https://www.scmp.com/rss/506786/feed Ethan is a Graduate Trainee reporter at the Post. Previously, he was a freelance writer focused on US-China relations. He graduated from Peking University's Yenching Academy and Pennsylvania State University. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Athletes from Southeast Asia, the subcontinent and elsewhere are hoping to make an impact at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling, Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura and wrestler Risako Kawai are among those defending gold medals in Tokyo, while Malaysian track cyclist Azizulhasni Awang (bronze) and Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz (silver) will be looking to improve on their podium places from Rio 2016. Here are some of the top Asian athletes from outside China and Hong... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141913/tokyo-2020-who-are-asias-top-gold-medal-hopes-olympic-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141913/tokyo-2020-who-are-asias-top-gold-medal-hopes-olympic-games?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jul 2021 06:00:27 +0000 As the Hong Kong team marched into the Maracana Stadium in Rio for opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics, someone in the crowd asked: “Why does Hong Kong have a separate team to China?” A generation ago, that would never be asked because the memory of the former British colony’s handover to China in 1997 would be fresh, along with the deal between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and China that Hong Kong would be allowed to compete as a separate sporting entity under “one country, two... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141770/why-do-hong-kong-china-and-taiwan-have-separate-teams-olympic-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141770/why-do-hong-kong-china-and-taiwan-have-separate-teams-olympic-games?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jul 2021 11:30:13 +0000 China has become a formidable force at the modern Summer Olympic Games and has finished in the top four of the medal table in all but one of the last nine Olympics. The country boasts a total of 224 gold medals from just 10 Games campaigns and sits seventh in the all-time list of Olympic medal-winning nations. China will send a squad of 392 athletes to compete in Japan later this month and will almost certainly add to its massive medal haul there when new gold-winning Olympians from China are... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3139899/chinas-top-olympic-athletes-all-time-part-two-sun-yang-liu-xiang-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3139899/chinas-top-olympic-athletes-all-time-part-two-sun-yang-liu-xiang-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jul 2021 11:15:18 +0000 China has become a formidable force at the modern Summer Olympic Games and has finished in the top four of the medal table in all but one of the last nine Olympics. The country boasts a total of 224 gold medals from just 10 Games campaigns and sits seventh in the all-time list of Olympic medal-winning nations. China will send a squad of 392 athletes to compete in Japan later this month and will almost certainly add to its massive medal haul there when new gold-winning Olympians from China are... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3139898/chinas-top-olympic-athletes-all-time-part-one-lin-dan-li-ning-and-fu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3139898/chinas-top-olympic-athletes-all-time-part-one-lin-dan-li-ning-and-fu?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jul 2021 11:14:39 +0000 Even as Covid-19 closed retailers and stopped people showing off their latest outfits in public, China’s fashion industry proved more than resilient during the pandemic, thanks in part to video-streaming platform Bilibili. According to a report in March that Bilibili released alongside Alibaba’s Tmall and Alimama, interest in fashion content on the Chinese platform increased markedly in 2020 over 2019. Alibaba is the parent company of the South China Morning Post. Views of fashion-related videos... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3129225/bilibili-chinese-youtube-go-gen-z-fashion-trends-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3129225/bilibili-chinese-youtube-go-gen-z-fashion-trends-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Apr 2021 06:15:17 +0000 Hong Kong, a bustling city whose residents work some of the longest hours in the world, owes much of its understanding of its plants and animals to those who have studied them for fun, off the clock. The contributions and stories of these amateur naturalists are the theme of a new exhibition at the Hong Kong Science Museum, “Ecology in the Making (1816-present)”. Curated by the Lung Fu Shan Environmental Education Centre, the exhibition focuses on seven historical figures – ranging from... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3128786/hong-kong-owes-much-its-understanding-its-flora?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3128786/hong-kong-owes-much-its-understanding-its-flora?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Apr 2021 09:45:13 +0000 Hong Kong artist Vivian Ho Pok-yan’s latest solo exhibition, “Wish You Were Here”, presents a fantastical, cartoonish reimagination of her home city, replete with giant creatures and overgrown fauna that pop off the canvas in bright colours that grab you. Always present amid the chaos are calm, reflective figures, their demeanour tinged with loneliness. “I was trying to bring out the ridiculous in Hong Kong, and how people kind of live and cope with it,” Ho says. “They are just living their own... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3128109/stoic-figures-living-hong-kongs-new-normal-stand-out-artist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3128109/stoic-figures-living-hong-kongs-new-normal-stand-out-artist?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Apr 2021 06:15:17 +0000 For the next two months, art enthusiasts will be able to take in some of the finest works by Hong Kong and mainland Chinese artists from the comfort of their commute or an after-work stroll – and discover that some even come alive. The artworks are part of the Hong Kong Museum of Art’s “Art For Everyone” campaign. Images of 100 paintings and antiquities from the museum’s permanent collection can now be found in 490 public venues – on billboards, digital screens and advertising spaces – scattered... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3128056/art-everyone-hong-kong-museum-art-takes-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3128056/art-everyone-hong-kong-museum-art-takes-its?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Apr 2021 08:15:11 +0000 After a year studying dance in Britain, contemporary dance trio ShumGhostJohn flew back to Hong Kong when in-person classes were suspended because of the Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020.  The next six months in Hong Kong gave them a chance to feel the pulse of an arts scene they had never truly known – and they discovered it had not escaped the political upheaval that had gripped the city for months. “Everyone’s stance towards what an artist is, what their responsibility towards society is, the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3126895/i-thought-about-bruce-lee-how-hong-kong-artists-britain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3126895/i-thought-about-bruce-lee-how-hong-kong-artists-britain?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Mar 2021 09:15:06 +0000 This article is presented in partnership with Rolex. Saving the Amazon’s giant arapaima fish from extinction; helping people suffering from a broken back to walk again; converting some of the 340 million tonnes of plastic waste churned out globally every year into a new source of sustainable wealth. These projects are just some of the winners of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise (RAE). Launched in 1976 by then chairman André Heiniger and initially intended as a one-off, the RAE has evolved into a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3126770/solar-powered-smartphones-protecting-worlds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3126770/solar-powered-smartphones-protecting-worlds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Mar 2021 08:15:11 +0000 Workers and trade union leaders from Myanmar’s garment industry have played a leading role in organising protests against the military coup that ousted the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February. The protesters are calling for new international sanctions and for major multinational companies with factories in Myanmar to bolster protections for workers taking part in the resistance. Security forces in the Southeast Asian country have responded to paralysing strikes – and the razing... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3126532/fast-fashion-and-myanmar-why-garment-workers-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3126532/fast-fashion-and-myanmar-why-garment-workers-are?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Mar 2021 10:15:04 +0000 The largest dedicated location for those caught up in Hong Kong’s effort to clamp down on the spread of Covid-19 has proved a source of controversy. The Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre – a 3,500-room compound that the government first opened on Lantau Island, the city’s largest outlying island, in July 2020 – sees dozens of residents suspected of being close contacts with Covid-19 carriers enter every day. Some liken Penny’s Bay to a prison, with surveillance cameras installed outside every room,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3126529/10-quarantine-hacks-help-you-survive-hong-kongs-tough-14?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3126529/10-quarantine-hacks-help-you-survive-hong-kongs-tough-14?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Mar 2021 04:15:05 +0000 Hot on the heels of one of its worst years ever, the luxury goods market is holding together and set for a rebound – thanks in no small part to Asia. The global luxury goods market shrank by 15 per cent in 2020, according to analysis from Euromonitor International, a market research firm. This contraction was due largely to struggles in North America and Europe, where sales declined by 20 per cent, significantly worse than Asia-Pacific’s seven per cent decrease. Asia’s resilience is in large... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3125819/why-china-leading-global-rebound-luxury-spending-more-e?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3125819/why-china-leading-global-rebound-luxury-spending-more-e?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Mar 2021 23:15:14 +0000 Even before the lockdowns and isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic, Hongkongers have struggled with their mental health. Up to 1.7 million city residents have a diag­nosable mental-health problem, but 41 per cent believe their struggles stem from a lack of willpower and self-discipline, according to advocacy group Mind Hong Kong. Guitarist Dylan Halbroth, 20, is addressing the stigma surrounding mental-health issues with his debut, self-produced EP Against the Dying Light. Released on March 5... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3125954/musician-dylan-halbroth-addresses-stigma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3125954/musician-dylan-halbroth-addresses-stigma?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Mar 2021 08:15:18 +0000 Lovers of martial arts and Chinese history have until April 4 to head to Tai Kwun – Centre for Heritage and Arts, in Central, to experience its latest exhibition, “Way of the Sword: Warrior Traditions in China and Italy.” Curated by Hing Chao and Roberto Gotti, and presented in collaboration with the Institute of Chinese Martial Studies, the exhibition offers a first-of-its-kind look at a private collection of more than 50 swords and pole arms (a close-quarter combat weapon with the main... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3125153/way-sword-hong-kong-exhibition-explores-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3125153/way-sword-hong-kong-exhibition-explores-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Mar 2021 08:15:16 +0000 Blockchain activists are mounting an insurrection in the traditional art market. On March 3, an anonymous group calling themselves “art and NFT enthusiasts” set alight a US$95,000 Banksy original print live on social media and put up its non-fungible token (NFT) – a digitised, one-of-a-kind version of the print – for investors to bid on. After a five-day bidding war, it sold for 228.69 Ether, a cryptocurrency, on the trading platform OpenSea, an amount equivalent to about US$380,000. Earlier in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3124557/how-nfts-and-blockchain-made-crypto-art-grimes-digital-art?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3124557/how-nfts-and-blockchain-made-crypto-art-grimes-digital-art?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Mar 2021 18:30:16 +0000 Daniel Wong* holds a British National (Overseas) passport, but is not taking up Britain’s offer of a pathway to citizenship for Hong Kong residents eager to leave. Instead, the 37-year-old is planning to move to Canada with his wife, a 33-year-old civil servant, their four-year-old son and both sets of grandparents. “My parents prefer Canada and especially Vancouver, because they visited the city a few times and love it,” says Wong, who works as a senior manager in corporate governance. “I... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3120749/canada-draw-hongkongers-keen-leave-immigration-inquiries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3120749/canada-draw-hongkongers-keen-leave-immigration-inquiries?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Feb 2021 01:00:18 +0000 The Hong Kong Association of Banks has instructed members to stop recognising British National (Overseas) passports as valid identification for opening or renewing accounts. The city’s correctional services authority has also started requiring inmates with dual nationality to choose a single one, alarming Western governments, the Post has learned. The city’s government is embroiled in a row with Britain over London’s creation of a new pathway to citizenship for millions of Hongkongers eligible... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3120585/hong-kong-banks-told-stop-accepting-bno-passports-while?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3120585/hong-kong-banks-told-stop-accepting-bno-passports-while?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Feb 2021 13:30:26 +0000 Members of ethnic minority communities in Hong Kong who only hold a British National (Overseas) passport face a fresh hurdle in going abroad after the government said it no longer recognised the document for travel or identification. Said to be in the hundreds or thousands, by some estimates, they were taken by surprise when the Immigration Department announced that the BN(O) document could not be used for entering or exiting the city from January 31 and residents would need a Hong Kong Special... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3120127/hong-kong-bno-official-rejection-passports-leaves-many?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3120127/hong-kong-bno-official-rejection-passports-leaves-many?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Feb 2021 00:00:13 +0000 Britain’s visa centre in North Point was slightly busier than normal on Monday as the first Hong Kong residents walked through its doors to apply for a new British National (Overseas) immigration scheme, even as a member of the city’s Executive Council said they were being treated like “refugees”. Unveiled by London last July in the wake of Beijing’s imposition of the national security law, the application process, which opens a potential pathway to citizenship to 5.4 million eligible... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3120072/first-hongkongers-make-way-north-point-apply-new-bno-visas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3120072/first-hongkongers-make-way-north-point-apply-new-bno-visas?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Feb 2021 08:54:11 +0000 From Sunday, Hong Kong residents considering moving to Britain can start applying for a special visa that opens a new pathway to immigration and citizenship there. Britain made it easier for Hongkongers to leave after Beijing imposed a wide-ranging national security law on the city last June, outlawing acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and interference by foreign forces. Some Hongkongers have already moved, while others are reported to have sold their homes in the city as they prepare to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3119858/bno-ticket-britain-opens-doors-hong-kong-residents-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3119858/bno-ticket-britain-opens-doors-hong-kong-residents-not?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Jan 2021 03:00:15 +0000 Hundreds of Hongkongers stranded overseas by a ban on travel from Britain fear they may face further difficulties returning home after three of their number, who flew to Hong Kong via Dubai and Singapore, tested positive for Covid-19. Many had already travelled to Dubai weeks ago, after the government said the only way they would be able to return was by spending three weeks in a destination outside Britain. The United Arab Emirates is one of the few places still allowing arrivals from there... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3118744/coronavirus-hongkongers-stranded-overseas-fear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3118744/coronavirus-hongkongers-stranded-overseas-fear?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Jan 2021 00:00:27 +0000 Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has sought to reassure members of ethnic minority groups caught up in an escalating Covid-19 outbreak in Hong Kong’s Yau Tsim Mong district that they have not been targeted based on race or ethnicity, after an outcry sparked by a health official’s suggestion that their “behaviour put them at risk”. “There is absolutely no suggestion of the spread of disease relating to race or ethnicity,” Lam said on Tuesday. “If there is any misunderstanding arising... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3118380/hong-kong-fourth-wave-south-asian-residents-concern-groups?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3118380/hong-kong-fourth-wave-south-asian-residents-concern-groups?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Jan 2021 13:12:18 +0000 Eighty per cent of recovered Covid-19 patients in Hong Kong continue to experience at least one of the disease’s symptoms six months later and nearly a third report suffering from more than three, researchers have found. The study by a Chinese University team examined the role that imbalances in gut bacteria – or dysbiosis – played in recovery. They had earlier determined the seriousness of the illness correlated with how well or poorly the bacteria was balanced. Given 40 per cent of the local... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3118238/study-finds-80-cent-recovered-covid-19-patients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3118238/study-finds-80-cent-recovered-covid-19-patients?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Jan 2021 13:13:12 +0000 Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has warned city residents to be on guard when installing keyless electronic locks for their homes – at least if they do not want to end up locked outside their own flats. That was the position one local woman found herself in at midnight just a week after her new lock was installed, forcing her to turn to a locksmith when no one at the company answered her calls. Her complaint was just one of the tales of faulty products and poor customer service that prompted the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3117778/buying-electronic-lock-hong-kongs-consumer-council?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3117778/buying-electronic-lock-hong-kongs-consumer-council?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Jan 2021 12:01:03 +0000 Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has found that 80 per cent of disinfectant products proving popular during the Covid-19 pandemic are less effective in killing bacteria and viruses than the far-cheaper, traditional method of using diluted bleach. The Consumer Council found only three of the 15 multi-purpose disinfectants analysed performed as well in consistently eliminating pathogens as simply using alcohol or bleach-based solutions. That was the case even though the branded products were up to 20... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3117741/hong-kong-fourth-coronavirus-wave-vast-majority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3117741/hong-kong-fourth-coronavirus-wave-vast-majority?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Jan 2021 08:53:35 +0000 Millions of people around the world, many Hongkongers among them, are considering dropping the encrypted messaging platform WhatsApp and switching instead to alternatives they believe offer better data and privacy protection following the announcement of changes to the way the app shares information with its parent company, Facebook. WhatsApp last week asked its more than 2 billion global users to agree to new terms regarding the way it shares their personal information with Facebook by February... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3117631/amid-worldwide-concerns-over-whatsapps-new-privacy-terms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3117631/amid-worldwide-concerns-over-whatsapps-new-privacy-terms?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Jan 2021 01:00:12 +0000 Kwok Lam-sang, who swivelled his hips for nearly three decades as Hong Kong’s own “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, died of kidney failure on December 29, the local branch of the International Elvis Presley Fan Club said on Tuesday. The Elvis impersonator, better known as “Melvis” among Hongkongers, was 68. “Melvis was an ardent Elvis fan, his contribution to the legacy of Elvis Presley will never be forgotten,” said Helen Ma, president of the International Elvis Presley Fan Club (HK). A popular act with... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3117470/hong-kong-legend-melvis-dead-68-local-branch-international?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3117470/hong-kong-legend-melvis-dead-68-local-branch-international?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jan 2021 16:44:18 +0000 Hong Kong’s ban on travellers from Britain has left hundreds of city residents stranded and facing a costly six-week journey if they want to get back anytime soon. Those desperate to return must spend three weeks in a country outside Britain before continuing to Hong Kong, where they will have to spend another three weeks in quarantine at a hotel. The situation has been changing rapidly in recent days, leaving those stranded struggling to work out how to get back, how long their journey will... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3117058/hong-kong-residents-stranded-britain-due-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3117058/hong-kong-residents-stranded-britain-due-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Jan 2021 01:30:09 +0000 Nearly all of Hong Kong’s most affordable hotels designated for quarantining arrivals have been fully booked till at least late January, leaving hundreds of city residents, including domestic helpers, stranded overseas. Both groups are now calling on the government, which described the current supply of rooms as “largely adequate” in a statement to the Post, to expand the number of hotels on the list from the current 36. They are also pushing for authorities to lower hotel rates, either through... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3115905/priced-out-lack-affordable-hotel-rooms-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3115905/priced-out-lack-affordable-hotel-rooms-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Dec 2020 00:00:25 +0000 Hong Kong customs officials last week seized HK$5.7 million (US$735,000) worth of contraband products from Guangdong at a local trade terminal, pledging on Wednesday to step up cooperation with mainland and overseas law enforcement agencies to fight cross-border counterfeit goods smuggling. The 63,000 suspected counterfeit items were found in a 40-foot container from Nansha district, in Guangdong province, at the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal on Friday last week after customs officers conducted... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3115154/hong-kong-customs-officials-seize-suspected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3115154/hong-kong-customs-officials-seize-suspected?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Dec 2020 13:08:13 +0000 For some parents of Hong Kong children studying overseas – most of whom have not seen their kids for months due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions – the festive season seemed like a good opportunity for a family reunion. But for the parents who managed to travel to Britain to make good on that opportunity, the season’s cheer has curdled into worry, as they now find themselves stranded after the government banned all passenger flights from there following the discovery of an especially... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3115003/hong-kong-parents-who-travelled-britain-see-their-kids-marooned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3115003/hong-kong-parents-who-travelled-britain-see-their-kids-marooned?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Dec 2020 12:56:17 +0000 After being battered by a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections for more than three months, Hong Kong has started to loosen the toughest social-distancing measures imposed on the city, with the number of cases on a downward trend in recent weeks.  Travel restrictions that forced flight bans from Britain and subsequently South Africa have been expanded to cover Brazil and Ireland. The bans are reviewed fortnightly. Here is what you need to know about the relaxing of social-distancing measures,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3113883/how-enjoy-covid-19-christmas-hong-kong-social?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3113883/how-enjoy-covid-19-christmas-hong-kong-social?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Dec 2020 01:00:15 +0000 Hong Kong’s property agents and landlords, facing one of the city’s most competitive housing markets in years, have turned to furniture rental as an affordable way to spice up their offerings and help them stand out from the crowd. Foerni, an online furniture subscription service that was aimed at individuals when it launched this year, saw interest from landlords spike after the Covid-19 pandemic started taking its toll on the local economy. By the summer it had expanded its services to... https://www.scmp.com/property/article/3113877/hong-kong-property-agents-turn-rental-furniture-stand-out-crowd?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/article/3113877/hong-kong-property-agents-turn-rental-furniture-stand-out-crowd?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Dec 2020 23:30:10 +0000 Hong Kong-listed ESR Cayman, Asia’s largest logistics real-estate company, has begun construction on a distribution centre in Japan that is expected to be the world’s first cargo drone logistics facility. The ESR Higashi Ogishima DC-Phase 1, located near Tokyo, will come equipped with a fleet of at least 24 drones that will deliver cargo to distribution nodes across the region. The US$1 billion facility will be nine stories high and cover 365,000 square metres, making it one of Japan’s largest... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3113422/hong-kong-listed-logistics-firm-esr-cayman-launch-worlds-first-cargo-drone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3113422/hong-kong-listed-logistics-firm-esr-cayman-launch-worlds-first-cargo-drone?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Dec 2020 00:30:15 +0000 An index of 30 companies with the best environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) ratings listed in Hong Kong has consistently underperformed this year, declining by about 7.5 per cent year to date. Many of these companies are old economy stocks, from sectors hit hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic, said Gary Chiu, a senior research manager at Hang Seng Indexes Company. Conglomerates, utilities and property and construction companies, which account for about half of those on the Hang Seng... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3112775/hong-kongs-most-sustainable-companies-report-some-years-worst?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3112775/hong-kongs-most-sustainable-companies-report-some-years-worst?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Dec 2020 10:04:09 +0000 Chinese companies and their investors are likely to shrug off the latest US bill that could delist them from American exchanges as they have alternative capital-raising venues at home. It may inject urgency in more listing reforms in Hong Kong and mainland China. The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, passed by the House of Representatives earlier this week, would give the more than 210 Chinese companies three years to comply with auditing oversight rules applied to other listed... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3112452/us-bill-audit-or-delist-chinese-companies-unlikely-have?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3112452/us-bill-audit-or-delist-chinese-companies-unlikely-have?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Dec 2020 11:43:53 +0000 China’s corporate bond market looks set to see a record in missed repayments this year, surpassing last year’s 143.6 billion yuan (US$21.8 billion) in defaults and heightening concerns about issuers’ credibility and compliance. Bond defaults had already topped 104 billion yuan between the start of this year and late November, according to Bloomberg data. Delinquencies on the mainland, the world’s second-largest bond market, have exceeded 100 billion yuan for three years running now. “Rising... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3112357/chinas-corporate-bonds-market-heading-another-year-record?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3112357/chinas-corporate-bonds-market-heading-another-year-record?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Dec 2020 04:40:48 +0000 A resurgence in Covid-19 cases in the UK in recent months has stemmed the flow of Hongkongers looking to buy property and relocate there. This may just be a lull before a special visa process kicks off in January for British National (Overseas) passport holders. The British government imposed a second national lockdown in early November after a sharp uptick in Covid-19 infections. It will transition to more flexible restrictions starting December 2 at a time when it’s liberalising immigration... https://www.scmp.com/business/money/article/3112038/covid-19-lockdown-tempers-interest-uk-property-hongkongers-lull?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/money/article/3112038/covid-19-lockdown-tempers-interest-uk-property-hongkongers-lull?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Dec 2020 07:30:12 +0000 Hong Kong-based outdoor furniture maker 3i Corporation saw its exports to the US and Europe start to stagnate at the beginning of the year as the first reverberations of an economically disastrous global pandemic were felt. To weather the downturn that was to come, the family firm with the unlikely name decided to do what dozens of others were doing: make protective face masks. It started out with two machines in a factory in San Po Kong in April. Today it boasts six, capable of producing... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3111684/outdoor-furniture-manufacturers-filmmakers-how-companies-adapted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3111684/outdoor-furniture-manufacturers-filmmakers-how-companies-adapted?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Nov 2020 01:45:13 +0000 Governments have a critical role to play in preparing for the roll-out of a Covid-19 vaccine that is expected to be in the air by the end of the year, an airlines industry boss said on Tuesday. As airlines work to restore transport capacity that has been gutted by restrictions on international travel, governments need to implement a streamlined importing process that can prevent bottlenecks once vaccines cross a country’s borders, said Frédéric Léger, director for airport, passenger, cargo and... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3110225/governments-airlines-must-take-steps-avoid-bottlenecks-when-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3110225/governments-airlines-must-take-steps-avoid-bottlenecks-when-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Nov 2020 10:15:20 +0000 British fashion house Burberry looks set to emerge from the rut the luxury goods industry has been stuck in since the outbreak of the coronavirus, riding a wave of strong growth among younger customers in China. The company, famous for its trench coats and check patterns, saw strong double-digit sales growth in China in the period from July to September, helping put it on track for the company-wide sales growth it expects to materialise in October’s numbers. Sales globally fell 6 per cent... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3109610/british-fashion-house-burberry-expects-emerge-coronavirus-sales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3109610/british-fashion-house-burberry-expects-emerge-coronavirus-sales?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Nov 2020 12:00:18 +0000 Hong Kong’s government has launched a special bond with the most generous payout in years for senior citizens, as it extends a financial lifeline to one of the world’s fastest greying population amid the city’s worst recession on record. A Silver Bond will go on sale at 9am on December 1, guaranteed to receive 3.5 per cent in annual interest, payable twice a year, according to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the city’s de facto central bank. The interest is 50 basis points higher than... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3109440/hong-kong-launches-silver-bond-generous-payouts-protect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3109440/hong-kong-launches-silver-bond-generous-payouts-protect?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Nov 2020 12:32:23 +0000 Some investors and brokers are optimistic that stock market gains sparked by the US presidential election outcome will continue apace over the coming weeks, erasing the pain of missing out on the anticipated windfall from Ant Group’s record-breaking stock sale. The Hang Seng Index jumped 1.2 per cent on Monday on the back of Joe Biden’s triumph over the weekend, bringing the gains over three days to 4.4 per cent. The local market has not had a stronger back-to-back rally since the benchmark put... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3109090/biden-victory-rally-soothes-market-pain-hong-kong-investors-look?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3109090/biden-victory-rally-soothes-market-pain-hong-kong-investors-look?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Nov 2020 09:58:40 +0000 When bars and nightclubs closed and restaurant dining was largely off limits at the height of the coronavirus outbreak, Chinese brewers raced to develop brand and marketing strategies that would drive their online sales – and Budweiser Brewing Company APAC seems to have come out on top. Despite experiencing a US$400 million drop in profits in the first nine months of the year, Budweiser’s Asian unit saw consistent double digit growth in online sales, and triple-digit growth in “new retail”... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3108788/coronavirus-lockdowns-sent-chinese-drinkers-looking-online-beer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3108788/coronavirus-lockdowns-sent-chinese-drinkers-looking-online-beer?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Nov 2020 04:30:16 +0000 Lee and Oli Barrett, a father-son duo with a YouTube channel, inhaled two balloons’ worth of helium on May 22 and laughingly thanked online viewers for pushing them past the 100,000 subscriber mark after only 11 months. The key to their rapid audience expansion? Defending China. The Barretts, British citizens based in Shenzhen city neighboring Hong Kong, are not alone in finding that defense of China – or conversely biting criticism of Beijing – can be a fast route to YouTube success. As... https://www.scmp.com/society/how-youtubers-gain-fame-defending-or-lashing-out-beijing/article/3107729?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/how-youtubers-gain-fame-defending-or-lashing-out-beijing/article/3107729?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Oct 2020 11:29:39 +0000 Lee and Oli Barrett, a father-son duo with a YouTube channel, inhaled two balloons’ worth of helium on May 22 and laughingly thanked online viewers for pushing them past the 100,000 subscriber mark after only 11 months. The key to their rapid audience expansion? Defending China. The Barretts, British citizens based in Shenzhen city neighbouring Hong Kong, are not alone in finding that defence of China – or conversely biting criticism of Beijing – can be a fast route to YouTube success. As... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3107497/us-china-friction-turns-youtube-fame-and-laughs-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3107497/us-china-friction-turns-youtube-fame-and-laughs-online?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Oct 2020 21:00:22 +0000 Chinese state-run newspaper People’s Daily called on the US earlier this month to stop using China as a political football in the run-up to the November presidential election. The problem for Beijing is that the Fox News cable network is not listening. Fox News presenters Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham, who host two of the most popular US cable news programmes among conservative audiences, have emerged as prominent critics of China. “We have been so inwardly focused that we are missing …... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3104715/china-says-it-wants-stay-out-us-election-fox-news-has-other?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3104715/china-says-it-wants-stay-out-us-election-fox-news-has-other?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Oct 2020 10:00:09 +0000 With just weeks to go until the US presidential election, Donald Trump has ramped up his anti-China vitriol, promising on Wednesday to make Beijing pay “a big price” for the damage caused to America by the coronavirus pandemic. Such hawkish rhetoric has characterised Trump’s term in office and his aggressive tone is unlikely to change with the opinion polls suggesting he has an uphill battle to win re-election. But can attacking China help Trump keep the White House? The recent rise in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3104754/donald-trump-hoping-his-china-bashing-can-help-him-win-re?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3104754/donald-trump-hoping-his-china-bashing-can-help-him-win-re?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2020 12:20:13 +0000 When former deputy secretary of state Robert Zoellick stepped up to the podium to deliver the keynote address at the National Committee on US-China Relations’ annual gala in 2005, he was expected to offer the usual rosy celebration of the relationship reserved for such occasions. That did not happen. Instead – 15 years ago today – Zoellick, who went on to head the World Bank, delivered what became known as his “responsible stakeholder” speech in reference to China‘s place in the world order. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3102303/us-china-relations-pre-trump-warning-shot-signalled-trouble?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3102303/us-china-relations-pre-trump-warning-shot-signalled-trouble?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2020 04:00:08 +0000