NewsBite

Hong Kong

November 2024

Zoe Samios aboard her Cathay Pacific red-eye flight from Hong Kong to Sydney.

This business-class flight was so good I almost slept through landing

Cathay Pacific’s new Aria offering is now in the skies, but the traditional pointy-end cabin on the Hong Kong-based carrier still does the job.

  • Zoe Samios

November 2024

Another figurehead for the movement is media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who is also in prison.

How Hong Kong’s media baron took on Beijing’s might

From refugee to media mogul to prisoner – Jimmy Lai built a $US600 million empire before losing it in the fight for democracy.

  • Jessica Sier
WA Truffle farmer David Pottinger with his dog Polly.

WA black truffles go global as cargo flights become Michelin missions

The delicacies lose 2 per cent to 3 per cent of their weight every day they sit in storage, meaning exporters are beholden to securing reliable deliveries.

  • Ayesha de Kretser
Australia’s Nick Malouf holding the winning trophy celebrates after winning the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament against Fiji .

Why late March is the best time of year to visit Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament is a bucket-list event for sport enthusiasts. But there’s plenty of sightseeing to be had too.

  • Zoe Samios

October 2024

Rupert Li was a key member of the firm’s global management committee.

KWM sues former global chief operating officer

King & Wood Mallesons is suing a former member of its international management committee for debt relating to loans worth more than $1 million.

  • Maxim Shanahan
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The Cathay Pacific Aria business class suite - with sliding privacy door - is now flying aboard just one retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER, with more retrofits underway.

Art gallery, luxury loos: Cathay’s business class goes next level

Hong Kong’s flagship carrier has unveiled its new business-class offering with an on-board art gallery, sliding privacy doors and touchless flush loos.

  • Fiona Carruthers
Chinese officials did not release a wave of stimulus like the market had expected.

China disappoints with latest stimulus plan

The government had raised hopes of more fiscal pump-priming of the economy after the central bank’s earlier interest-rate relief and liquidity measures.

  • Updated
  • Jessica Sier
Chungking Mansions in Hong Kong have long had a role as a global gateway to China.

Chungking Mansions, the chaos and glory at the heart of Hong Kong

How a 1960s block of towers filled with deal makers and refugees came to define the changing city.

  • Orla Ryan
The M+ xxx at Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District.

Hong Kong arts hub selling land to stay afloat

The redevelopment of a reclaimed area on Victoria Harbour is important as Hong Kong struggles to restore its reputation.

  • Shawna Kwan

September 2024

PwC China is reeling from financial sanctions from the Chinese government.

PwC China stops work on $210m campus as Evergrande crisis mounts

A lavish training institute on the tropical island of Hainan is under review as the firm reels from fallout from its audits of the failed property developer.

  • Eleanor Olcott, Stephen Foley and Chan Ho-him
Temu has become one of PDD’s biggest growth drivers worldwide.

US crackdown on cheap Chinese goods adds to Temu, Shein woes

The move threatens to reshape parts of the US retail arena and deflate the excitement that’s accompanied the meteoric ascent of bargain bazaars.

  • Jeanny Yu and Olivia Poh
PwC in Shanghai.

PwC to parachute in UK partner to run scandal-hit China business

The accounting firm’s global leaders have tapped Hemione Hudson, a runner-up in the race to lead PwC UK earlier this year, to lead the China operation.

  • Stephen Foley, Michael O’Dwyer and Simon Foy
Shoppers in Beijing, where weak demand is holding down prices.

China deflation risk grows as signs of economic weakness mount

The latest CPI figures provide further evidence of weak consumer demand in the world’s second-largest economy, prompting calls for more government stimulus.

  • Josh Xiao
Queensland’s Opposition has vowed to release the findings of a secret report into Star’s casino if it forms government next month.

Vow to release secret Queensland report into Star’s HK partner

The report into Star Entertainment’s marquee Brisbane casino examined possible criminal links with one of its business partners.

  • James Hall and Zoe Samios
AirTrunk founder Robin Khuda founded AirTrunk less than a decade ago.

AirTrunk’s $23.5b AI pay day

Blackstone emerged as the winning bidder in the year’s biggest merger and acquisition deal, netting its founder Robin Khuda a $1 billion-plus payday.

  • Paul Smith and Anthony Macdonald
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August 2024

Residential buildings in Shanghai, China.

China mulls $7.9 trillion in mortgage refinancing as economy stutters

The government plan would let homeowners switch banks for cheaper loans, as the property slump drags down consumer spending and household wealth.

  • K. Oanh Ha
A subdued economy and weak stock market have led investors to pile into government bonds.

China bond bulls warned of bubble risk over bumper debt supply

People close to the Chinese central bank say a wave of new issuance could burst the market “bubble”.

  • Joe Leahy, Wenjie Ding and Cheng Leng

Even Temu is crashing, in red flag for China’s economy

PDD Holdings, owner of market darling Temu, has surprised investors with an unusually gloomy outlook, as the nation’s economic malaise takes a toll on demand.

  • Updated
  • Yujing Liu
PwC in Shanghai. PwC China was the country’s largest accounting firm by revenue in 2022.

PwC braces for a six-month ban in China

The expected punishment for work on the failed property developer Evergrande’s accounts would be Beijing’s toughest penalty handed down against a big four firm.

  • Updated
  • Stephen Foley, Cheng Leng, Eleanor Olcott and Wenjie Ding

Hong Kong’s collapsing land sales threaten city’s funding model

For decades, the city’s government generated huge income auctioning off land to developers as prices soared. A property downturn is now undermining the model.

  • Shawna Kwan and Jinshan Hong

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/hong-kong-1nif