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Hong Kong’s new training visa could be available in first quarter of 2027

New visa category among spate of new talent-trawling measures unveiled in city leader John Lee’s policy address A new visa intended to attract international talent to participate in short-term training programmes in Hong Kong could become available as early as the first quarter of next year, the South China Morning Post has learned. They and the new visa category were among a spate of talent-trawling measures unveiled on Wednesday, with the latter allowing non-locals to take part in government-recognised training programmes lasting less than 12 months. “It will advance Hong Kong’s development into a regional training hub,” an insider said.

September 16, 2026

Business

Malaysia to invite Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing for Rohingya repatriation talks

Anwar Ibrahim says it is necessary to formally recognise Minh Aung Hlaing’s government if Malaysia wants to resolve the Rohingya crisis Refugees from Myanmar, particularly ethnic Rohingya, have faced worsening hostility in recent months in Malaysia, where they are accused of causing social problems and taking over small local businesses in areas where they have set up temporary settlements. Muslim-majority Malaysia is a key destination for Rohingya refugees fleeing religious persecution by successive Myanmar administrations and sectarian violence in Rakhine state over the past decade.

September 16, 2026

Business

China affirms support for Iran, but warns against Yemen spillover

In talks with his Iranian counterpart in Beijing on Wednesday, China’s foreign minister reaffirmed Beijing’s support for Tehran, called for a political settlement to the country’s conflict with the US and warned that regional tensions must not further spill over into Yemen. Wang Yi also urged the earliest possible reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Abbas Araghchi’s trip to China, his second since the US launched large-scale strikes on Iran in late February, came as Washington expanded sanctions...

September 16, 2026

Business

Hong Kong targets film tourism boom and higher-level tennis tournaments

Policy blueprint sets HK$126 billion tourism target by 2030, with film tourism and major sporting events among its priorities Hong Kong will introduce themed tourism routes showcasing the city’s most recognisable filming locations and explore upgrading Victoria Park’s Centre Court to host higher-level tennis tournaments, as authorities seek to significantly increase the sector’s economic contribution under the city’s first five-year development plan. The 2026-30 blueprint aims to raise the tourism industry’s value added from HK$86.2 billion (US$10.9 billion) in 2024 to HK$126 billion by 2030 – an increase of about 40 to 50 per cent. It also targets increasing the proportion of non-mainland Chinese visitors among overnight travellers to 40 per cent by the end of the decade. Among the more immediate measures unveiled alongside the plan in Wednesday’s policy address were a series of “+ Tourism” initiatives aimed at combining travel with mega-events, finance, industrial brands, ecological conservation and heritage. The government will also promote film tourism, yacht tourism, urban renewal and homestay accommodation on outlying islands.

September 16, 2026

Business

First building in Hong Kong’s university town project to be ready in months

Tower called Loop Academy One, city leader says, while also revealing official names for the three university towns in Northern Metropolis The first building in the 1,000-hectare (2,472-acre) university town project in the Northern Metropolis will be completed by the end of this year, Hong Kong’s leader has said, revealing that the flagship tower is called Loop Academy One. Announcing Hong Kong’s first five-year plan on Wednesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also revealed the official names of the three Northern Metropolis developments: San Tin University Town, Hung Shui Kiu University Town and Ta Kwu Ling University Town. The three towns, proposed in 2024, are intended to drive synergy among industries, academia and research to achieve the integrated development of education, technology and talent. According to the five-year plan, authorities will step up efforts to attract world-famous institutions or first-class scientific research institutes to establish a presence in the towns.

September 16, 2026

Business

Iranian and Saudi panellists spar at Xiangshan Forum over Middle East attacks

A plenary session at a Beijing security conference turned into a heated exchange on Wednesday, when a senior Iranian defence official and a Saudi think tank chief traded accusations over the conflict in the Middle East. In the city where just a few years ago Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a peace deal, Prince Turki al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi think tank the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, accused Iran of not respecting “the sovereignty of the Arab states”. In a clear...

September 16, 2026

Business

Hong Kong to woo finance and tech firms with new tax breaks

Hong Kong will introduce various tax incentives for new finance and technology industries to attract businesses and reinforce the city’s role as a leading financial hub, the city leader has announced in his policy address. Tax concessions to draw intellectual property (IP) businesses and selected industries to the city were among the new measures Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced on Wednesday, while the halving of the profits tax rate for gold traders would be sped up. To speed up the...

September 16, 2026

Business

10 AI, biotech firms in Northern Metropolis to get early cross-border data access

‘White list’ to ease cross-border movement for more than 1,000 workers willl be ready next year, city leader reveals About 10 artificial intelligence (AI) and biotech companies will be the first to access cross-border data flows under a new pilot scheme, securing an early edge over roughly 100 other firms set up in Hong Kong’s flagship tech hub at the border. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu revealed on Wednesday during the final policy address of his current term that more than 100 innovation and technology firms had moved into the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, while a “white list” to facilitate cross-border movement for more than 1,000 workers would be ready next year. “Among the four cross-border flows of data, capital, materials and personnel, a pilot scheme for data flow involving around 10 firms is expected to be rolled out this year, while the talent white list will be ready by mid-next year alongside the completion of the connection bridge on the Western side,” an insider told the South China Morning Post.

September 16, 2026

Business

China’s Z.ai raises revenue target 25% after US$5 billion cash injection

The AI firm said its computing power bottleneck was no longer a ‘primary constraint’ thanks to its fresh US$5 billion war chest Chinese artificial intelligence developer Z.ai has raised its year-end annual recurring revenue (ARR) outlook by 25 per cent to US$3 billion, as the firm indicated its fresh US$5 billion war chest had helped clear its computing capacity bottlenecks for the time being. The updated ARR projection, up from a previous estimate of about US$2.4 billion, was disclosed during an investor call on Wednesday, according to a transcript seen by the South China Morning Post. Z.ai’s ARR – a key metric projecting a firm’s monthly subscription income over a 12-month period – had reached US$1.8 billion so far this year, executives said during the call. “In the short term, computing power supply is no longer the primary constraint on the company’s rapid revenue growth,” they added.

September 16, 2026

Business

China mulls bid for Apec free-trade area to taunt US, tantalise Asia

Anticipated push for the FTAAP, covering all 21 Apec members, will burnish China’s reputation by casting the US as an obstacle, analysts say China is increasingly expected to push for a trade agreement binding a wide swathe of the Pacific Rim, including the US, when it hosts a forum of major Asia-Pacific economies in November, but a real deal may be hard to secure as Washington is likely to resist, according to analysts. The anticipated push for the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), covering all 21 members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum, would – even if unsuccessful – earn Beijing goodwill from other Pacific Rim countries because it would be proposing action to cut export costs, they said. “It should be high on the agenda especially given [US President Donald] Trump’s anti-international trade position and his constant tariff threats,” said Chen Zhiwu, chair professor of finance at the University of Hong Kong.

September 16, 2026

Business

Former director of leading Chinese museum jailed 3 years after art-selling scandal

Xu Huping found to have abused his position at Nanjing Museum and taken bribes, including money and property, state media says A former director of a state-owned museum at the centre of a rare high-profile art scandal was sentenced to three years in prison, Chinese state media said on Wednesday. Xu Huping was found to have abused his position at the Nanjing Museum in eastern Jiangsu province and taken bribes, including money and property, for helping others secure projects and business collaborations. He was sentenced to prison for three years and fined 200,000 yuan (US$29,800), according to state news agency Xinhua.

September 16, 2026

Business

Hong Kong leader pledges building maintenance reforms after fatal Tai Po fire

Government will conduct a legal study on criminalising bid-rigging in major building maintenance works and submit a proposal to the Legislative Council this year Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to overhaul the city’s building maintenance regime and improve emergency response as part of the government’s response to last year’s fatal Tai Po fire, while authorities study criminalising bid-rigging and plan to submit a proposal later this year. The measures were outlined in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s policy address on Wednesday, amid pressure on the government to strengthen oversight of renovation works after the city’s deadliest fire in decades at Wang Fuk Court, where all eight blocks were covered in scaffolding. He said the government would conduct a legal study on criminalising bid-rigging in major building maintenance works and submit a proposal to the Legislative Council this year. The government would also introduce “pre-qualified lists” of consultants and contractors to help owners select professionals for renovation works.

September 16, 2026