Top Stories
Latest News
Signs of China’s housing market stabilising, economists call for reforms, Beijing’s tax breaks: 5 China property stories
1731997745 from SCMP
Slowing decline of new home prices, policy support drives sales rise and tax breaks in key cities aim to boost the market. See our latest coverage of Chinese property.
The "Golden Bauhinia Women Entrepreneur Awards" hails and honours the outstanding achievements of 27 inspiring female business leaders
1731983996 from SCMP
 [The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.]
 
 Entrepreneurship is a challenging space for everyone, particularly for women, as they face extra barriers and hurdles to overcome. When women make an impact as entrepreneurs, their accomplishments are well worth recognising and celebrating.
 
 The Golden Bauhinia Women Entrepreneur Association (GBWEA) is dedicated to harnessing the wisdom and dynamism of local businesswomen as well as promoting the business community’s focus on women entrepreneurs and their significant contributions. It organises the biennial "Golden Bauhinia Women Entrepreneur Awards" (the Awards) to fulfil this goal.
 
 This year, the event marked its 5th anniversary with a spectacular award presentation ceremony in late October 2024.
 
 The event is more than just a festive get-together for businesswomen and professionals from diverse fields to share the joy of celebrating one another’s accomplishments. The Awards recognises female entrepreneurs who have made outstanding achievements and significant contributions in their respective specialised areas. While excelling in their individual endeavours and making contributions that matter to all of us, these female entrepreneurs spread positive energy in society with love and care.
 
 A total of 27 outstanding women leaders were honoured in this ceremony, across seven categories: “Business Excellence Award,” “Arts & Cultural Achievement Award,” “Power of Next Generation Award,” “Philanthropy Award,” “Leading Pioneer ESG Award,” “Technology Innovation Award,” and “Start Up Z35 Award.” The GBWEA has designed the Awards’ categories to reflect the fast-evolving business landscape and needs in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and globally.
 
 Addressing the attendees, President of the GBWEA, Kelly Tsim, noted, "Since its establishment in 2016, the Golden Bauhinia Women Entrepreneur Awards has been encouraging outstanding female entrepreneurs in the Greater China region and recognising their entrepreneurial spirit. To…
Tackling Climate Change Needs to Be Smart
1731945607 from SCMP
[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.]
 
 As the world grapples with the escalating climate crisis, energy efficiency is emerging as a vital—yet often overlooked—solution. Despite being one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to cut carbon emissions, it has been largely sidelined in the global discourse. 
 
 This year’s COP29 summit in Azerbaijan brought together leaders from industry, government, and academia to discuss pathways for sustainable development. Among the key topics, energy efficiency emerged as a focal point, with increasing attention on its ability to drive meaningful emissions reductions alongside renewable energy investments.
 
 The International Energy Agency (IEA) has made it clear: energy efficiency could account for nearly half of the emissions reductions needed by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement goals. But while it promises significant benefits, from reduced costs to improved resilience, global action has lagged behind.
 
 AIoT Driving Efficiency and Decarbonization in a Smart Way
 
 One company taking the lead in addressing this gap is Tuya Smart, a global cloud platform service provider. At COP29, Tuya introduced its 'Smart Decarb' initiative, designed to harness the power of AI, IoT, and cloud computing to tackle carbon emissions.
 
 “AI-driven smart algorithms can automatically optimize energy consumption in real time, creating transparency and efficiency across industries,” said Eva Na, Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Cooperation, and CMO of Tuya Smart, during a side event at the China Pavilion in the Blue Zone. “This is how we make energy management both visible and actionable.”
 
 With its 'Smart Decarb' initiative, Tuya is driving energy efficiency by integrating AIoT to automatically adjust consumption patterns, transforming energy use into a more intelligent and sustainable process. Through global partnerships, Tuya is at the forefront of delivering cutting-edge solutions that empower both homes and businesses to reduce…
UOB and Shanghai Gold Exchange sign MOU to enhance cross-border cooperation
1731909623 from SCMP
[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.]
 
 Singapore, 11 November 2024 - UOB has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) in Shanghai. The MOU is a part of the bilateral cooperation initiatives agreed by the People’s Bank of China (PBC) and Monetary Authority of Singapore at the 20th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting.
 
 JCBC is the apex bilateral platform to review the substantive collaboration between Singapore and China. This year, Singapore convened the 20th JCBC meeting on 11 November 2024, co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong and Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council Ding Xuexiang.
 
 China has been the key participant in the global gold market and world’s largest producer and importer of gold, and the top manufacturer of gold products. Gold demand in ASEAN has increased significantly in the past few years due to the greater spending power and investors’ interest. Under the MOU, both parties will actively respond to the Belt and Road initiative and conduct strategic cooperation in ASEAN gold markets, leveraging the advantage of China’s gold supply chain to connect production capacity and demand. This will contribute to the development of the ASEAN gold markets.
 
 Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and CEO, UOB, said, "UOB is the leading bank in Southeast Asia operating in the gold business and a member of SGE. With this MOU, we will strengthen cooperation with SGE in proprietary trading, physical delivery and international bullion products. As the only bank offering physical gold products in Singapore, coupled with our extensive ASEAN footprint, UOB is well positioned to connect our customers to gold markets both across the region and within China."
 
 Mr Yu Wenjian, Chairman, SGE said, “This year marks the 10th anniversary of SGE International Board. We will…