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☆ Bubble tea: ChaPanda shares plunge in Hong Kong IPO
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The company, also known as Chabaidao or ChaPanda, had priced its shares at $17.50 Hong Kong dollars ($2.23) apiece, but they plunged as low as $10.80 Hong Kong dollars ($1.38) in the first two hours of trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Bubble tea (also called “black pearl tea” or “boba tea”) originated in Taiwan in the 1980s, but has since found millions of devotees around the world. In January, two of China’s most popular bubble tea brands, Mixue Group and Guming Holdings, applied for IPOs on Hong Kong’s stock exchange. Another Chinese bubble tea maker, Nayuki, has lost 88% of its stock market value since going public in Hong Kong in 2021. “The overall turnover and valuation of the (Hong Kong) stock market, which depend on the market liquidity, i.e.

Persons: Baidao, Frost, Frost & Sullivan, Robert Lui, “, ”, Laura Organizations: London CNN —, Hong, Frost &, China, Franchise Association . Stock, Mixue, Guming Holdings, Deloitte Locations: Sichuan, Hong Kong, Chengdu, Taiwan, China, Hong, Dealogic, Shanghai, Shenzhen

☆ Hong Kong’s biggest stock is ready for a turnaround, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The firm is overweight on Tencent shares, with a price target of 400 Hong Kong dollars ($51). Also helping analysts' optimism on the stock are Tencent's share buybacks. HSBC has a buy rating on Tencent, with a target price of 385 Hong Kong dollars. Pan said that low liquidity in Hong Kong has also affected share prices in that market, but he hopes that can improve with a new CEO. The Hong Kong exchange's co-COO Bonnie Chan is set to become head of the business in late May.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Gary Yu, Morgan Stanley's Yu, Tencent, Prosus, Charlene Liu, HSBC's, Grant Pan, Noah Holdings, Pan, Hong Kong exchange's, Bonnie Chan, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Hong, Jefferies, Naspers, Internet, Gaming Research, HSBC Locations: Hong, Hong Kong, Asia, Japan, Netherlands, Tencent, 1Q24, Asia Pacific, HKD500m, China

☆ Oil prices get short-lived boost from attack on Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Laura He | Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was down 0.4% at $86.8 per barrel, having earlier spiked more than 3%. The Israeli military has not commented, and Iran has not identified the source of the attack. Iran launched the attack in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria earlier this month. Iran is a big oil producer but exports most of its crude to China because of long-standing international sanctions. Mexico also said earlier this month that it would cut back oil exports because of strong domestic demand.

Persons: Brent, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, ” Neil Shearing, Richard Bronze Organizations: London CNN, CNN, Capital Economics, Organization of, Petroleum, ANZ, United, Nikkei, Kospi, Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Locations: Hong Kong, London, Iranian, Isfahan, East, Iran, Syria, Hormuz, China, United States, Mexico, Asia, Israel, Tel Aviv

☆ Oil prices jump on escalating tensions in the Middle East after strike on Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Oil prices jumped on Friday while Asian markets tumbled, with global investors worrying about an escalation in conflict in the Middle East after explosions were reported near the Iranian city of Isfahan. Iran launched the attack in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria earlier this month. “Israel’s response could determine whether oil supplies are ultimately under threat.”Elsewhere, ongoing oil disruptions remain high, the analysts added. In Hong Kong, PetroChina, Asia’s largest oil and gas supplier, advanced 2.3%. Sinopec, the world’s largest oil refining company by capacity, rose 1.3%.

Persons: Brent, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, ”, “, Korea’s Kospi, Cosmo Energy Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, ANZ, United, Stock, Nikkei, China’s, Energy, Eneos Corp, Oil Corp Locations: Hong Kong, Iranian, Isfahan, Israel, Iran, Syria, United States, Mexico, Asia, China’s Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul

☆ Three ways investors can minimize their tax payments
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It’s particularly difficult for investors, he said, who have to report their earnings and losses from the market to the IRS. As an alternative, Harris, who currently heads financial services firm Evergreen Money and recently authored a book about reducing tax burdens, shared his three biggest tax tips for investors with Before the Bell. So for tax purposes, selling securities that have lost value can offset the taxes due on gains from successful investments. If your losses exceed your gains, you can carry the net loss (total losses minus total gains) into the next tax year, potentially reducing future tax burdens. If you have three children and two parents, that’s $108,000 in tax free money a year, Harris said.

Persons: They’ll, ”, Bill Harris, It’s, Harris, “, Roth, hasn’t, “ you’re, Laura, Anna Cooban, Brent, Germany’s DAX, Read, Tempore Mike McGuire Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Taxpayers Union Foundation, Paypal, CNN, Evergreen Money, Bell, Investments, Brent, Traders, CAC, FTSE, Nikkei, International Energy Agency, ANZ, Google, California Journalism, Meta, California, Pro, Tempore, ” Locations: New York, United States, Israel, Iran, Tehran, Syria, Shanghai, Paris, California, America

☆ Gold prices rise, Asian markets fall after Tehran’s attack on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

It had hit an all-time high of $2,431 per ounce on Friday because of fears of a potential attack by Iran on Israel. US gold futures also added 0.1% on Monday. The Middle East was plunged into uncharted waters after Iran launched scores of missiles toward Israel late Saturday. Before Iran’s attack, US stocks ended Friday sharply lower, as Wall Street worried about escalating tension in the Middle East. Dow futures rose 80 points, or 0.2%, in Asian hours on Monday.

Persons: Kospi, Brent, Joe Biden Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Nikkei, ANZ, Dow, Nasdaq Locations: Hong Kong, Iran, Israel, Shanghai, Syria, East

☆ China is sending its highest-level delegation to North Korea since 2019 to kick off a ‘friendship year’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The three-day visit, at North Korea’s invitation, shows the “great importance” China attaches to those relations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. The delegation will also arrive amid heightened global concern about North Korea, which has in recent months ramped up its bellicose rhetoric and continued its weapons testing. The trip could also be an important opportunity for the upper echelons of China’s political establishment to better understand the circumstances in North Korea today. Balance of powerChina has long walked a thin line in its relations with North Korea. It is a critical economic lifeline for a North Korea crippled by international sanctions over its illegal weapons testing.

Persons: Zhao Leji, ”, KCNA, Zhao, Xi Jinping, China’s, Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Li Qiang, Liu Dongshu, …, ” Liu, Kim, Li Mingjiang, Vladimir Putin, Yun Sun Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — China’s, Beijing, Foreign Ministry, Japanese, CNN, Communist, North Korea –, Hong Kong’s City University, North, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, “, United Nations Security, Stimson Locations: China, Hong Kong, North Korea, Pyongyang, Beijing, Moscow, United States, North, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine, Asia, Washington, Philippines, Russia, North Korean, Covid, Pacific, American

☆ Is it last orders for London’s nightlife?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

London CNN —It’s Thursday, 11.00 p.m., and on a street in London’s Soho district, there’s a loud clatter. “People haven’t got the money,” she told CNN. “That’s when their bills started coming through, the first heating bills from the winter,” he told CNN. Even before the ravages of the pandemic, the number of London’s nightlife venues was in steady decline. They don’t just go out for the sake of going out now,” she told CNN.

Persons: London CNN —, Lesley Lewis, haven’t, ”, Michael Kill, Grazyna, ” Kill, “, —, that’s, Kill’s, Jeremy Joseph, Freddie Mercury, ” Joseph, Jack Henry, Henry, Lutz Leichsenring, Fabian Sommer, Leichsenring, London’s, Sadiq Khan, Amy Lamé, Lamé, Khan, Lamé “, Charlie Fenemer, It’s, Becky Lam, Lam, ” Chris Lau Organizations: London CNN, Staff, CNN, Time Industries Association, York Minister, London, “, ”, German Commission, UNESCO, United Nations, Office, National Statistics, City Hall, Labour, Shady Locations: London’s Soho, London, Wales, Soho , London, Hoxton, London’s, Berlin, “ Berlin, Hong Kong, Soho, Hong, Beijing

☆ Dubai World Cup: How 82 racehorses traveled to one of the world’s biggest sporting events
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Dubai World Cup boasts $30.5 million in prizes, spread across nine races (including its namesake event, with an enormous $12 million purse), and attracts many of the world’s most elite equestrians. “This is a huge operation,” says John Nicholls, quarantine manager at Dubai Racing Club. “They get plenty of water, plenty of hay, and attention.”Emirates Skycargo has been transporting champion horses from across the world to the Dubai World Cup and Carnival races since 2002. Horses travel in air-conditioned stalls in the cargo bay of a plane, which can fit up to 25 stalls, with up to three horses in each. Horses walk to Meydan Racecourse from their quarantine stable for morning track work ahead of the Dubai World Cup.

Persons: CNN —, ”, John Nicholls, Nicholls, It’s, “, Emirates Skycargo, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Nadeem Sultan, Suné Schäffler, that’s, Emirates SkyCargo, Rebecca Cairns, David Robson, Toto Wong, Hong Kong’s, Wong, Schäffler, “ they’re Organizations: CNN, Dubai, Dubai Racing Club, Emirates, Boeing, Business Class, Emirates Equine, Hong Kong Jockey Club, Hong Kong Locations: Emirates, Dubai, “, Equitrans, Al, Airport, city’s, Hong Kong

☆ What’s it like to dine at Asia’s ‘best’ restaurant?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Chris Dwyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But his career and trajectory have always been defined by global experience, exposure and a passion for embracing other cultures and cuisines. Back in 2006, Australian Chef Shane Osborn of Hong Kong’s acclaimed Arcane hired Calvert to work at his two Michelin-starred Pied à Terre restaurant in London. The culinary Holy Grail of Paris followed, with a stint at Epicure, which like Per Se is also a three Michelin-starred restaurant. His global culinary journey continued with a move to Hong Kong and the contemporary Parisian bistro Belon, where he earned the restaurant a Michelin star and reached fourth place on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Calvert is happy to modestly take the considerable accolade of the best restaurant in Asia with a pinch of salt, as it were.

Persons: Daniel Calvert, “, ”, It’s, Shane Osborn, Hong Kong’s, Arcane, Calvert, who’ve, ” Osborn, Daniel Calvert's, Chef Thomas Keller’s, Paris, “ I’ve, ” Calvert, Hong, André Fu, morel, SÉZANNE Calvert, Ashley Caley, shima, botan ebi, there’s, sommelier Nobuhide Otsuka, “ I’m, ” Chris Dwyer Organizations: CNN, Champions League, Michelin, Sézanne Locations: Sézanne, “ Tokyo, Marunouchi, Tokyo, London, British, London , New York, Paris, Hong Kong, New York, Epicure, France’s Champagne, Hokkaido, France’s Jura, Yamaguchi Prefecture, morel, bouillon, Asia, @chrismdwyer, Instagram

☆ U.S.-Funded Broadcaster Leaves Hong Kong, Citing Security Law
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The authorities in China have long accused Radio Free Asia, also known as R.F.A., of being a front for the U.S. government. In its statement, the news organization noted that officials in Hong Kong had also recently referred to R.F.A. as a “foreign force” in the context of how it covered the discussion over the new security law. Hong Kong enacted the security law on March 23, giving the city’s authorities more power to investigate such offenses as “external interference” and the theft of state secrets. The government declined a request to comment on Radio Free Asia’s departure, pointing instead to national security laws in other countries to justify legislation in Hong Kong.

Persons: Bay Fang, Chris Tang Organizations: Radio Free Asia, Radio Free, U.S . Locations: States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States, China, Radio Free Asia

☆ Art Basel Hong Kong: Collectors return to Asia’s biggest art fair despite cooling market
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Stephy Chung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Hong Kong CNN —Picture Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel and George W. Bush as 7-year-olds. Noemi Cassanelli/CNNAsia’s largest art fair, which concludes Saturday, has returned to “pre-pandemic scale,” as organizers put it. Hong Kong artist Mak2's installation in the fair's "Encounters" section. A colorful booth by Dvir Gallery, based in Paris, Tel Aviv and Brussels, which participated in the Hong Kong fair for the first time. So while Art Basel is a “very international platform,” Chan said, it still provides the chance to showcase homegrown talent.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel, George W, Bush, Lí, Noemi Cassanelli, Hong, Hong Kong’s, ”, William Leung, fairgoer, “, Ivy Haldeman, François Ghebaly, It’s, it’s, “ It’s, Victoria Miro, Wirth, Mark Bradford, Philip Guston, Ed Clark, ” Keith Tsuji, Willem de Kooning’s, Kooning, Fuyuhiko Takata, Yoko Ono’s, Takata, Fuyuhiko, Louise Delmotte, I’m, ” Takata, fairgoers, Jaume Plensa, Mary Sabbatino, Sabbatino, Mak2, Teppei, Maho Kubota, Alexie, Kantor, Trevor Yeung, Stephen Wong, people’s, Hilda Chan, London’s, ” Chan Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Art Basel, CNN, “, Hauser, Hauser & Wirth, Galerie Lelong, The, Hong, Dvir, Hong Kong, CNN Hong, London’s Tate Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, Hong Kong ., China, New York, Art Basel Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Asia, American, Spanish, York, Paris, Australian, Paris , Tel Aviv, Brussels, Hong

☆ Country Garden misses results and likely faces trade suspension in fresh blow for China’s property sector
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Hong Kong CNN —Troubled housing giant Country Garden announced late Thursday that it would delay the publication of its annual results, in the latest sign of the turmoil still coursing through China’s huge property sector. The move is likely to cause its share trading to be suspended from Tuesday, as is required by Hong Kong’s listing rules. Country Garden, once the China’s largest property developer, is reeling under about $194 billion worth of debt. Last month, it received a liquidation petition in Hong Kong from a creditor for non-payment of a loan worth 1.6 billion Hong Kong dollars ($204 million), according to the company. Country Garden’s woes echo that of another huge, and now insolvent, Chinese property giant Evergrande.

Persons: Hong Kong’s, Evergrande Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Garden, Hong Kong Locations: Hong Kong, China’s

☆ Asia’s 50 best restaurants for 2024 revealed
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Karla Cripps | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —After losing the number one spot to Bangkok in 2023, Tokyo has reclaimed its crown as the city with the top eatery in the region at the annual Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards, which were announced in Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday evening. The list – part of the global “World’s 50 Best” brand – is compiled by the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, which is made up of more than 300 food critics, writers, chefs and restaurateurs, all selected for their knowledge of Asia’s restaurant scene. Though Singapore didn’t have any restaurants in the top five, nine of its venues made the top 50 list – more than any other city. Courtesy The World's 50 BestThe “Asia’s Best Female Chef” award went to Pichaya ‘Pam’ Soontornyanakij, owner of Bangkok restaurant Potong, which came in at 17 on this year’s list. Mineko Kato of restaurant Faro in Tokyo won the Asia’s Best Pastry Chef award and Kevin Lu of Logy, in Taipei, was voted Asia’s Best Sommelier.

Persons: Daniel Calvert, Calvert, “, ”, Sézanne, I’ve, we’d, Gaggan, Seroja, Gaggan Anand, Thitid “, Sühring, Le Du –, Ton, Bangkok –, Odette, Pichaya, Pam ’ Soontornyanakij, Ton’s Nusara, Mineko Kato, Kevin Lu, Logy, Sung Anh, Mosu, Danny Yip, Hong, Le, Fu, Hui, Samrub, Villa, Ling Long, Ando, Les Amis, Baan, Goh, Anan, Tam’s Organizations: CNN, Marunouchi, Restaurants Academy, Hospitality, Toyo, Meta, Studio, Bund Locations: Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, South Korea, Japan, France’s Champagne, Maronouchi, Asia, ”, Kolkata, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thai, ” Singapore, Faro, Taipei, Nusara, Suhring, Osaka, Odette, Sorn, Le Du, Potong, Shanghai, Logy, Masque, Mumbai, Manila, Delhi, Seroja, Taichung, Taiwan, Mume, Wakayama, Lolla, Avartana, Chennai, India, Fukuoka, Jakarta, Kyoto, Anan Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Macao

☆ Don’t Look Away From What’s Happening in Hong Kong - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Maya Wang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“What should I do with those copies of Apple Daily?”Someone in Hong Kong who I was chatting with on the phone recently had suddenly dropped her voice to ask that question, referring to the pro-democracy newspaper that the government forced to shut down in 2021. “Should I toss them or send them to you?”My conversations with Hong Kong friends are peppered with such whispers these days. Last week, the city enacted a draconian security law — its second serious legislative assault on Hong Kong’s freedoms since 2020. It had rule of law, a rowdy press and a semi-democratic Legislature that kept the powerful in check. Anyone who grew up in China in the 1980s and 1990s could sing the Cantopop songs of Hong Kong stars like Anita Mui, and that was a problem for Beijing: Freedom was glamorous, desirable.

Persons: “, Hong Kong, —, Anita Mui, Beijing’s Organizations: Apple Daily, Britain Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing

☆ China is trying to connect Southeast Asia by high-speed rail. Here’s how that’s going
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Imagine jumping on a train in southwestern China, traveling some 2,000 miles and arriving in Singapore – less than 30 hours later. Southeast Asia is the “obvious” choice because of its “proximity to China,” Bowerman adds. “Beijing, I think, ultimately wants to see Southeast Asian countries within its sphere of geopolitical influence. A staff member waits for passengers to board the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train during a week-long public trial phase at the Halim station in Jakarta on September 17, 2023. “In the example of a high-speed railway line between Malaysia and Singapore, Singapore would likely have just one stop – Malaysia would have more,” Wong told CNN.

Persons: China’s, Gary Bowerman, ” Bowerman, ”, Pon Souvannaseng, Peerapon Boonyakiat, Bowerman, Pan Wenbo, Pan, Mei Wei, Wei, “ I’m, Xi Jinping’s, Souvannaseng, Hong Kong –, Hong Kong’s, Yasuyoshi Chiba, Wong Muh Rong, ” Wong Organizations: CNN, Initiative, China Railway, Reuters, East Japan Railway Co, Malaysian, Bentley University, of, Communist Party, Laos Railway, Laos Railway cumulatively, Orient Express, Getty Locations: China, Singapore, Asia, Laos, Kunming, Vientiane –, Indonesia, Jakarta, Bandung, West Java, Thailand, Bangkok, Thai, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Southeast Asia, “ China, Peerapon, Cities, Penang, Malacca, Phuket Old Town, Beijing, Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia, Wat, Siem Reap, ”, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Halim, AFP, “

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were trading mixed on Monday, as investors awaited further indications the Federal Reserve might begin cutting interest rates. A top Japanese finance official expressed reservations about the recent surge in the U.S. dollar against the Japanese yen, fueling speculation about possible intervention in the market. Despite the BOJ’s decision to hike rates, cautious communication failed to stimulate demand for the Japanese yen,” said Luca Santos, currency analyst ACY Securities. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.21% from 4.27% late Thursday. The U.S. Federal Reserve has indicated it may deliver three cuts to interest rates this year, as long as inflation keeps cooling.

Persons: Seng, Korea's Kospi, ”, Luca Santos, Brent Organizations: TOKYO, Reserve, Nikkei, Shanghai, U.S ., U.S, of, of Japan, ACY Securities, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Treasury, U.S . Federal Locations: of Japan, Japan, U.S

☆ Hong Kong’s New Security Legislation Took Decades to Pass. Here’s What to Know.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hong Kong passed national security legislation on Tuesday, giving officials in the Chinese territory more power to curb dissent, 21 years after mass protests forced the government to backtrack on a plan to introduce such laws. The security legislation is another significant erosion of freedoms in a former British colony once known for its freewheeling politics and relative autonomy from China. It also highlights how weak Hong Kong’s once-boisterous civil society and political opposition have become over the past four years. Here’s how Hong Kong got here and what’s in the law. But it also called for the eventual passage of national security laws to replace colonial ones the British were leaving behind.

Persons: Hong Kong’s Locations: Hong Kong, British, China

☆ Article 23: Hong Kong passes second national security law aligning city more closely with mainland China
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Coming into effect on Saturday, the law introduces 39 new national security crimes, adding to an already powerful national security law that was directly imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020 after huge and sometimes violent democracy protests the year before. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Lee described it as a “historical moment for Hong Kong.”Lawmakers attend a meeting for Basic Law Article 23 legislation at the Legislative Council on March 19, 2024 in Hong Kong, China. They argue their legislation is similar to other national security laws around the world. “This will surely increase the doubt, anxiety, and uncertainty of foreign businesses in Hong Kong.”In mainland China, national security laws have often ensnared both local and foreign businesses in opaque investigations. That is something Emily Lau, a former pro-democracy lawmaker, also worries about, that what made Hong Kong distinct is fast fading.

Persons: –, John Lee, Hong, Lee, Chen Yongnuo, ”, Hong Kong’s, Eric Lai, Lai, ” Lai, Hung Ho, fung, Capvision, Sarah Brooks, “, ” Brooks, ” Johannes Hack, Emily Lau, I’ve Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, ” Lawmakers, Legislative, China News Service, China’s Communist Party, CNN, Georgetown Center, Asian Law, Johns Hopkins University, Amnesty International, German Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong Locations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s, Beijing, China, Amnesty International China, ”, Hong

☆ Hong Kong Security Law Could Damage City’s Standing as Financial Hub
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Paul Chan, the top finance official of Hong Kong, traveled to Paris, London, Frankfurt and Berlin last September to lure foreign investors. Last month he abolished taxes on foreigners’ purchases of Hong Kong real estate. Mr. Chan’s brisk work pace represents an attempt to shore up Hong Kong’s role and image as the financial hub of Asia. Under its top leader, Xi Jinping, China has asserted greater influence in the past four years over Hong Kong’s laws and prosecutors. The mainland’s own economic struggles, especially in real estate, have further shaken confidence in Hong Kong as a place to put money.

Persons: Paul Chan, Xi Jinping Organizations: Hong Locations: Hong Kong, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Berlin, Asia, Beijing, Hong, China

☆ Hong Kong Adopts Sweeping Security Laws, Bowing to Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Tiffany May | David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hong Kong on Tuesday passed national security laws at the behest of Beijing, thwarting decades of public resistance in a move that critics say will strike a lasting blow to the partial autonomy the city had been promised by China. The new legislation, which was passed with extraordinary speed, grants the authorities even more powers to crack down on opposition to Beijing and the Hong Kong government, establishing penalties — including life imprisonment — for political crimes like treason and insurrection, which are vaguely defined. It also targets offenses like “external interference” and the theft of state secrets, creating potential risks for multinational companies and international groups operating in the Asian financial center. Many of the opposition figures who might have challenged the legislation have either been jailed or have gone into exile since China’s ruling Communist Party, under Xi Jinping, its most powerful leader in decades, imposed the first national security law, in 2020. That law gave the authorities a powerful tool to quash dissent after months of antigovernment demonstrations engulfed the city in 2019.

Persons: —, Hong, China’s, Xi Jinping Organizations: Hong, Communist Party Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China

☆ Hong Kong jails 12 people over the storming of the legislature in 2019
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Sarita Harilela | Sophie Jeong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Hong Kong CNN —A Hong Kong court on Saturday sentenced 12 people to between 54 and 82 months in prison over the storming of the city’s legislature council building during a pro-democracy protest in 2019, the city’s public broadcaster RTHK said. RTHK said the defendants were convicted of rioting on July 1, 2019, when a large group of protesters smashed through glass doors and stormed Hong Kong’s legislative council building after weeks of mass demonstrations. Deputy District Court judge Li Chi-ho said the storming of the building represented a challenge to the Hong Kong government and had long-lasting effects on the city, according to RTHK. Two reporters who were previously acquitted of rioting were fined 1,500 Hong Kong dollars ($192) and 1,000 Hong Kong dollars ($128) for entering the legislature, according to RTHK. This is a developing story and will be updated.

Persons: Li Chi, Gregory Wong, Ventus Lau, Owen Chow Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, RTHK, Hong Locations: Hong Kong, Hong

☆ Tighter control and high-tech push: Key takeaways from China’s biggest annual political event
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The event, held largely without Covid restrictions for the first time in years, is a rare chance for the world to glimpse into an increasingly opaque political system under Xi. Here are the major takeaways from the gathering:Tightening controlThe closing day of the National People’s Congress legislature on Monday was missing a key event – a press conference conducted by the Chinese premier. High-tech pushAn overarching theme of the gathering was a push to focus China’s economic model on technology innovation and transform the country into a high-tech powerhouse. That included a boost to China’s annual budget for science and technology by 10% to an unprecedented 370.8 billion yuan ($51.6 billion). Two high-ranking posts in China’s cabinet previously occupied by Li and Qin remain open.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Mao Zedong’s, Xi, Li, ”, Washington, Wang Yi, who’d, Qin Gang, Li Shangfu, Qin Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, of, National People’s, State Council, Observers, Chinese Communist Party, ”, National People’s Congress, Foreign Locations: China, Beijing, Hong Kong, United States

☆ Analysis: China worried about return of Trump, but also sees opportunities if he wins 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Then-US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at Beijing's Forbidden City in 2017. “If this decoupling is carried out by Trump 2.0 in a very forceful way, the impact on China is going to be very severe. But experts say China’s business and official sectors are likely already considering contingency plans. Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin leave a reception following talks at the Kremlin in March 2023. “Whoever wins – the structure of (US) confrontation, competition, pressure to China are still there,” he said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi, Donald Trump, didn’t, –, Biden, Wang Yi, Trump, He’s, Trump’s, Brian Wong, ” Wong, Lintao Zhang, Obama, Melania, “, Xi Jinping, Peng Liyuan, Xie Huanchi, he’s, ”, Bala Ramasamy, Shen Dingli, Premier Li Qiang, Ronald Reagan, “ Biden, Shen, ” Trump, skeptically, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Pavel Byrkin, Wong, it’s, Wang Yiwei Organizations: Beijing CNN —, Communist Party, Biden, Senior, Trump’s “, University of Hong Kong’s, Contemporary, House, oceanside, Trump, of, Forbidden, Huawei, Oxford Economics, China Europe International Business School, Premier, American, South Korea Navy, Asia –, Russia’s, NATO, Europe, Kremlin, Getty, South Korea –, White House, Renmin University Locations: China, Beijing, State, US, Russia, Communist, Contemporary China, Taiwan, Lago, City, Xinhua, Shanghai, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Europe, China's Qingdao Port, –, Asia, Seoul, Tokyo, Ukraine, United States, AFP, Japan, South Korea, America, Washington, Hong Kong, South China

☆ Article 23: Hong Kong unveils its second national security law, aligning city more closely with mainland China
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Hong Kong’s government unveiled a new suite of powerful national security laws on Friday that critics and foreign governments warn could deepen the ongoing crackdown in the city and further undermine its reputation as an international business hub. They point to the application of national security laws in mainland China as well as in Hong Kong where a Beijing-imposed national security law has already transformed the once outspoken city since 2020, silencing almost all dissent and jailing dozens of political opponents. The new draft Hong Kong law – known locally as Article 23 – is aimed at “filling the loopholes” left by the Beijing-imposed version enacted in 2020, according to the Hong Kong government. But the atmosphere in Hong Kong this time around is very different. Many of the city’s leading pro-democracy figures are in jail either convicted or facing charges under the 2020 national security law.

Persons: ”, Hong Kong’s, –, John Lee –, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, China’s Communist Party, Chinese Communist Party, Authorities, Security, US Department of State Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Hong, United States

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