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Hong Kong developer Chinachem buys TikTok’s London office for US$182 million
- Acquisition of Kaleidoscope from London-listed Helical marks privately held Hong Kong company’s first overseas venture
- Chinachem will continue to seek opportunities in ‘other major developed markets’, CEO says
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Hong Kong-based property firm Chinachem Group has bought the office building in London being leased by popular short video app TikTok for £158.5 million (US$182 million), according to a statement by the company once owned by the late billionaire Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum.
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The acquisition from London-listed property investment and development company Helical marks the privately held developer’s first venture outside Hong Kong as it diversifies its assets.
“We’re delighted to have acquired Kaleidoscope successfully, as it is located in a prime position in one of London’s most dynamic, vibrant and culturally rich sub-markets with impressive rental growth. We intend to hold this property [as a] long-term investment,” said Donald Choi, Chinachem’s executive director and CEO.
The acquisition comes at a time when London’s relations with China and Hong Kong are strained following the implementation of a fast-track residency scheme for British National (Overseas) passport holders in response to Beijing’s imposition of a sweeping national security law on the former British colony. The residency scheme allows 3 million Hong Kong residents and their dependents to relocate to the United Kingdom.
London has also recently enacted the National Security and Investment Act, giving the British government the ability to block more deals on national security grounds.
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Chinachem will continue to seek opportunities in “other major developed markets in order to move further forward our diversification objectives and [to] build a long-term resilient income stream”, Choi said.
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