https://www.scmp.com/rss/503357/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The Duterte administration’s decision to withhold approval for the reclamation of more than 10,000 hectares of land along Manila Bay could hamper the expansion plans of Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), while adversely affecting firms from Hong Kong and mainland China which were meant to be part of the project. On January 13, President Rodrigo Duterte said it would be unlikely for him to give the green light to the “mind-boggling” project if there was no guarantee that the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3047342/hong-kong-firms-chinese-gambling-hit-dutertes-freeze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3047342/hong-kong-firms-chinese-gambling-hit-dutertes-freeze?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jan 2020 23:00:11 +0000 Filipinos who have returned home after fleeing oppressive work conditions in the Middle East face an uphill battle to claim a rehabilitation cash grant offered by the government and start a new life to make up for lost foreign currency earnings. Mary Ann Silva, 42, who is among a group of women that recently arrived in Manila after pre-terminating their work contracts, said she asked the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) how she could get the 20,000 pesos (US$392) grant for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3046695/filipino-domestic-helpers-who-fled-cruel-saudi-arabian-employers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3046695/filipino-domestic-helpers-who-fled-cruel-saudi-arabian-employers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jan 2020 00:00:23 +0000 When a missile fired by Tehran at the Arbil military base used by American soldiers in Iraq exploded near a bar where he was relaxing, Filipino migrant worker Mark could no longer ignore how unstable his host country had become. “We immediately left the bar, which was just beside the US consulate. People started running, so we ran as well. We got a taxi and went home,” he told a radio station in Manila – adding that the explosion was the worst he and his compatriots had experienced during their... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3045629/us-iran-tensions-filipino-migrant-workers-middle-east-whom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3045629/us-iran-tensions-filipino-migrant-workers-middle-east-whom?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Jan 2020 04:30:11 +0000 Property buyers and end-users in Hong Kong stand to get more "bang for their buck" if a proposed global property measurement standard is implemented, a valuation expert says. "End-users will benefit in a very big way if the premises they are getting is clearly defined. This is important, especially to flat buyers," says David Faulkner, chairman of the Asia Valuation Professional Group Board and past chairman of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Hong Kong. Hong Kong would not want to... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1307801/surveyors-drawing-global-property-measurement-standard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1307801/surveyors-drawing-global-property-measurement-standard?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Macau's residential market is poised to start bouncing back next month after stalling in June and July as a result of the curbs put in place by the government, analysts say. While the level of activity may not return to pre-control levels any time soon, there is now a positive outlook for the medium term, underpinned by rising wealth in the city amid expectations of further expansion of its economy, they say. "By next month homebuyers, property owners, developers, and agents will have adapted to... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1298097/prices-mass-housing-market-tipped-bounce-back-macau?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1298097/prices-mass-housing-market-tipped-bounce-back-macau?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 "Serviced apartment, not a hotel." That, recalled Joseph Bautista, was his wife's response when he asked about her choice of accommodation in Hong Kong during their planned one-month business trip to the city. "My wife loves to cook and there's no way she can do this even if we stay in a luxury hotel," explained Bautista, who is now in town setting up an import-export venture between his Manila-based company and several firms in Hong Kong which source products from China. "She's actually very... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1296414/hotel-shortage-boosts-demand-serviced-apartments-prompting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1296414/hotel-shortage-boosts-demand-serviced-apartments-prompting?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The preservation of historic buildings is gaining momentum in Chengdu and other parts of the mainland - a phenomenon that will boost the value and attraction of new property developments in those areas, says a senior executive of a Beijing-based architectural firm. "The preservation of heritage buildings and what remains of them is a big issue in China today. I expect this trend to continue well into the future," said John Puttick, partner and lead architect in China for architectural firm... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1294731/historic-buildings-incorporated-new-property-projects-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1294731/historic-buildings-incorporated-new-property-projects-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 More property developers from China are expected to enter London's luxury residential market over the next 12 months, lured by the city's bright growth potential. Hong Kong developers might join the bandwagon, especially because the pound had already fallen 35 per cent against the Hong Kong dollar, said Mark Griffiths, managing director of luxury residential developer St George. "They've got money and I don't think they'll pass up the opportunity to cash in on a growth market, especially... https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1294738/chinese-developers-tipped-invest-luxury-london-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1294738/chinese-developers-tipped-invest-luxury-london-market?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Soaring rents are forcing cinema operators to downsize, relocate, or even shut down in prime districts, such as Causeway Bay. And the immediate outlook for the industry is likely to get even bleaker as some landlords opt not to renew tenancies of cinemas on ground- or lower-level floors in shopping malls, in order to relet the space to luxury goods retailers who can pay much higher rents, letting agents said. UA Cinema Circuit is reopening on the 12th floor of Times Square in Causeway Bay,... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1293092/hong-kongs-cinemas-squeezed-out-luxury-retailers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1293092/hong-kongs-cinemas-squeezed-out-luxury-retailers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Turbulence in global financial markets has given an unexpected boost to Kennedy Town. Angela Wong, manager at one of Centaline Property's three branches in the district, said: "Compared to Mid-Levels, Wan Chai and other districts, Kennedy Town is now more desirable. "Rents are cheaper, there are more open spaces, transportation is more convenient and there is a great sea view." That has made the district more appealing to professionals whose housing allowances have been cut as a result of... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1289254/kennedy-town-ticks-all-boxes-great-value-residential?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1289254/kennedy-town-ticks-all-boxes-great-value-residential?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 How do you get more living space out of a small flat in a city like Hong Kong? Not much you can do, you might say. But scores of determined people in the city are tackling the challenge and by applying a mix of imagination and innovation they are coming up with solutions to maximise the useable area in their flats. "We get people from all walks of life who come to us because of their desire for bigger living spaces and storage," says Wilson Lee, director of Wall Studio, an architectural design... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1284097/how-get-most-out-small-apartments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1284097/how-get-most-out-small-apartments?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Rentals in Hong Kong's luxury housing sector are falling, and will keep dropping in the second half of the year due to various bearish factors, analysts say. "The luxury housing rental market started to soften in April and May. Demand is weak during this year's traditional high season for leasing to expatriates, which started in May," said Koh Keng-shing, founder of property consultancy Landscope Christie's International Real Estate. "There's been a sudden increase in leasing stock, but there's... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1274028/luxury-rental-market-set-soften-further-second-half?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1274028/luxury-rental-market-set-soften-further-second-half?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Disheartened by tight government controls in their domestic housing markets, investors from China, including Hong Kong, are looking overseas for alternatives. Among their targets is the Philippines, which posted one of Asia's highest economic growth rates last year. With development costs in the country much lower than on the mainland and in Hong Kong, the offshore investors are even being treated to rare and innovative choices. For instance, a Hong Kong investor is now building a luxury 10,000... https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1210911/chinese-investors-eyeing-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1210911/chinese-investors-eyeing-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Jennifer Cheung Wai-yin broke down in tears as she recounted the forced closure of her ground-floor customised leather goods store in Causeway Bay, one of the world's most expensive retail locations. "I had been operating the shop since 2004 and it was very painful to let it go. But I had no choice because of the 80 per cent spike in my rent to a six-digit figure," she said. When the lease on the 600-square-foot shop at 35 Yiu Wa Street, two blocks from the Times Square commercial-office... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1154023/soaring-rents-prime-locations-push-out-local-shops-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1154023/soaring-rents-prime-locations-push-out-local-shops-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000