As I mentioned in my last update on Hong Kong’s statutory minimum wage in early 2025, Hong Kong changed the formula for determining the SMW at the end of 2024 and has since raised the wage from HKD40 per hour to HKD42.10 (USD5.40, or slightly higher than increase to HKD41.80 as I noted in my last update). Rather than the rate being determined more or less ad hoc by a panel after extensive discussion, now the formula is based on a calculation tied to CPI, GDP growth, and avera

I keep reading about rare earth elements. What are these? They are, simply put, rare metals found in the Earth that are key ingredients for glass, lights, magnets, batteries, and catalytic converters. They are located in the middle of the per iodic table (atomic numbers 21, 39, and 57–71).  These metals have unusual fluorescent, conductive, and magnetic properties—which make them very useful when alloyed, or mixed, in small quantities with more common metals such as iron. Tha

I recently returned to Durham from my hometown, Hong Kong. While I was visiting Hong Kong, I took a trip to Guilin on the Mainland. Once there, I immediately noticed how inexpensive everything is in Guilin as compared to Hong Kong. Renting a moped for an hour costs the equivalent of USD 6. A bowl of delicious noodles is less than USD 1. Someone will give you a ride on a raft for an hour for a little more than USD1. Now I can see why millions of Hong Kongers are crossing the b