https://www.scmp.com/rss/522957/feed The latest news and top stories on Ryan Ip Man-ki. He is Vice-President of Our Hong Kong Foundation and Executive Director of its Public Policy Institute. Formerly an economist at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, he also serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director at China Merchants Land Limited and sits on several key government boards. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Vivian Au,Lo Hoi-ying Vivian Au,Lo Hoi-ying Proposed designated laws to streamline land-use approval procedures for the Northern Metropolis megaproject will not undermine the authority of Hong Kong’s town planning body, some experts have argued, while urging the government to establish clear key performance indicators (KPIs) to strengthen market confidence. Observers were responding to a package of six subsidiary laws unveiled on Tuesday by the Development Bureau, designed to remove bottlenecks in the New Territories project. A key... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346939/northern-metropolis-land-use-laws-wont-undermine-boards-authority-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346939/northern-metropolis-land-use-laws-wont-undermine-boards-authority-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:30:09 +0000 Vivian Au Vivian Au Hong Kong authorities have proposed designated laws to streamline procedures for changing land use in the Northern Metropolis megaproject, cutting the process from typically nine months to just two. Unveiled by the Development Bureau on Tuesday, the proposed designated legislation comprises six main subsidiary laws designed to remove bottlenecks in the massive scheme near the border with mainland China. They include the establishment of statutory firms and measures to speed up land resumption... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346930/measures-streamline-northern-metropolis-land-use-procedures-unveiled?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346930/measures-streamline-northern-metropolis-land-use-procedures-unveiled?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:38:49 +0000 Harvey Kong Harvey Kong Hong Kong authorities will form a new working group focused on the development of autonomous vehicles, as the government unveiled a raft of innovation and technology-led initiatives in its latest transport strategy blueprint. Other measures announced in the Transport Department’s plan released on Friday include the implementation of real-time adaptive traffic signals and a smart motorway management system for major roads to improve efficiency and convenience. “To further push the development of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3342686/new-working-group-push-autonomous-vehicles-technology-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3342686/new-working-group-push-autonomous-vehicles-technology-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 10:42:04 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Hong Kong’s adoption of preferential packages to fast-track an industrial park that falls under the Northern Metropolis megadevelopment has been given an initial thumbs up. Local developers hailed the new approach as a “one-stop service” to help them cut through red tape and resolve problems, while some market observers believed it could also attract mainland Chinese enterprises to partner with Hong Kong firms to invest in the Hung Shui Kiu park. The government announced on Monday that it was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3338074/new-approach-fast-track-hong-kong-industrial-park-gets-thumbs-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3338074/new-approach-fast-track-hong-kong-industrial-park-gets-thumbs-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:00:36 +0000 Salina Li Salina Li In a spacious three-storey village house in Sai Kung on a recent sunny Saturday, Chen Wei and his family were unpacking the final boxes after their move from Shenyang, the capital of China’s northeast Liaoning province. Having come with his wife and two sons under Hong Kong’s Top Talent Pass Scheme, Chen, an e-commerce expert, represents a new force recalibrating the city’s future. “The job opportunity was the first draw, but the final decision was for them,” Chen said, gesturing to his two... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3333670/hong-kong-talent-scheme-they-came-jobs-will-they-stay-buy-homes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3333670/hong-kong-talent-scheme-they-came-jobs-will-they-stay-buy-homes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 02:00:14 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The Urban Renewal Authority suffered a loss in 2024-25 of HK$2.72 billion, its third straight annual deficit after nearly a decade in the black. With no certainty of a return to profit in the financial year ending in March, the government’s immediate response has been to further raise the authority’s borrowing limit from HK$25 billion to HK$35 billion to finance redevelopment operations. In the longer term, however, the administration and the cash-strapped authority see a more sustainable... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3330203/strike-balance-when-fixing-hong-kongs-urban-renewal-compensation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3330203/strike-balance-when-fixing-hong-kongs-urban-renewal-compensation?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 23:15:14 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin The cash compensation for Hong Kong flat owners affected by redevelopments should take into account the physical condition of the homes to encourage better maintenance, observers have said, as the renewal authority reviews its policy to address financial challenges. Their comments on Wednesday came days after the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) posted a deficit of HK$2.7 billion (US$350 million) for 2024-25, its third financial year in a row recording a loss. The cash-strapped body is expected to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3328199/should-hong-kongs-ura-tie-compensation-building-condition-analysts-say-yes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3328199/should-hong-kongs-ura-tie-compensation-building-condition-analysts-say-yes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 05:06:18 +0000 Vivian Au Vivian Au Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis near the border with mainland China will have its own set of laws designed to speed up its development, with statutory procedures simplified and some funding approvals allowed to bypass the legislature, the city’s leader has said. In his penultimate policy address on Wednesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also revealed that the first of three university towns in the megaproject would have its site ready for use next year. The Northern Metropolis project,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3325896/hong-kongs-northern-metropolis-have-designated-laws-speed-development?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3325896/hong-kongs-northern-metropolis-have-designated-laws-speed-development?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 12:41:09 +0000 Salina Li,Aileen Chuang Salina Li,Aileen Chuang In the second instalment of our two-part series on Hong Kong’s beleaguered property market, analysts explore why this slump is different from past downturns. The first instalment discussed how the resurgence of the city’s stock market as a venue for initial public offerings could boost office uptake and ease developers’ pain. Swiss bank UBS got a steal in 2003 when it leased 146,000 sq ft across six floors in Two International Finance Centre – then the tallest building in Hong Kong – for less... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3321193/new-normal-why-hong-kongs-commercial-property-deep-freeze-here-stay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3321193/new-normal-why-hong-kongs-commercial-property-deep-freeze-here-stay?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Aug 2025 02:00:13 +0000