Latest news with #PaulChan
HKFP
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- HKFP
HKFP Lens: Anime fans, cosplayers converge at Ani-com & Games Hong Kong 2025
Anime and comic fans, gaming enthusiasts, and cosplayers are flocking to the 26th edition of Ani-com & Games Hong Kong (ACGHK) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), which runs until Tuesday. Dozens of people lined up outside the halls from early morning on Friday, hours before the doors opened at 10am. On the other side of the hall doors, photographers and video journalists set up their cameras to capture the moment the first attendee entered the hall. The first person to step through the door this year was from Macau, local media reported. As in previous years, the first attendee spun 360 degrees as he entered the venue, with a group of reporters following him to his first stop at the event. A steady trickle of attendees followed. Some ran across the hall to get a head start in the lines, possibly to secure access to exclusive products. By midday, the crowds became increasingly bigger. The city's Financial Secretary Paul Chan visited the expo on Sunday, taking photos with various cosplayers, according to his Facebook post. First held in 1999, the summer mega event attracts thousands of cosplayers, comic, anime and gaming enthusiasts every year. This year's event featured around 160 exhibitors, up from over 140 in 2024. The venue space for the five-day event expanded this year, with 788 booths exhibiting in halls 1 and 3 of the HKCEC. General admission ticket prices also increased to HK$45, from HK$42 last year. Running concurrently are the Hong Kong International Art Toys Expo, with over 40 renowned art toy designers from around the world exhibiting, as well as the International Comic Masters Gathering (CMG) and the International Comics Exhibition. Many ACGHK attendees on Friday carried large bags of their purchases and took selfies and photos with cosplayers. In 2022, the organiser of the convention introduced new guidelines for cosplayers' attire, calling on female cosplayers to avoid showing their underboob and wearing stockings that revealed 'too much skin,' while male cosplayers were told their bottom costume must be 'larger than briefs.'
Business Times
a day ago
- Business
- Business Times
Hong Kong financial chief sees rebound in second-quarter retail sales
[HONG KONG] Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan said he expects a bounce-back in second-quarter private consumption, following more than 12 months of decline. Retail sales increased in May from a year earlier after 14 months of declines, Chan wrote in a blog post on Sunday (Jul 27), indicating early signs of market stabilisation. He said he was 'cautiously optimistic' on the outlook for June data. An increase in private consumption would be the first quarterly growth since the first quarter of 2024. Chan attributed the recovery to strong capital inflows, stabilisation in the stock and property markets, and large-scale events such as the Hong Kong Football Festival, which attracted international visitors. Tourism has also surged, with the city welcoming 23.6 million visitors in the first half of the year, a 12 per cent increase from a year earlier, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The government is set to release the advance estimates for gross domestic product on Jul 31. The median forecast by economists is for 2.7 per cent growth, slowing from 3.1 per cent in the first quarter. BLOOMBERG
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong economy set for continued growth in second quarter, Paul Chan says
Hong Kong's economy is set for continued growth in the second quarter, the finance minister has said, as the government vows to step up measures to promote retraining, encourage technology upgrades and support employment. Advertisement Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday that the 10th consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth was driven by strong exports, a rebound in private consumption and a series of mega-events held in the city. The gross domestic product (GDP) figure is due to be revealed on Thursday. '[We are] going all out to explore new growth points, especially vigorously supporting the development of innovation and technology,' Chan wrote in his weekly blog post. 'We are also committed to opening up new overseas markets, finding new partners for cooperation and developing supply chain management centres.' Hong Kong's economy has posted year-on-year growth of between 1.6 per cent and 4.3 per cent every quarter since the first three months of 2023. Advertisement The economy in the first quarter of 2025 grew 3.1 per cent compared with the same period last year, following a 2.5 per cent year-on-year expansion in the fourth quarter of 2024.
RTHK
2 days ago
- Business
- RTHK
HK GDP to grow for tenth quarter: FS
HK GDP to grow for tenth quarter: FS Paul Chan says the city's economic growth is supported by exports, investments and private consumption. File photo: RTHK Financial Secretary Paul Chan said Hong Kong's Gross Domestic Product is expected to grow for a tenth consecutive quarter, as estimates for the second quarter this year will be announced later in the week. Writing on his blog on Sunday, Chan said the city's economic growth is supported by export activity, investments and private consumption. He said government efforts to promote mega-events and high value-added tourism, along with support from the private sector, had improved market sentiment. Chan said this was reflected in retail sales figures for May, which recorded the first year-on-year growth in 14 months. He said he was also 'cautiously optimistic' about June's figures. The minister added that the Football Festival at Kai Tak and the Animation-Comic-Game fair at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai both attracted local and overseas fans, boosting product sales and creating business opportunities. Meanwhile, the finance chief said the labour market remained stable, with the median monthly salary of full-time employees this March-to-May increasing to HK$25,000, an almost seven percent rise from the same period last year. Chan added that during economic transformation, different industries experience varying challenges, with labour-intensive industries such as retail and catering facing pressure. He said he expected the labour market to remain stable, and the government would strengthen its retraining programmes.
RTHK
20-07-2025
- Business
- RTHK
Education key to innovation and talent development: FS
Education key to innovation and talent development: FS Paul Chan said he invited more than a dozen elementary school students to explore a newly launched "Hong Kong Tech Showcase" pop-up zone during this year's boaul Chan said he invited more thaok fair. Photo courtesy of Information Services Department Financial Secretary Paul Chan said technological innovation and youth talent development are intrinsically linked, with education playing a key role in the relationship. Writing in his weekly blog, Chan said he invited more than a dozen elementary school students to explore a newly launched "Hong Kong Tech Showcase" pop-up zone at the ongoing book fair. The exhibition features cutting-edge innovations across education, health, sports and food sectors. The finance chief said the goal was to ignite students' curiosity by giving them firsthand experience with technology development and application, potentially opening doors to deeper scientific and technological learning. "In this era of rapid technological changes, talent must possess keen intuition and curiosity, the ability to quickly understand new things and a strong commitment to continuous learning and research," he said. "More importantly, they must have the courage to try, the willingness to innovate and the resilience to face failure." Chan also said that he recently spoke with a group of young people at Science Park, where representatives from startups highlighted several factors that attract them to pursue innovation and technology in Hong Kong. These include the city's investment in technological development, support for startups, and a diverse and inclusive environment that attracts global talent and strong connections to the Greater Bay Area market and production base. "This year, the internship programme at Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks received a record of more than 5,000 applications. Ultimately, only 450 people were accepted. Among them, two-thirds of the interns come from the top 50 universities in the world, including leading institutions in Europe and the United States, while nearly 30 percent are international students," he said. "This clearly reflects the international attractiveness of Hong Kong's innovation and technology ecosystem." The finance chief added that the expanding tech sector will provide Hong Kong's youth with diverse, high-quality career pathways, empowering them to realise their ambitions and achieve their dreams.
