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News

Published in China News on 21.09.2023

China News: China and what to do? De-couple, de-risk, or what?

In the last couple of months, the news from and or about China was not very favourable. Too many voices, and too many opinions but no clear picture as to how to keep the business with China going. As a matter of fact, de-coupling from China is no option! But what does China want from us? To provide a clearer picture and some guidance the European Chamber of Commerce in China has released its European Business in China Position Paper 2023/2024 (Position Paper 2023/2024), shedding light on the perplexing messages emanating from Chinese authorities. This contradictory messaging has left European businesses uncertain about the nature of China's desired relationship with them.

Published in Hong Kong News on 21.08.2023

HK News: Restrictions on language proficiency hinder Hong Kong companies from attracting international talent

Hong Kong has been easing immigration rules left and right to attract more foreign workers into the city.

However, one problem — as pointed out by Mathew Gollop, managing director of Connected Group — is that some firms still fail to hire talent from overseas due to limiting factors such as language requirements.

“A candidate of mine took on a new role. His role is to look at talent as part of their diversity program and his first conversation with the talent function was to say, ‘Why do so many of our job descriptions have ‘must speak Cantonese?’ The response was: ‘We don’t know, that’s just what it says on the job description,’” Gollop told Hong Kong Business.

“Of course, many jobs in the local market will require Cantonese as a language but that’s a huge limiting factor when we know that the local talent market is decreasing. If we’re looking outside of that, then we’re going to have to be more flexible on some of these language requirements,” he said.

Published in ASEAN News on 19.08.2023

ASEAN News: Office rentals expected to decrease in various locations throughout ASEAN

Hong Kong stands among a list of cities in Asia Pacific (APAC) that are expected to see office rentals decrease over the coming 12 months, according to new research.

The other cities identified on this list, published in the Knight Frank's Asia-Pacific Prime Office Rental Index for Q2 2023, are: Guangzhou, China; Shenzhen, China; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Published in Hong Kong News on 18.08.2023

HK News: Hong Kong population projections for 2022-2046 released

The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) has announced the release of an updated set of population projections on August 15th.

These projections, compiled by the C&SD, cover the period from 2022 to 2046, with the mid-2021 population serving as the base. In addition to the baseline population projections, the C&SD has also included high and low population projections for reference. While the baseline projection scenario is based on assumptions regarding fertility, mortality, and movement that are considered the most likely to occur at the time of compilation, the two additional projection scenarios explore potential outcomes under more aggressive or conservative assumptions.

According to the data, under the baseline population projections, the Hong Kong Resident Population is expected to reach 8.19 million by mid-2046. However, the high and low population projections indicate potential figures of 8.96 million and 7.76 million, respectively.

Published in Hong Kong News on

HK News: FINTECH drives the New Normal

The coronavirus crisis has proved a catalyst for digital transformation through financial technology - or fintech. As Hong Kong recovers from the Covid 19 pandemic, the city's tech sector is boosting confidence in the economy's "new normal" and helping businesses and individuals embrace new ways of doing business.

Published in Hong Kong News on 26.08.2021

HK News: An Open Letter to the HKSAR Government: COVID-19 Regulations

In light of recent developments in the COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong, the Government has made sudden changes to quarantine requirements for residents flying into Hong Kong. As The European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, we felt it is our obligation to express our opinions in an open letter to the Hong Kong Government. Please find the enclosed letter that was sent to the Chief Executive, the Secretary for Food and Health, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, and the Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Government to express the international community’s concerns towards sudden changes on quarantine regulations for several European countries and beyond.

Published in China News on 17.03.2021

China Relaxes Entry Restrictions for Foreigners

According to the Commissioner's Office of China's Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong S.A.R, starting March 15, 2021, travelers who have received Chinese COVID-19 vaccines (Sinovac) and obtained the vaccination certificate will enjoy facilitation for visa applications.

Published in China News on 21.01.2021

China News: TRAVEL POLICIES UPDATE

Due to the recent increase of COVID-19 cases domestically and the coming Chinese New Year holiday, many places in China have tightened local travel policies and are encouraging people to avoid unnecessary travel during the holiday.

Published in ASEAN News on 22.12.2020

ASEAN Economic Outlook for 2021

In recent weeks, the question of when and how quickly an economic recovery can be expected has arisen with increasing frequency. After a year dominated by the Corona pandemic, various vaccines give hope that global economic momentum can be resumed in 2021.