Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC

Regulation

Regulation
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Regulation. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Trip.com reported revenue of 62.4 billion yuan in 2025, up 17 per cent year on year. Photo: Shutterstock
China’s private sector

China hits Trip.com with US$765 million antitrust penalty

The country’s biggest online travel services provider is accused of abusing its ‘dominant market position’.

European Union

EU fines Google US$1 billion, risking US fury

videocam
China-EU relations

Beijing vows to protect Chinese firms after EU hits Alibaba unit with fine

videocam
17
China society

Opinion | Why China’s low-cost business model resists reform

Even as the model outlives its usefulness, built-in incentives continue to stifle efforts to protect the rights and interests of workers.

videocam
Firefighters work at the scene of a footwear factory fire in Jinjiang, Fujian province, on July 9. Photo: Xinhua News Agency via AP
Chinese offshore investment

Beijing targets offshore tax dodging, intensifying cross-border capital scrutiny

Major financial outlets blast offshore shell structures after case involving the Hong Kong entity of a mainland social media platform.

videocam
European Union

EU fines AliExpress US$630 million over illegal products

It is the largest fine ever imposed under the EU’s powerful Digital Services Act, part of the bloc’s legal armoury to police big tech.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China’s private sector

China to conclude Trip.com antitrust probes as soon as this week, sources say

Market regulator expected to close investigation into top online travel service provider, with potential fines running into billions of yuan.

Trip.com is expected to face fines of up to 6 billion yuan. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Hong Kong to tighten contractor oversight after Tai Po blaze, minister vows

Development secretary also pledges to explore harsher penalties for offenders as government’s reliance on industry’s self-policing comes into question.

videocam
Artificial intelligence

Editorial | China’s vision for global AI governance is inclusive

The approach to AI development championed by President Xi at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference stands in contrast to the one adopted by the US.

European Union

4 Greek MPs charged over multimillion EU farm fraud scandal

European prosecutors say Greek state employees and politicians helped dozens of farmers scam the EU out of over US$22.5 million in subsidies.

A farmer lets his sheep out from the pen on the island of Astypalaia, Greece, on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Blockchain

Hong Kong steps up its crypto hub challenge with tokenised fund

As the city looks to challenge the US as a global crypto hub, Baillie Gifford says the SFC has approved its blockchain-based tokenised fund.

British fund manager Baille Gifford says it has received approval from the Securities and Futures Commission to issue the city's first blockchain-based tokenised fund. Photo: Shutterstock
European Union

EU demands ‘youth mode’ to protect children from addictive social media features

The addictive features include infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and highly personalised recommender systems.

Hong Kong economy

Editorial | Hong Kong finally moves to extend labour rights to the gig economy

Ensuring delivery workers have the right to injury compensation will be a breakthrough as the city strives to enhance labour protections.

Artificial intelligence

China works on AI safety benchmark as regulators target large model risks

State-led initiative addresses AI concerns such as data leaks and hallucinations, as Beijing joins global efforts to enhance oversight of generative models.

Chinese authorities have started building a safety benchmark to evaluate artificial intelligence models. Photo: Shutterstock
E-commerce

China fines 4 internet celebrities US$1.9m for tax evasion

In some cases, popular live-streamers with online stores and millions of fans paid taxes as low as a few hundred yuan, authorities say.

Celebrities usually open or endorse stores, which include online e-commerce shops. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Aviation

China restricts low-altitude aviation near Beijing after plane crash: analyst

Additional screenings now required for pilots to access parts of the capital, affecting mountain tours and Great Wall flights, industry insider says.

China consumption

China unveils retail road map: 5 years to shield physical stores from e-commerce

Beijing’s new 2030 retail road map targets price parity and social experiences to combat ‘trading down’ as retail growth hits weakest pace since pandemic.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Indonesia

‘Grading own homework’: is Indonesia outsourcing online safety to tech giants?

Without a regulator, Indonesia’s child online safety rules require digital platforms to assess and remove underage accounts themselves.

videocam
Boys use their mobile phone in Jakarta on April 29. Photo: AP
European Union

Apple loses challenges against EU rules to curb Big Tech

The EU Digital Markets Act has triggered legal challenges by Apple, Meta and ByteDance since it took effect in May 2023.

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong’s war-risk pool testament to collaboration, insurance leader says

Five local insurers built marine war-risk pool to address uncertainties over unstable conditions in the Middle East.

Britain

ITV and Comcast’s Sky reshape British TV landscape with US$2.1 billion deal

US telecoms giant Comcast will buy ITV’s free-to-air channels and streaming service to create the UK’s biggest commercial broadcaster.

Sky television and ITV will merge in a US$2.1 billion deal to compete with ​global players YouTube, Netflix, Amazon and Disney. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Lawmaker slams ‘unsatisfactory’ past bid to scrap 16-year probe against doctor

David Lam says guilty verdict in misconduct case that left boy disabled for life shows medical watchdog’s bid to end probe on fairness grounds was unfounded.

Dr Sit Sou-chi was found guilty of professional misconduct and struck off the General Register for nine months over his handling of a newborn who suffered a seizure in 2009 and was later left with cerebral palsy and quadriplegia. Photo: Edmond So
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Editorial | Independent drug approvals are key to Hong Kong’s biotech ambitions

Moving to a primary evaluation system will let the city directly approve innovative drugs based on local and international trial data.

Hong Kong society

Editorial | Hongkongers should beware of prediction markets

Concerns including the potential for insider trading and contractual disputes make prediction markets a dangerous bet.

China economy

Opinion | When and how will China ease capital controls?

While China has reasons to maintain capital controls, the recent crackdown on three Hong Kong brokerages is not meant to discourage mainland outbound investment.

videocam
Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Opinion | Will US-China economic ties become self-reinforcing cycle of suspicion?

China’s regulations on outbound investment might seem purely administrative but they give Beijing crucial new control over transactions.

videocam
Chinese-made MG Cyberster electric vehicles wait to be loaded onto a ship for export at a car yard in Yantai, in eastern Shandong province, on June 25. Photo: AFP
China exports

Beijing asserts control over China’s offshore tech transfers with landmark law

Beijing’s ‘milestone’ mandate seen authorising retaliatory responses to trade barriers while restricting research leaks.

6
South Korea

South Korea ‘fake news’ law triggers free speech, censorship fears

The scope extends beyond social media to malicious reviews and defamatory posts on online communities, delivery apps and shopping platforms.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement