Hong Kong Developer Lai Sun Seeks Note Swap in Bid to Ease Liquidity Pressure
Hong Kong developer Lai Sun Development launched an exchange offer to replace its $493 million 5% notes due July 2026 with new senior guaranteed notes paying an 8% coupon and extending maturity to 2029. The move aims to ease short‑term liquidity pressure amid a sluggish commercial‑real‑estate market, where premium office vacancy remains at 13.5%. Lai Sun has already refinanced over HK$7 billion (~$893 million) in the past year and sold stakes in the CCB Tower and AIA Central for roughly $447 million and $181 million respectively. The swap, if approved at the July 10 bondholder meeting, would give holders $300 cash plus $700 in new notes per $1,000 original note.
Li Ka-Shing’s CK Asset Sets a 2026 Record with US$46.2 Million Mid-Levels Penthouse Sale
Hong Kong’s CK Asset Holdings sold a 2,911‑sq‑ft Mid‑Levels penthouse for HK$362 million (≈US$46.2 million), setting a 2024 per‑square‑foot record of HK$124,356. The deal underscores a surge in ultra‑luxury activity, with 93 homes above HK$100 million changing hands in the first four months,...
Discovery of Ancient Chinese Anaesthesia Reveals Advanced Early Surgical Practices
Archaeologists uncovered aconitine residues on ten surgical instruments from the tomb of 14th‑century Ming surgeon Xia Quan, confirming that Ming physicians used a toxic wolfsbane‑derived concoction as an anesthetic. The study shows the poison was detoxified, dosed carefully, and administered...
Do China’s Export Curbs on Tungsten Threaten Japan’s AI Chip Supply Chain?
China’s tightened export controls on tungsten have sent the price of five‑nines tungsten hexafluoride soaring to about $251 per kilogram, a 200 % increase from a year ago. The surge has forced Japan’s two leading specialty‑gas producers, Showa Denko Kanto and...
PLA Scientists Propose a Plan to Destroy US Carrier Groups From 3,000km Away
Chinese PLA scientists have outlined a strategy to neutralize U.S. carrier strike groups from beyond 3,000 km, leveraging emerging hypersonic and anti‑ship ballistic missile technologies. The plan assumes carriers will remain stationed at distant bases such as Guam, out of reach...
China-EU Tensions, Xi in North Korea, Flatlining Retail Sales
China called on major economies to foster a free and facilitative trading environment during a video conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, ahead of the upcoming G7 summit in France and an EU meeting in Brussels. The EU is...
US-China Vaginal Microbiome Differences Challenge ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ Health Solutions
Chinese researchers have mapped the largest vaginal microbiome genomic atlas, analyzing over 10,600 Chinese cervicovaginal swabs and integrating nearly 1,800 U.S. samples. The study, published in Nature Genetics, found bacterial vaginosis‑associated bacterium 1 (BVAB1) in 12% of American specimens but only...
The Chinese AI Police Tech Aimed at Physical, Psychological and Emotional States
Chinese firms showcased AI‑enabled biometric and psychological surveillance tools at Beijing’s International Police and Anti‑Terrorism Technology Expo. Tiandy demonstrated a camera that measures heart rate, blood pressure and blood‑oxygen for up to six subjects in ten seconds with over 90%...
BYD Powers Past Geely as Oil Shock Charges up Global EV Demand
The global oil price surge sparked by the Middle East conflict helped BYD surge past Geely, reclaiming its lead in China’s automotive rankings. BYD’s overseas deliveries jumped 76% year‑on‑year to nearly 300,000 units in April‑May, lifting total global deliveries to...
China to Bust Yangtze River Chokepoint with US$11 Billion ‘Water Staircase’ Project
China has begun construction on an $11.4 billion water‑staircase project on the Yangtze River, incorporated into the 2026‑2030 15th Five‑Year Plan. The centerpiece is a series of mega ship locks near the Three Gorges Dam that will accommodate larger vessels and...
Delta Resumes Direct Hong Kong-US Flights Despite Higher Fuel Costs
Delta Air Lines has reinstated a daily nonstop Hong Kong‑Los Angeles service, the first direct flight on the route in nearly eight years, using a 275‑seat Airbus A350‑900. The economy fare is about US$1,500, marginally higher than Cathay Pacific’s comparable...
Chinese Team Injects Desert Moss Gene Into Xinjiang Cotton to Beat Fungus, Boost Output
Chinese researchers have inserted a stress‑resistance gene from desert moss into cotton, delivering a roughly 24% yield increase when the plants face Verticillium wilt. The transgenic cotton also cut disease incidence by about 60% and showed superior fiber length, strength...
Lantau Reclamation Plans Should Be Revived, Property Tycoon Gordon Wu Says
Property magnate Gordon Wu, chairman of Hopewell Holdings, urged Hong Kong to revive large‑scale land reclamation off Lantau Island alongside the Northern Metropolis project. He warned that a chronic shortage of urban land will constrain the city’s growth as its...
Hong Kong to Open First Convenience Store Operated by Humanoid Robot in AI Push
Hong Kong will launch its first fully‑automated convenience store in Hung Hom, staffed entirely by a humanoid robot that can interact with shoppers in multiple languages. The initiative is part of the city’s broader AI‑integration strategy announced by Finance Chief Paul...
How China Is Working to Turn Saishiteng Mountain Into the World’s Largest Astronomy Base
China is constructing a cluster of ultra‑large optical telescopes on Saishiteng Mountain in Tibet, targeting the world’s most powerful astronomy base by the mid‑2030s. The high‑altitude, dry, and dark site is designed to out‑shine Hawaii’s Mauna Kea in light‑gathering capacity. Project...