Quick takes

Stuart Bailey advocating for events industry

We missed this one a few weeks ago, but it is worth watching. Stuart Bailey, Chairman of HKECIA, was on TVB’s show, Money Matters, in Hong Kong, making the case that the government’s overly aggressive and persistent quarantine requirements are damaging Hong Kong’s economy – and the damage is growing with each passing day.

Hong Kong’s inconsistent quarantine rules

The government of Hong Kong has tightened its quarantine requirements. Residents returning from the U.S. and U.K. now have to quarantine for seven days at a “government camp” followed by 14 days locked in a hotel room – at their own expense. Ostensibly, this is due to confirmed omicron cases in those countries. However, residents returning from Mainland China, which also has confirmed omicron cases, are not subjected to the same restrictions.

Alibaba loses bid to buy chip-maker

It is unclear if they really wanted it or if Alibaba’s management was trying please Beijing, but either way, the e-commerce giant lost its bid to take over government-backed chip-maker, Tsinghua Unigroup.

CEO of Easyfairs predicts margin pressure

Always interesting Eric Everard, founder and CEO of Easyfairs, anticipates, “it is going to be bumpy for probably a relatively long term.” He also expects margin pressure – at least in the near term.