Expat Hong Kong News

14 Jul at 6 PM 2020

Expat Hongkongers protesting in Oz now fearing Chinese surveillance

Hong Kong expats who’re organising anti-Chinese events in Oz are now at risk from the new law. Three Australian expats are risking everything by speaking out over China’s controversial new security law as part of a growing resistance movement. A collective of Hong Kong expats hailing from New South Wales in Australia and calling themselves NSW HongKongers are now fearing their events have been the subject of surveillance by agents of the Chinese state. When interviewed by local media, the three insisted on anonymity including...

13 Jul at 6 PM 2020

Hongkongers and expats mourning the loss of Hong Kong’s soul

As the Hong Kong crisis escalates, Hong Kong expats living in the UK are welcoming Britain’s offer whilst mourning the loss of the city’s soul. The British government’s offer to millions of Hong Kong residents of a pathway to UK citizenship is being welcomed by those expats already in the UK, but it’s being criticised for not being open to many of those desperate to leave. Coincidentally – or not, those Hongkongers born after the then colony’s return to rule by China in 1997 were those most active in the 2019...

30 Jun at 6 PM 2020

Expats still in Hong Kong are forced to accept the end of an era

What can expat professionals in Hong Kong do now? Expats and Hong Kong citizens alike are now fearing the effects of China’s sweeping new rules aimed at crushing all freedoms in the unique former British colony. After millions joined the last 12 months’ daily demonstrations demanding autonomy from Beijing, the imposition of the new law is striking fear into the hearts of all residents, who are now fully aware the unique archipelago and its financial industry will never be the same again. After Hong Kong’s handover to China,...

11 Jun at 6 PM 2020

Lawsuit against FPI IOM and Quilter set to expose illegal IFA techniques

The multi-million pound lawsuit against Isle of Man insurers Friends Provident and Quilter International may open up a huge can of worms involving illegally working, unqualified IFAs across most major world expat destinations. The scam which is now unravelling in the world’s financial media is linked to the crash of Australian property investment LMIM and its spectacular failure during which thousands of expats lost their entire life savings. For some time before the crash, online financial experts in Asia were warning the so-called...

5 Jun at 6 PM 2020

Hong Kong expats see US sanctions as a mistake

Expats in Hong Kong strongly believe US sanctions against the city are a big mistake. Traditionally, expats living and working in Hong Kong are against any action which disturbs the fragile peace and financial success of the former British colony. As a result, they believe moves by Trump to impose trade sanctions on the city will rebound and result in the US being the biggest loser in the longer term. One former Hong Kong-resident expat now living outside Asia agrees, citing the fact that US exports and services to the city...

1 Jun at 6 PM 2020

Brit expats in Hong Kong accuse the UK of abandoning the city

British expats in Hong Kong are accusing the UK of abandoning the former colony. Expats still determined to stay in Hong Kong are dismayed at the UK’s attitude towards its former colony. Rather than simply leaving to create another life elsewhere in the world, Brits expats in Hong Kong are dismayed at the UK’s seeming attitude towards China and its ambitions for the city. Although the British government has now offered a path to citizenship for just under three million residents and has condemned China’s stance and recent move,...

27 May at 6 PM 2020

Survey shows most expat Brits don’t ever want to return

Results of a recent survey have revealed just under two thirds of expat Britons have no intention of ever returning to the home country. Some six out of every ten respondents to the survey said they’d never repatriate to the UK, with another eleven per cent saying they’d at least consider doing so. Only 27 per cent said they’d maybe come back as some time in the future. It seems that, in spite of the global coronavirus pandemic as well as the increasing worldwide social, political and economic tensions, living overseas is the...

1 May at 6 PM 2020

Hong Kong expats happy with government’s pandemic response

Expats in Hong Kong are praising the government’s anti-coronavirus measures. Located just 570 miles from Wuhan, the semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong is successfully defeating the coronavirus without resorting to lockdowns and endless local travel bans. Just a few months ago, the city was being rocked by huge, often violent, protests, but its government’s sensible reaction to the pandemic has reassured both its local and expatriate residents that its economy won’t be devastated. Expats who’d decided to stay when the...

29 Apr at 6 PM 2020

Vietnam urged to loosen rules on expat property ownership

Vietnamese property developers are urging the government to reduce the rules on expat ownership. In a move prompted by the need to spur the expat takeup of premium apartments in order to avoid unsold inventory, Vietnam’s construction sector is urging the government to ease the rules on foreign ownership. According to a recent report, the 30 per cent cap on foreign ownership in any one premium apartment project is stifling an increase in expatriate demand for such properties in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Nowadays, foreign demand...

17 Apr at 6 PM 2020

British lockdown having little effect on expat buy-to-let market

In spite of the pandemic, the UK’s buy-to-let market is being perceived as alive and thriving. According to experts in the British property market, activity as regards the UK’s buy-to-let sector is still going on in spite of the lockdown. The continued interest is believed to have resulted from the introduction of various new mortgage opportunities and their introduction into the mainstream market sector. Basically, the new-style loans are the result of mortgage interest relief changes brought in five years ago by the then...