London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

US government sells Hong Kong mansions in secrecy amid  tensions with China

US government sells Hong Kong mansions in secrecy amid tensions with China

The US government has sold one of its biggest properties in the city under a shroud of secrecy amid worsening tensions between Beijing and Washington.

The US government has parted with one of its biggest properties in the city under a shroud of secrecy amid worsening tensions between Beijing and Washington.

It sold the six multi-storey mansions on 37 Shouson Hill Road after taking time to pick the winning bid when the tender closed at the end of July. It declined to disclose the winning buyer or the price. Analysts have estimated the value of the plot at between HK$3.2 billion (US$413 million) and HK$3.5 billion.

“The US government has accepted an offer for the property,” a spokesperson for the US Consulate General in Hong Kong said in an email reply to the Post on Wednesday. The transaction is expected to close on or about December 31, and part of the proceeds will be reinvested into its multiple properties in Hong Kong, it added.

CK Asset Holdings, Hong Kong’s second-largest developer controlled by tycoon Li Ka-shing, the only major developer among several bidders for the property when the tender closed on July 31, was not the winner, sources familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post.

Most of the city’s biggest developers stayed away or declined to comment on the sale, citing sensitivity enveloping the fraying US-China relations. The city’s biggest developer Sun Hung Kai Properties did not buy the property, deputy managing director Victor Lui told the Post.


The exterior of 37 Shouson Hill Road.


“The US-China tensions is the last thing investors want to deal with,” said Vincent Cheung, managing director at Vincorn Consulting and Appraisal, who valued the property at HK$3.5 billion. “It is no longer just a land sale, as the plot was put on sale by the consulate at a sensitive time.”

The rare mansions overlooking Deep Water Bay, a luxury residential area and home to Li’s family and the official residence of Hong Kong’s financial secretary, was put on the market by the consulate on May 30, three days after the Communist Party unveiled a proposal to impose a national security law on Hong Kong to restore social order.

The sale had been planned for months, the US consulate earlier said. The decision to sell the asset was purely a business decision and would not affect its presence, staffing, or operations in Hong Kong, the spokesperson said on Wednesday.



The US Department of State‘s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, which owns the property, “is not at liberty to comment on the specific terms of ongoing contractual transactions.”

The national security law, which eventually came into force on June 30, is viewed by the United States and other western governments as undermining the city’s autonomy. It has further strained US-China relations, with President Donald Trump banning TikTok and WeChat, and both sides shutting down consulates and sanctioning officials.

Chan Chiu-kwok, managing director of Savills Valuation and Professional Services, values 37 Shouson Hill Road at HK$3.2 billion. That is about half of the HK$5.93 billion paid by mainland conglomerate China Resources for a similar-sized property at 39 Shouson Hill Road in July 2018.

In the latest sale tender, not many investors will bet on such a “politically-sensitive piece of land, no matter how prime it is,” said Chan. “And let us not forget that the housing market and macroeconomic environment are very different now from when China Resources bought the neighbouring site.”

The US government bought the land in June 1948, when Hong Kong was still a British colony, for an unknown price, according to Land Registry records. A consulate general spokesperson said the final decision on the sale would be made no later than August 30. The deadline was, however, extended as the State Department was still evaluating several offers, the consulate said last week.

Each of the six blocks on 37 Shouson Hill Road sit on a site measuring about 90,000 sq ft, according to their tender documents. They can be demolished and rebuilt to offer up to 70,500 sq ft of gross floor area after an additional land premium is paid to the government.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×