Trade volume between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Chinese mainland surged 4.82 times since the region's return to the motherland 27 years ago in 1997, according to data released by the Shenzhen Customs.
From 1997 to 2023, the value of trade between the SAR and the mainland increased from 420.87 billion yuan (about 58 billion U.S. dollars) to 2.03 trillion yuan (280 billion U.S. dollars), the data showed.
Over the first five months of this year, the mainland saw 851.26-billion-yuan (over 117 billion U.S. dollars) worth of goods be exported to and imported from Hong Kong, jumping by 14.9 percent year on year.
Hong Kong-mainland trade surges 4.82 times in 27 years since return
Hong Kong-mainland trade surges nearly fivefold in 27 years since return
Israel has vowed to continue with its airstrikes on Gaza, after a fresh wave of bombardment led to the collapse of a two-month ceasefire early Tuesday, with its officials saying that the attacks will not stop until it secures the release of all remaining hostages from Hamas captivity.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army conducted intense airstrikes on northern and central Gaza Strip, marking the most violent escalation since a ceasefire agreement took effect on Jan. 19.
According to Israeli media reports, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement following Tuesday's airstrikes that if Hamas does not release all hostages, "the gates of hell will open in Gaza," and Hamas will encounter the Israeli military "with an intensity they have never known before."
Meanwhile, Danny Danon, Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), also said in a post on his social media account that Israel will show "no mercy" until all hostages are returned.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced early Tuesday that Netanyahu and Katz had ordered the military to "operate against Hamas with increasingly powerful military force."
According to the statement, the move followed what it described as Hamas's "repeated refusal to release hostages" and rejection of proposals presented by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and other mediators.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, Hamas accused Netanyahu and Israeli government of "resuming aggression and a war of genocide" against civilians in the Gaza Strip, holding Israel fully responsible for the repercussions of the renewed escalation.
Hamas accused Netanyahu's government of deliberately overturning the ceasefire agreement, thereby exposing prisoners in Gaza to an uncertain fate.
Hamas further appealed to the United Nations and the UN Security Council to "convene urgently to adopt a resolution obligating Israel to immediately halt its aggression and implement Resolution 2735, which calls for an end to hostilities and a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip."
Israel says Gaza strikes won't stop until release of all hostages; Hamas decries "war of genocide"
