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100 start-ups joining Hong Kong’s flagship tech hub to get top mentors

Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park submits proposed list of sector-specific firms to access cross-border data flows in coming pilot Around 100 start-ups selected to join Hong Kong’s flagship border tech hub will undergo mentorship programmes ranging from five to eight years, backed by industry heavyweights, the operator has revealed. Vincent Ma, CEO of Loop Hong Kong Park Company, said in an interview on Thursday that the start-ups were chosen to join the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park (HSITP) following a months-long screening process. “We have chosen 100 start-ups to enter our park soon following a few months of selection … and the park will offer a mentorship programme for them,” he said, adding that some of the firms were drawn from local universities. The mentorship will be delivered by established firms operating in the park, such as pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and battery manufacturer Xiamen Hithium Energy Storage Technology.

September 17, 2026

Business

Self-funded campuses favoured in Hong Kong’s new university towns

Education chief Christine Choi says institutions may seek government loans to build campuses, but those that do not will be given priority Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said on Thursday that institutions could opt to take out a government loan to build their campuses, but those that did not do so would be given priority. “Institutions may reference the indicative terms set by the government to submit competitive loan proposals; favourable consideration will be given to the institutions that do not require a loan or that are able to offer a financially competitive proposal,” she said.

September 17, 2026

Business

China’s Wang Yi holds phone call with Rubio days before Xi visits US

Top diplomats’ call likely to have locked down final details for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first US state visit in more than a decade Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, just a week ahead of President Xi Jinping’s planned trip to the United States. Chinese state news agency Xinhua said in a brief report that the two diplomats held an in-depth discussion on “high-level exchanges” between the two countries. The call is expected to have locked down final details of Xi’s closely watched visit and expected summit with US President Donald Trump.

September 17, 2026

Business

Hong Kong 999 callers can send real-time audio, video data from 2028: Chris Tang

Security minister reveals timeline for upgrades to emergency call services, a day after new features announced in Hong Kong policy address Callers to Hong Kong’s 999 hotline will be able to send real-time audio and visual information to emergency call centres using instant messaging apps in 2028, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung has said. The security minister revealed the timeline for the upgrade on Thursday, a day after Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced in his latest policy address that three new functions were set to be introduced to enhance 999 call services. Alongside providing “real-time audio, image and video data” to help centres appraise situations, the new features will ensure crucial data can be instantly sent to the Fire Services Department to help fast-track rescue efforts.

September 17, 2026

Business

China, US may unveil measures to boost military ties when Xi visits Washington

China and the United States are discussing possible announcements to strengthen military-to-military ties during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington next week, multiple sources familiar with the discussions told the South China Morning Post. Another item that is being discussed, and a possible deliverable, is restarting the arms-control talks that were suspended in 2024 over US weapons sales to Taiwan, with the dialogue potentially including military personnel. In a phone...

September 17, 2026

Business

China trusted more than US, EU on AI regulation in Pew survey of middle-income countries

US think tank study finds middle-income countries have ‘more positive views of China’ when it comes to regulating AI effectively A new Pew Research Centre report released on Thursday found that, on a median basis across 12 countries, more people trust China than the US or the EU to regulate AI effectively. AI. China was not among the countries surveyed in the broader report. “Middle-income countries tend to have more positive views of China than high-income countries,” Pew’s associate director of research Laura Silver told the South China Morning Post. “We see that trust in a country to regulate AI and views of that country tend to be closely related.”

September 17, 2026

Business

Sweden’s PM Kristersson resigns after left-wing wins slim majority in election

Magdalena Andersson’s left-wing bloc, splintered over ideological differences, faces laborious negotiations to form the new government Sweden’s conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced his resignation on Thursday after the left-wing opposition won a slim majority in parliament in the country’s general election. “It is now the speaker of parliament who will lead the next steps on the path towards forming a new government. In order for this work to begin immediately, I hereby request to be relieved of my duties as prime minister,” Kristersson said in a letter to the speaker which he posted to social media. The four parties in the left-wing bloc, led by Magdalena Andersson’s Social Democrats, hold a three-seat majority in the 349-seat parliament over Kristersson’s right-wing alliance, which includes the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats. But only around 50,000 votes separated the two sides in the country of 10.6 million people.

September 17, 2026

Business

Hong Kong eyeing gold expansion and Northern Metropolis vaults to cement hub status

Finance chief says HKMA playing greater role in gold market will enrich city’s financial ecosystem and that Hong Kong not considering interest rate rise Hong Kong’s plan to raise its gold holdings will further cement the city’s status as an international financial centre, with the possibility of building vaults in the Northern Metropolis megadevelopment, according to authorities. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also said on Thursday the city was under “no pressure” to raise interest rates following a US rate hike, but stressed authorities would “keep a close watch” on the situation. Noting that other central banks had shown an interest in moving some of their gold to Hong Kong due to geopolitical concerns, Chan said the stewardship would offer the HKMA a further opportunity to accelerate the city’s transition into a global trading hub for the precious metal and other commodities.

September 17, 2026

Business

Von der Leyen’s ‘China shock’ speech aimed to send Beijing a message: analysts

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s state-of-the-union speech offered few details on new trade measures targeting China, but its sharp tone was designed to send a message to Beijing, analysts said. During her speech on Wednesday, von der Leyen warned that a “second China shock” was already affecting Europe and vowed that Brussels would use all available tools to rebalance its trade relationship with the country. Her remarks came as the European Union’s October deadline for...

September 17, 2026

Business

Malaysian woman scuba diving in Bali dies after being swept away by currents

Siti Nuraini was on a diving trip with several others when the incident occurred at Crystal Bay According to local media portal Bali News, the victim, Siti Nuraini Rusidi, 40, was on a diving trip with a divemaster, boat captain and several other divers when the incident occurred at 11.10am local time on Wednesday. The trip’s divemaster, Eugenius Franciso Ray, 33, had reportedly raised concerns over her health when he noticed her coughing when the group was at the first dive site at Manta Bay. He asked Siti Nuraini about her condition but she said she was able to continue with the dive. The group then completed their dive and proceeded to Crystal Bay.

September 17, 2026

Business

‘Gone too far’: Thai PM Anutin slams foreign lawbreakers as backlash builds

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has issued a withering rebuke to foreigners behaving badly in Thailand following a wave of scandals involving illegal businesses and landholdings including a cemetery, saying the cases have “gone too far” by breaching Thai law and hospitality. Facing mounting public backlash against illegal foreign ownership of swathes of the country enabled by endemic corruption, Anutin’s government has halved the visa-free entry period to 30 days for most countries and...

September 17, 2026

Business

A new Trump-Kim summit would be a nightmare for everyone but Pyongyang

A bilateral deal that is acceptable to both Washington and Pyongyang would come at a steep cost to US allies and the region as a whole In these circumstances, constructing a bilateral deal where both sides can credibly claim a win – at least to their own domestic audiences – is a challenge but nevertheless possible with some misdirection. However, this will come at considerable cost to their friends and neighbours who will suffer serious collateral damage. Washington and Pyongyang can be expected to collude to save face.

September 17, 2026