
Hong Kong stocks drop against regional gains
The Hang Seng Index fell 127 points, or 0.55 percent, to 23,254 points at midday. SING TAO
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
European Union to China: your ‘impressive rise' must not crush our industries
The European Union 's trade chief Maros Sefcovic has warned China that its 'impressive rise must not come at the expense of the European economy' as the bloc continues to push for Beijing to loosen export controls on rare earths and act on trade diversion. Advertisement Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, two days after meeting Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao , Sefcovic stated that 'China has a responsibility to match its support for multilateralism with full respect for the rules meant to ensure fairness and equity'. 'Hence, our calls on China to address systemic issues affecting Europe and other partners, such as overcapacity, subsidies, market access barriers, critical minerals export restrictions, investment conditions and trade diversion,' the Slovakian official said at the Brussels Economic Security Forum. 'We are committed to rebalancing this relationship and establishing a level playing field in trade and investment, with symmetrical market opening.' Sefcovic met Wang on the sidelines of an OECD ministerial summit in Paris and said he raised as a top priority China's export controls on rare earth minerals and magnets, which have threatened to undermine European industries.


South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
1880 Hong Kong members offered alternative club, but ‘not what we signed up for'
Members of 1880 Hong Kong, a Singapore-based private club that recently shut down after only seven months in operation, have been offered a luxury lifeline by landlord Swire Properties. Advertisement The club told members on Thursday that they would be able to have joining fees waived for The Refinery, a club in Swire's Taikoo Place that is operated by The Peninsula, and a food and drink credit would be provided. But the announcement did not appear to have pacified members, with some preferring a refund of their original joining and subscription fees. Some said they no longer trusted the company and had not given their consent to join the alternative club, which was 'not what we signed up for'. 1880 Hong Kong's email to members on Thursday did not mention whether they would have to pay subscription fees for access to the luxury Swire-owned club. A member at The Refinery told the Post that her joining fee in 2021 was HK$50,000 (US$6,370) and the monthly subscription was HK$1,800, after a tenant discount. Advertisement The email asked members to contact The Refinery directly to accept the offer of full membership.


South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong proposes 50% duty on net profits from basketball betting
Hong Kong authorities have proposed a 50 per cent duty on the operators' net betting profits from basketball gambling, while a public consultation found that 94 per cent of respondents supported legalising such activities. In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council on Thursday, the government said that the existing calculation and collection methods for football betting tax could be adopted for basketball gambling as one of the amendments to the Betting Duty Ordinance. The duty on football betting is levied at 50 per cent of the net stake receipts. 'The government's policy is not to encourage gambling. We adopt a multipronged approach targeting illegal betting. Law enforcement and strengthening efforts in it are our foremost measures,' Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said. 'Another measure will be promotion, education and counselling services. The last resort is when illegal gambling activities have become rampant; we need a limited and legal channel to divert illegal gambling activities into legal betting.' The proposal will be discussed at a meeting of Legco's home affairs, culture and sports panel on Monday. Authorities earlier proposed establishing a regulatory regime for basketball betting by modelling it on the existing one for football wagering. The Hong Kong Jockey Club's latest assessment showed that illegal basketball betting turnover reached HK$70 billion to HK$90 billion last year.