HK-mainland market link worth effort
[2007-02-27 07:17]The apparent dismissal of proposals to link the Hong Kong and mainland stock markets as infeasible by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Chief Executive Paul Chow Man-yiu might seem most discouraging to the government officials and economists who have shown great enthusiasm and support for the idea.
Time to link HK, mainland stock markets
[2007-02-13 06:58]The latest rush by Hong Kong-listed mainland enterprises to seek yuan-denominated A share listings in Shanghai is putting forward a strong case for linking the two markets.
One man's ode to a long-gone Alfa Romeo
[2007-02-06 07:58]One recent weekend, I drove my friend's car to Nanxiang, a county near Shanghai. In that hour-long drive to Nanxiang, I was amazed at how easy and comfortable it was to control a modern car. That was a particularly striking experience as I haven't driven a car for almost 10 years.
Free press must be impartial
[2007-01-30 07:35]Having been a reporter and sometime editor for more than two decades, I still can't understand what is meant by "editorial freedom", a term frequently cited by Hong Kong reporters in protest against management decisions to kill their stories.
HK's agony and ecstasy: the novel
[2007-01-23 06:46]In her column in the South China Morning Post, political scientist Kitty Poon passionately reminded us of an idea for a novel that all Hong Kong writers want to write. Indeed, the struggle of the people who came together on this barren rock and turned it into an economic powerhouse against all odds is a story waiting to be told.
HK budget surplus may come and go
[2007-01-16 07:36]Proposing to cut salary tax, the Hong Kong government is adhering to its professed economic principle of "big market, small government".
Caution on Hong Kong good times
[2007-01-09 07:18]Hong Kong people know how to have a good time. Happy faces abounded during the Christmas week I was in my home town. Most of the better restaurants were packed with diners. Department stores and shops seemed to be doing a roaring business. An $800 (we're talking US, not Hong Kong, dollars) pair of shoes? "No problem, think of the money that can be made in the stock market these days," a husband was overheard saying to his wife.
Return visit stirs great fondness for Tokyo
[2006-12-28 07:26]It has been five years since I last visited Tokyo. In the past, I went there mainly for stories. Those were business trips paid by the newspapers that sent me there. This time, I am going on my own and I don't know what to expect.
HK gov't should spell out benefits of new taxes
[2006-12-26 07:05]The Hong Kong government is good at many things. But salesmanship is not one of them.
Green tax the most sensible for Hongkongers
[2006-12-19 06:47]Having dropped the sales tax due to lack of public support, the Hong Kong government has sustained its campaign for broadening the tax base, which it considers to be too narrow and confined to provide for the projected fiscal expenditure of a modern metropolis.
Christmas spirit shines bright in Hong Kong
[2006-12-12 06:39]Christmas in Hong Kong means a lot to me. It's got the lights, which are always beautiful, and the shopping, which is always enticing. What matters more, perhaps, is the spirit of the city, which shines through in all its splendour once a year at this festive time.
Modern life can't take the edge off romance
[2006-12-05 07:04]She sat on a stool checking the morning news on her laptop by the window of their favourite cafe, looking out to the green hills beyond the bay, where seagulls circled over colourful fishing boats and junks. She swung around when she heard his footsteps on the hardwood floor.
