-leaders-say-hong-kong-must-act-quicker-face-change?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Members of Hong Kong's business elite say they fear that mounting political gridlock threatens the city's ability to flourish in a changing world. A growing number of Hongkongers are turning on Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's administration amid a slew of scandals, a perceived lack of progress on political reform and record-high housing prices. Street marches and protests are on the rise, with the threat of a shutdown of the streets in Central looming next summer if no progress is made towards... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1297331/hong-kong-business-leaders-fear-political-strife-could-hold-city-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1297331/hong-kong-business-leaders-fear-political-strife-could-hold-city-back?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Financial reforms in Shenzhen's Qianhai special economic zone could spur a surge in yuan deposits in Hong Kong, pushing them to 30 per cent of the city's deposit base from the current 10 per cent, HSBC Hong Kong chief executive Anita Fung said yesterday. "I will not be surprised that when the renminbi becomes more internationalised, maybe 30 per cent of the deposit base in Hong Kong will be denominated in renminbi," Fung said at the Redefining Hong Kong Debate Series forum held by the South... https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1286609/hong-kong-rmb-deposits-seen-surging-qianhai-reforms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1286609/hong-kong-rmb-deposits-seen-surging-qianhai-reforms?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong must leverage its international reach if it is to avoid being marginalised by the mainland's march towards full financial sector liberalisation and further integration into the global monetary system, according to a panel of experts assembled by the South China Morning Post. "China's opening up means there is more, potentially, for everyone," said Anita Fung, the chief executive of HSBC in Hong Kong. "The real threat is to be complacent about it." Speaking to about 150 senior... https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1286561/hong-kong-must-leverage-global-reach-take-qianhai-challenge-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1286561/hong-kong-must-leverage-global-reach-take-qianhai-challenge-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000