Hong Kong stocks slip as Beijing regulator summons tech firms on train-ticket complaints



Hong Kong stocks fell on Thursday after Beijing’s market regulator summoned major online platforms for talks over irregularities in the online sale of train tickets ahead of Lunar New Year, triggering losses among technology heavyweights.

The Hang Seng Index dropped 0.2 per cent to 27,210.56 at the open. The Hang Seng Tech Index declined 0.5 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index added 0.1 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index was little changed.

Food-delivery service provider Meituan declined 2.5 per cent to HK$86.65, and search-engine operator Baidu slid 2 per cent to HK$141.40. WeChat operator Tencent Holdings lost 2 per cent to HK$537, and online-game provider NetEase slid 1.4 per cent to HK$192.20. E-commerce major Alibaba Group Holding fell 1.4 per cent to HK$157.90.

Limiting losses, blind-box toymaker Pop Mart International Group jumped 1.6 per cent to HK$259, and Chinese chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International added 1.1 per cent to HK$70.80. Carmaker BYD advanced 0.7 per cent to HK$100, and property developer Sun Hung Kai Properties climbed 0.7 per cent to HK$130.70.

The losses in major tech firms came as Beijing’s regulator convened 12 leading platforms involved in online train ticket sales – including Trip.com, Meituan, JD.com, Didi, Tencent and several mapping service providers – in response to public complaints over add-on charges and misleading booking practices, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Other major Asian markets all rose. Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.3 per cent, while South Korea’s Kospi rose 2.2 per cent and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.8 per cent.

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