SCMP Nachrichten

 

Nearly half of Hong Kong residents are concerned that their wealth will not last beyond their children, citing market volatility and inheritance disputes, according to a survey by Canadian insurer Sun Life. The survey covered 500 respondents from Hong Kong, including some from mainland China. They were among over 3,000 people aged 18 and above from Asia who were polled in October on the topic of legacy planning. Sun Life found that 44 per cent of Hong Kong residents expressed fear over their......

A growing number of Chinese tech firms are tapping Hong Kong for research talent and overseas expansion, as the Asian financial hub moves to attract Big Tech and start-ups to boost its technology sector. Arm China, the Chinese unit of British semiconductor firm Arm Holdings, would establish a chip intellectual property research and development centre in Hong Kong in 2026 that would focus on artificial intelligence and robotics, Arm China senior technical director Zou Wei said last month. The new......

Volkswagen is making a major bet in China, the largest and one of the most cutthroat auto markets in the world. The question is whether it will work. The German carmaker, which once dominated the market with a more than 50 per cent share, has invested €3 billion (US$3.5 billion) in a sprawling research and development centre – its largest outside its home country – in Hefei, a low-key central China city of 10 million people. It is a sea change from how foreign carmakers operated in China for......

The electronic platform of the Mandatory Provident Fund (eMPF) is expected to reach its fee cut target five years ahead of schedule and could save the scheme's 4.75 million members HK$50 billion (US$6.4 billion) in less than 10 years, according to the chairwoman of the pension regulator. The Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) revised its estimates of cost savings from the eMPF platform on Monday during a media briefing hosted by Ayesha Macpherson Lau, who provided an update on the......

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng plans to establish a production base in Malaysia targeting Southeast Asian customers, in its latest move to expand overseas to improve profitability. The Guangzhou-based company, 5 per cent owned by Volkswagen Group, said on Monday that it would partner with Malaysian firm EP Manufacturing Berhad (EPMB), an investment conglomerate focusing on automotive manufacturing and engineering, to locally assemble its intelligent electric cars tailored to the needs......

Home prices in mainland China continued to decline at a rapid pace in November, posing challenges for policymakers who have vowed to stem a years-long downturn. New home prices fell 0.4 per cent month on month on average across 70 cities, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday. The decline eased slightly from a 0.5 per cent fall in October, but it was among the steepest in more than a year. Prices slipped 2.8 per cent year on year in November, compared with a......

CMOC Group, one of China's biggest miners, extended its push into precious metals with a US$1 billion deal to buy the Brazilian operations of Equinox Gold. It will take full ownership of two Equinox entities – Leagold LatAm Holdings and Luna Gold – that control several mines or deposits in the South American nation. Equinox will receive US$900 million in cash, plus a contingent payment of as much as US$115 million one year after the deal closes, CMOC said in an exchange filing on Monday. The......

HSBC Holdings will host two meetings early next month on its US$14 billion buyout proposal to privatise subsidiary Hang Seng Bank. The British banking giant announced on Monday the details of the scheme document regarding the privatisation of Hang Seng Bank at HK$155 per share proposed on October 9. The court meeting and the general meeting of Hang Seng Bank shareholders will be held sequentially from 10.30am on January 8 in Hong Kong. The results of the shareholder votes at both meetings will......

UOB turns 90 this year, marking a milestone defined by people and progress. Since 1935, the bank has grown alongside Singapore and across the region by building lasting connections with its communities, colleagues and customers. Its anniversary celebrations reflect this focus, with initiatives that honour this shared history while building the future of Asean. Communities: shaping the future together For UOB, 2025 has been a year of giving back on a grand scale, with a strong focus on education.......

Hong Kong stocks fell on Monday after key economic data showed China's slowdown extended into November, raising fresh questions about the sustainability of a nearly 30 per cent market rally this year. The Hang Seng Index declined 0.9 per cent to 25,744.60 as of 10.12am local time. The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 1.7 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index slipped 0.1 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index retreated 0.2 per cent. Chinese search engine operator Baidu slid 3 per cent to......

China's artificial intelligence still needs to improve in six aspects, from ecosystem to funding, but the emergence of DeepSeek has significantly boosted the sector's confidence in overcoming US restrictions, according to a mainland venture capital firm. China and the US were the two top players in global AI development, with the former leading in humanoid robotics and open-source large language models, according to Zhou Qi, managing partner of GSR United Capital, which focuses on early-stage......

Geely Auto, mainland China's second-largest carmaker by sales, has doubled down on its push to improve vehicle reliability by launching a 2 billion yuan (US$283.5 million) facility for safety tests, bucking the trend of price competition in the world's largest automotive market. The centre, the world's largest of its kind, reflected Geely's determination to prioritise safety as it resisted offering discounts amid a brutal price war, according to Jerry Gan Jiayue, CEO of the firm's passenger car......

Taiwanese brand Nap Tea drew long lines when it opened its first Hong Kong store in Mong Kok in February. The chain has since expanded aggressively, opening its ninth outlet in the city this month. “What truly surprised us was our breakthrough in quickly building a loyal base of repeat customers,” said co-founder Dan Lin. “Rent is indeed a major challenge in the Hong Kong market, but it proves that as long as the product is strong enough, it can overcome the pressure of high costs.” Co-founded......

China Vanke failed to secure bondholder approval to extend by one year a bond payment due on Monday, a filing showed, increasing the risk of default for the developer and renewing concerns about the crisis-hit property sector. The setback for state-backed Vanke, one of China's highest-profile developers with projects in major cities, renews concerns about the property sector, where some of the country's best-known developers have defaulted in recent years. The rejection in a three-day vote that......

Humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics has teased what it calls the world's first humanoid robot “app store”, a developer platform designed to bring embodied intelligence into everyday life by allowing users to access and control robots directly through their smartphones. The Hangzhou-based robotics unicorn unveiled a centralised programme, dubbed the Unitree Robotics Developer Platform, offering functions such as datasets and remote control programmes for humanoids. Unitree called it the......

Chinese demand for foreign luxury cars is waning as customers opt for more affordable Chinese brand models, often sold at big discounts, catering to their taste for fancy electronics and comfort. That is bad news for European carmakers like Porsche, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz and BMW that have long dominated the upper reaches of the world's largest auto market. A prolonged property downturn in China has left many consumers with little appetite for big purchases. Meanwhile, the well-to-do are......

While humanoid robots from China and the US have captured the imagination of people for their skill at serving drinks, taking part in boxing matches and running marathons, and entertaining through dance moves on stage, their counterparts in Japan – the long-time leader of the robotics world – are mostly confined to factories. Japan's early forays into humanoids date back to the 1960s, so what happened along the way? At the 26th International Robot Exhibition (IREX), a four-day, biennial industry......

With temperatures falling and holidays approaching, ski resorts across northern China are experiencing a surge in visitors from the south, a trend that is cheering airlines as well as resort operators including Malaysia-based Genting Group. Since the ski season opened on November 15, the Changbai Beautiful China Resort in the northeast province of Jilin, a complex owned by China Green Development Group, has welcomed more than 110,000 visitors, marking a nearly 40 per cent year-on-year increase.......

Shanghai's luxury retail market is set to become increasingly competitive, fuelled by a citywide shift as prime malls embrace experiential concepts to differentiate themselves. Hong Kong developer Hang Lung Properties on Friday said that it had secured a 20-year lease for the No 1038 West Nanjing Road commercial project – formerly known as Meilong Town – in partnership with Shanghai Join Buy Group. The project would be transformed into a mixed-use complex integrating retail, hospitality and......

China's leading battery makers for electric cars – Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) and Gotion High-tech – are adding momentum to the country's efforts to build new-energy vessels, with their latest products supplied to large ocean carriers amid an accelerated decarbonisation drive. Chinese-made pure electric-powered container vessels were also set to extend Beijing's lead over global rivals in shipbuilding, according to industry officials and analysts. CATL, the world's largest electric......