Hong Kong Time (HKT)
Hong Kong operates on Hong Kong Time (HKT). This time zone does not observe Daylight Saving Time.
Time Zone: Hong Kong Time (HKT) — Standard Offset: UTC+8 (HKT) — DST: Not observed
Country: Hong Kong SAR
This city does not observe Daylight Saving Time. The UTC offset remains constant year-round, which simplifies international scheduling.
Hong Kong operates on HKT (UTC+8), identical to Singapore and mainland China. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) is one of the world's largest by market capitalization, with trading hours from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM HKT (with a lunch break from 12:00 to 1:00 PM). As a Special Administrative Region of China, Hong Kong serves as the primary gateway for international capital flowing into Chinese markets and for Chinese companies seeking international investment.
Hong Kong does not observe DST, keeping the time at UTC+8 year-round. Hong Kong last observed DST in 1979. The consistent offset simplifies scheduling but means the gap with Western countries fluctuates. Hong Kong is 8 hours ahead of London in winter but only 7 during BST. The US gap varies between 12-13 hours from the East Coast depending on American DST status.
Hong Kong's time zone makes it a natural bridge between Western and Asian business. A 9 AM meeting in Hong Kong is 1 AM GMT (too early for London) and 8 PM the previous night in New York. The practical overlap window for Hong Kong-London is afternoon HKT: 4 PM HKT = 8 AM GMT. For Hong Kong-US East Coast, early morning HKT or late evening US works: 8 AM HKT = 7 PM ET the previous day.
The UTC+8 corridor — spanning Hong Kong, Singapore, mainland China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, and Perth — represents the largest concentration of economic activity in a single time zone offset. This makes intra-regional scheduling effortless and is one reason Hong Kong functions so effectively as a regional headquarters for multinational corporations operating across East and Southeast Asia.