{
  "id": 12591422,
  "title": "Lawmakers endorse commodity trading ecosystem vision",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/lawmakers-endorse-commodity-trading-ecosystem-vision-12591422",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-07T08:52:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTHK News",
    "slug": "rthk-news",
    "url": "https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1873016-20261007.htm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Lawmakers expressed support for establishing a Hong Kong commodity trading ecosystem during the first day of the three-day Legco debate on the city's first five-year plan and Policy Address. Commercial sector lawmaker Andrew Yao emphasized the importance of focusing on green energy and agricultural commodities, suggesting the removal of barriers for warehouse land development. Commercial sector representative Tommy Chung proposed reducing the profits tax from 16.5% to 8.25% for physical trading, which should also apply to local warehouses and logistics firms. Industrial sector advocate Ray Wong recommended a 5% preferential tax rate for green commodity trading meeting emissions standards, drawing inspiration from Singapore. Finance sector lawmaker Ronick Chan backed the plan to benchmark Hong Kong against major gold trading centers, suggesting the storage of Chinese, Indian, and ASEAN central bank gold reserves in Hong Kong. Tourism sector representative Vivian Kong called for the creation of a unified MICE authority to support business tourism, while Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Stanley Ng urged the government to prioritize local employment and publish job creation figures annually.",
  "summary": "Various lawmakers said they backed the idea of building a commodity trading ecosystem to consolidate Hong Kong's role as an international trading centre on day one of the three-day Legco debate on the city's first five-year plan and the Policy Address. Commercial sector lawmaker Andrew Yao said the SAR could focus on developing commodity trading in green energy and agricultural products. Yao also…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "RTHK English",
        "title": "Lawmakers endorse commodity trading ecosystem vision",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/lawmakers-endorse-commodity-trading-ecosystem-vision",
        "published": "2026-10-07T08:52:44.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}