Latest news with #Guangdong
South China Morning Post
5 minutes ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
National Games tickets to cost as little as cup of coffee, Hong Kong chief says
Hongkongers hoping to catch the action at the National Games in November can expect to pay as little as the cost of a cup of coffee or a fast-food meal for their tickets. Most of the tickets on offer for the events held in Hong Kong – expected to number more than 300,000 – will be priced at an 'affordable' level, the man overseeing the multi-sport Games has told the Post. 'Ticket prices will range from around HK$50 (US$6.35) to HK$400, or HK$500 at most, with the more expensive tiers being for the finals,' said Yeung Tak-keung, head of the city's National Games coordination office. The Games, taking place from November 9 to 21, will feature more than 400 events across 34 sports, and will be co-hosted by Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau. Yeung said prices at previous Games in China had been used as a guide, and the pricing would come in two categories. Yeung Tak-keung said more than 60 types of Games products had been made. Photo: Mike Chan 'For those sports that happen only in Hong Kong, such as rugby sevens, fencing, golf and triathlon, we have more decision-making power on pricing,' he said.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Raw foods on mainland Chinese platforms still delivered to Hong Kong despite warnings
Raw oysters, frozen poultry and fresh eggs sold on mainland Chinese e-commerce platforms can still be delivered to Hong Kong, the Post has found, despite a joint warning issued by consumer watchdogs in the city, Macau and Guangdong province. According to checks by the Post on Wednesday, five pounds of fresh raw shucked oysters from Chaozhou in eastern Guangdong were being sold on Pinduoduo for as low as 79 yuan (US$11), with free shipping to Hong Kong included. According to shopper reviews, the oysters were delivered in a vacuum-sealed container and packed in a styrofoam box with a few ice packs. Frozen beef short ribs cost as little as 7 yuan per steak, while a tray of 50 fresh eggs costs 27 yuan. Other listings include frozen chicken breast, raw marinated seafood and frozen whole fish and frozen herring sashimi fillet. However, once a Hong Kong address was added, some sellers of fresh sashimi and freshly sliced beef noted that they did not deliver to the city.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Perishable foods on Chinese platforms still delivered to Hong Kong despite warnings
Raw oysters, frozen raw poultry and fresh eggs sold on Chinese e-commerce platforms are still being delivered to Hong Kong, the Post has found, despite a joint warning issued by consumer watchdogs in the city, Macau and Guangdong province. According to checks by the Post on Wednesday, five pounds of fresh raw shucked oysters from Chaozhou in eastern Guangdong were being sold on Pinduoduo for as low as 79 yuan (US$11), with free shipping to Hong Kong included. According to shopper reviews, the oysters were delivered in a vacuum-sealed container and packed in a styrofoam box with a few ice packs. Frozen beef short ribs cost as little as 7 yuan per steak, while a tray of 50 fresh eggs costs 27 yuan. Other listings include frozen chicken breast, raw marinated seafood and frozen whole fish and frozen herring sashimi fillet. However, once a Hong Kong address was added, some sellers of fresh sashimi and freshly sliced beef noted that they did not deliver to the city.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Starbucks Opens Free Study Rooms in China to Lure Customers
(Bloomberg) -- Starbucks Corp. has launched free 'study rooms' in some of its China outlets, the company's latest initiative to help boost consumer traffic as domestic competition surges in its second-biggest market. Trump Awards $1.26 Billion Contract to Build Biggest Immigrant Detention Center in US Why the Federal Reserve's Building Renovation Costs $2.5 Billion Salt Lake City Turns Winter Olympic Bid Into Statewide Bond Boom Milan Corruption Probe Casts Shadow Over Property Boom How San Jose's Mayor Is Working to Build an AI Capital The study areas have been launched in some stores in southern Guangdong Province — home to millions of young workers at the country's export, manufacturing and technology hubs — Starbucks China said in a statement on its official Weibo account this week. People won't be required to purchase anything from Starbucks to use the spaces. The rooms are Starbucks's latest initiative in China this year as it tries to revive sales growth amid stiff competition from cheaper local rivals like Luckin Coffee Inc., which regularly rolls out new products and flavors, and the soaring popularity of Chinese tea chains. The Seattle-based coffee giant has also been weighing options for its China business, including a stake sale, Bloomberg has reported. Under new China chief Molly Liu, some of Starbucks's latest moves in the mainland are taking an opposite approach to policies in the US, where starting earlier this year people must buy items to use its cafes, patios and restrooms as the company prioritizes paying customers. Starbucks China has also expanded its drinks menu to include more sugar-free options and teas catering to local tastes, slashed prices on a slew of beverages and upped its options for customizing orders. That's in contrast to recent moves at home, where the chain has simplified its menu to boost operational efficiency. 'Starbucks is looking for ways to create fun entry drink experiences for Gen Z consumers,' said Jessica Gleeson, a former Starbucks China executive who now runs a Shanghai-based retail consultancy firm. 'In-store activities both bring new customers to the cafes and create a relationship between Starbucks and the community. It is a simple but effective tactic.' A newly-hired China chief growth officer has led to more tie-ups with movie and cartoon franchises and pop singers to lure Gen Z customers, adopting a playbook that's helped local rivals. The measures appear to have helped stem a sales decline in the mainland in the most recent quarter. There's no time limit or reservation needed to use the new study spaces. Book-donation areas have also been set up for customers — an initiative expected to boost foot traffic and ultimately revenue. New stores are also opening in heritage or scenic locations to draw people in, including a recent unveiling on tourist-friendly Yulong Snow Mountain in Yunnan Province. --With assistance from Karthikeyan Sundaram. (Updates throughout with more information on Starbucks's China business.) Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border Thailand's Changing Cannabis Rules Leave Farmers in a Tough Spot How Starbucks' CEO Plans to Tame the Rush-Hour Free-for-All ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
South China Morning Post
20 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China's Jiangsu province narrows GDP gap with Guangdong as tech sectors fuel growth
The race for China's provincial economy crown has turned red hot, with Jiangsu closing the gap with Guangdong through tech-driven growth. Advertisement Jiangsu's gross domestic product (GDP) now stands at 97.44 per cent of Guangdong's, with the distance between the two provinces narrowing to 175.76 billion yuan (US$24.5 billion) in the first half of 2025 – compared to 191.62 billion yuan for the same period last year, according to data released by provincial authorities. That marks the closest margin in years, threatening Guangdong's decades-long dominance as China's top provincial economy. The province, which borders Hong Kong, became the country's first export powerhouse during the reform era. 'Jiangsu is more resilient due to its diversified industrial structure among different local cities, lower real estate dependence and smaller reliance on exports,' said Peng Peng, executive chairman of the Guangdong Society of Reform, a local think tank. 'External trade pressures also weigh on its [Guangdong's] economy.' Advertisement Despite Guangdong's GDP reaching over 6.87 trillion yuan in the first half of 2025 – up 4.2 per cent year-on-year – growth in the manufacturing hub lagged the national average of 5.3 per cent. Exports, a traditional pillar of the southern province's economy, were down from 12.1 per cent growth in the first quarter of 2024 to just 1.1 per cent in the same period this year.
