logo
SAR 'a good platform for Qatar to expand investment'

SAR 'a good platform for Qatar to expand investment'

RTHK14-05-2025
SAR 'a good platform for Qatar to expand investment'
Executive councillor Jeffrey Lam says Qatar is looking to invest in different places around the world. Photo: RTHK
Hong Kong and the mainland are well placed to benefit from its outreach efforts to Gulf countries, executive councillor and lawmaker Jeffrey Lam said on Wednesday, with oil-rich Qatar, for example, seeking to transform its economy.
Lam, who recently joined Chief Executive John Lee on his trip to the Middle East, said Qatar is focusing more on the use of renewable energy while looking to invest in different places around the world.
"Hong Kong is a very good platform for Qatar," he said.
"It is also very interested in the mainland Chinese market.
"In turn, Hong Kong, together with mainland firms, can bring our products and services to Qatar and other places in the Middle East."
Separately, Lam said a leading French aeronautical services company's plan to establish its Asia headquarters in Hong Kong could strengthen the city's status as an international aviation hub.
He also said the firm, Elior Group, is looking to set up a family office in the territory.
The French company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Airport Authority to explore the possibility of providing services such as aircraft dismantling, parts recycling and related training in the SAR.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

China tourism sees upgrade in hospitality sector
China tourism sees upgrade in hospitality sector

RTHK

time9 hours ago

  • RTHK

China tourism sees upgrade in hospitality sector

China tourism sees upgrade in hospitality sector Domestic tourism is on the rise with the hospitality sector having to adapt to changes in tourist experiences. File photo: Xinhua China's tourism boom is pushing upgrades in its hospitality sector, with shifting travel preferences and growing popularity of digital technologies spurring hotels to embrace cultural integration, artificial intelligence (AI) and international management. In the first half of 2025, domestic tourist trips hit 3.285 billion, up 20.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Summer travel is set to accelerate, with an estimated over 2.5 billion trips, according to data from the China Tourism Academy. Hotel giants are feeling the heat. Jin Jiang Hotels, one of China's largest hotel groups, reported receiving more than 40.7 million guests in its Chinese hotels in July. In addition to the robust data, customers' hospitality demands are also changing. "Chinese travellers are no longer satisfied with just a bed for the night. They seek immersive, multifaceted experiences that turn hotels into hubs of exploration and engagement," said Qian Kang, vice president of Jin Jiang Hotels. Integrating hospitality services with culture, commerce, tourism, and sports has been identified as a major strategic opportunity for the hotel market in 2025, according to an industrial survey released earlier this year by hotel market observer HUAMEI Consulting Group. In Shanghai, Jin Jiang Radisson Hotels launched a culinary initiative, offering exclusive dining deals and immersive food tours. Jin Jiang Hotels China Region's AI voice system handles 70 percent of guest calls, resolving 86 percent of requests within 15 minutes, often coordinating with in-house robots for tasks like deliveries, according to Qian. (Xinhua)

Govt turns screws on water supplier to its offices
Govt turns screws on water supplier to its offices

RTHK

time10 hours ago

  • RTHK

Govt turns screws on water supplier to its offices

Govt turns screws on water supplier to its offices The Government Logistics Department says it is 'not satisfied that XDX would still be capable of performing the contract' of supplying government offices on Hong Kong Island and parts of the outlying islands. File photo: RTHK The Government Logistics Department on Saturday "partially terminated" a contract for the supply of bottled drinking water to government offices on Hong Kong Island and parts of the outlying islands. The contract with Xin Ding Xin (XDX) Trade, which started in June, was originally due to expire three years later. In a statement, the department said it had earlier conducted a test of bottled drinking water samples in government offices, which confirmed that the bottled drinking water from all suppliers complied with the safety standards for bottled drinking water. But it also said it was "not satisfied that XDX would still be capable of performing the contract" upon receiving information about the company's business operation and will therefore "follow up seriously and take action including whether to terminate the contract". From next week, bottled water in the area will be supplied by AS Watson Group that provides water branded as "Cool", which the company currently supplies to government offices in Kowloon. The department added that it has referred the case to police for investigation. The department conducted an open tender in March this year to select suitable suppliers of bottled drinking water for government departments. Professional Trade International won the tender to supply drinking water to the New Territories and part of Lantau.

How Chinese investors quietly transformed Athens – one visa at a time
How Chinese investors quietly transformed Athens – one visa at a time

South China Morning Post

time11 hours ago

  • South China Morning Post

How Chinese investors quietly transformed Athens – one visa at a time

China has changed the Greek capital in both visible and less obvious ways. On the one hand, authentic Chinese restaurants – from spicy hotpot to Cantonese cha chaan teng – have sprung up in central Athens, where many patrons speak the northeastern Chinese dialect and work for China Ocean Shipping Company , an industry giant managing Europe's fifth-largest port. On the more discreet side, Chinese buyers have snapped up thousands of flats in a rush to apply for the Greek investor residency scheme, commonly known as the 'golden visa'. In June 2025, nearly 8,000 Chinese citizens – 7,795 to be precise – were first-time members of the scheme, meaning they had not yet reached the five-year mark to renew their permits. That represents 47.8 per cent of all first-time permit holders, making them by far the largest group, according to data from the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Among the 5,679 people who had renewed their golden visa, 61 per cent were also Chinese citizens, the ministry reported.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store