Tag: HONG KONG

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Chinese vice premier demands full implementation of Covid measures

China mainland on Friday reported 2,157 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases…reports Asian Lite News

Amid worsening coronavirus situation in China, country’s Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Saturday said that there was a need to fully implement COVID-19 response measures in a timely manner to curb the spread of the virus.

During a national teleconference, Sun who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee noted the complex, arduous and enduring nature of covid situation, according to Xinhua News Agency.

He also called for rigorous steps to be taken at port areas as a matter of priority to prevent imported cases.

Meanwhile, Xinhua quoting Chinese health official reported that nearly 1.24 billion people across the Chinese mainland had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Friday, a Chinese health official said Saturday.

Mi Feng, the spokesperson for the National Health Commission (NHC), released the data at a press conference, adding that close to 3.22 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered on the mainland.

China mainland on Friday reported 2,157 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases.

Earlier, a video surfaced showing hundreds of people standing in queues to get tested for the virus in the Southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

The video purportedly from the locality of Shajing in Shenzhen also showed dozens of ambulances that were claimed to be transporting COVID-19 patients from the city to makeshift isolation centres.

Shenzhen officials had earlier imposed a lockdown for one week.

Fears in Hong Kong

As Hong Kong surpassed one million Covid-19 cases since 2020, some are afraid that the government’s failure to get the virus under control has accelerated Beijing’s authority over the “semiautonomous Chinese territory,” reported media.

Since the outbreak began in Hong Kong, Chinese authorities donated their traditional Chinese medicines, protective medical gear, Chinese epidemiologists were sent to advise health officials, over a thousand technicians and health care workers have been dispatched for testing and patient care, The New York Times reported.

To supply the equipment and manpower smoothly, Chinese authorities established a temporary bridge and also sent dozens of workers to construct the temporary government quarantine facilities and makeshift hospitals.

Most of Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing politicians quickly thanked “the motherland” for its assistance.

Meanwhile, some people see China’s help as their hidden intention of taking control of the city. “The Hong Kong people are very unhappy about Carrie Lam and the government because their incompetence has given the central government an excuse to step in and take more control,” political scientist at Hong Kong Baptist University, Jean-Pierre Cabestan was quoted as saying by The New York Times.

Hong Kong’s government’s failure to control the virus led to the surge in the Covid-19 counts.

As of Friday, the city reported 20,082 new COVID-19 infections were reported in the city on Friday, of which 12,116 were identified through rapid tests, Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported.

While, 996,862 COVID-19 infections and 5,136 Covid deaths were reported on Thursday, according to Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP).

Chuang Shuk-Kwan, the head of the CHP’s Communicable Disease Branch, during the press briefing on Thursday said that over the past week, the number of daily cases had gone “up and down” around 30,000 and authorities needed to observe the statistics for a few more days before a conclusion could be drawn. (ANI)

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-Top News China

British rights group threatened under China’s security law

Rogers said his group will not be silenced by the warning and will continue to speak out for Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms…reports Asian Lite News

Britain’s foreign secretary on Monday accused Chinese authorities of trying to silence free speech after a UK-based human rights group said Hong Kong police threatened it with a prison sentence and fines for allegedly violating China’s national security law.

Hong Kong Watch said it received a formal warning from Hong Kong police accusing it of “seriously interfering” in Hong Kong affairs and jeopardizing China’s national security by activities including lobbying foreign countries to impose sanctions against China or Hong Kong.

The letter warned that the group could face a fine of HK$100,000 (£9,800) and that its chief executive, Benedict Rogers, could face three years in prison.

The move is one of the first times that a foreigner living abroad has been targeted under China’s sweeping national security law, which was imposed in 2020 as part of Beijing’s increasing crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong following months of anti-government protests.

“The unjustifiable action taken against the U.K.-based NGO Hong Kong Watch is clearly an attempt to silence those who stand up for human rights in Hong Kong,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

“Attempting to silence voices globally that speak up for freedom and democracy is unacceptable and will never succeed,” she said.

Rogers said his group will not be silenced by the warning and will continue to speak out for Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms.

Hong Kong, a former British colony that long enjoyed civil liberties and freedoms not seen elsewhere in mainland China, was promised a high degree of autonomy for 50 years when it was handed over to Chinese rule in 1997.

But in recent years Beijing has tightened its grip on the city and many have fled abroad after the introduction of the security law, which criminalizes what authorities describe as secession, subversion of state power, terrorism, and foreign collusion in intervening in Hong Kong’s affairs.

Since 2020, media outlets critical of the government have been closed, the opposition has been shut out from elections and all the city’s major pro-democracy figures have either been jailed or have sought asylum abroad.

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Hong Kong Arts Festival to create curated performances

The Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF), one of Asia’s premier international cultural festivals, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022…reports Asian Lite News

To commemorate this significant occasion, the HKAF will host a series of online performances spanning music, dance, theatre, and more from late February to March for the enjoyment of a global audience.

This year’s HKAF uses “connections” and “arts and technology” as key themes to underscore the importance of staying in touch with the world in the Covid era. It continues to pivot to more online offerings, as it did last year, which should please a global audience, as they will be able to enjoy the specially curated performances regardless of geographical boundaries.

Highlights of the online performances include:

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series

Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera) (Germany)

Korngold’s Die tote Stadt (The Dead City), Date: Feb 24 – Mar 3 (HK Time)

Shostakovich’s The Nose, Date: Mar 10 – 17 (HK Time)

. National Theatre Brno (Czech Republic)

Martinu’s The Greek Passion, Date: Mar 17 – Mar 24 (HK Time)

. Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (Germany)

Three live-streamed concerts, Date: Mar 4, 9 & 12 (HK Time)

Family Concert, Date: Apr 11 – 25 (HK Time)

. Ontroerend Goed (Belgium)

TM, Date: Feb 26 – Mar 27 (Every Sat and Sun, HK Time)

. Odeon-Theatre de l’Europe (France)

Moliere: Tartuffe and The School for Wives, Date: Feb 26 – Mar 27 (Every Sat and Sun, HK Time)

. Dead Centre (Ireland)

To Be A Machine (Version 1.0), Date: Mar 23 – 26 (HK Time)

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Asia News

China likely to implement zero-Covid policy in Hong Kong

Ever since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2019, China has been implementing a “zero-COVID” policy, which has resulted in growing public frustration and anger….reports Asian Lite News

As Hong Kong faces its worst-ever COVID-19 outbreak, China might implement the draconian Zero-Covid policy on the island if the cases of infections don’t reduce in the coming week, said a media report.

Covid-19 watchers in Hong Kong are worried that the island may be asked to pass the “Covid loyalty” test if the cases do not reduce in the coming week, The Hong Kong (HK) Post reported.

Ever since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2019, China has been implementing a “zero-COVID” policy, which has resulted in growing public frustration and anger.

The media reported how cities and towns in Chian turned into ghost towns overnight as party officials and health authorities, along with security forces, forced citizens into a strict quarantine, with people worried even about basics like milk and bread, The HK Post reported.

It further reported that millions of people were asked to get themselves tested repeatedly and there was no question of lifting the quarantine until all the millions tested negative.

travellers in the arrivals hall at Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, south China

Meanwhile, Hong Kong is still a bustling metropolis. The government has decided against a strict lockdown. For, given the island’s status as a financial and trading hub, a lockdown will cripple the economy within days and wipe out businesses worth billions of dollars, The HK Post reported.

So, the hospitals are caught in an unprecedented frenzy. They are weighed down by uncontrollable numbers of people trying to get admitted.

According to The HK Post, the authorities have tried the next best thing to a general lockdown – micro-lockdowns of streets or buildings or gated communities. But it is not working.

The HK Post further reported that things have become alarmist because after a gap of five months with no death reported, suddenly the island city has witnessed dozens of deaths within a week. Omicron being a highly transmissible variant, there is no saying when and how the positivity rate will be reined in. (ANI)

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China uses PLA to tighten grip on Hong Kong

Protesters and dissidents in Hong Kong are being labelled “terrorists”, according to critics and this appointment of Peng may imply a tougher stance on alleged terrorist activities in Hong Kong….reports Asian Lite News

As Hong Kong has no military of its own, the local authorities may request China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) garrison for aid in preserving public order, bringing the city under Beijing’s tight control, reported Singapore Post.

In a recent key development, according to China’s military, the PLA garrison in Hong Kong will be led by the former chief of internal security in the Xinjiang province Major General PengJingtang’s.

Xinjiang is the region where China has incarcerated hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in political re-education centres.

According to a government press release, Peng met Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who told him that her government would work with the garrison to “jointly safeguard the nation’s sovereignty, security, and development interests and help maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong”, reported The Singapore Post.

Notably, Protesters and dissidents in Hong Kong are being labelled “terrorists”, according to critics and this appointment of Peng may imply a tougher stance on alleged terrorist activities in Hong Kong.

Not only this but even the candidates who were not loyal to Beijing were forbidden from standing in the local Legislative Council elections.

After anti-government protests in 2019, China enacted a National Security Law on Hong Kong resulting in the arrest, intimidation, and exile of most opposition figures, reported Singapore post.

Many media organizations were also being raided by the authorities following employee detention and asset seizures.

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-Top News China

Hong Kong to ban films contrary to national security

The new law also gives authority to the city’s chief secretary to instruct the Film Censorship Authority to revoke approvals granted to the films, if they believe the presentation of the movie may harm national security….reports Asian Lite News

Hong Kong legislation on Wednesday passed a bill that will enable the government to ban films that are considered contrasting to the national security.

Any person who exhibits an unauthorised film could face up to three years in jail and an HKD 1 million fine. The bill was approved with landslide support from pro-establishment lawmakers during their last meeting in the sixth Legislative Council (LegCo) term, HongKong Free Press reported.

The new law also gives authority to the city’s chief secretary to instruct the Film Censorship Authority to revoke approvals granted to the films, if they believe the presentation of the movie may harm national security.

Meanwhile, heavier penalties will also be imposed on those who show films that are not approved by the authorities, as the offence is punishable by up to three years in prison and a maximum fine of HKD 1 million, Hong Kong Free Press reported.

The developments came months after Hong Kong director Kiwi Chow premiered his documentary “Revolution of Our Times” at Cannes Film Festival in July.

The film was about the 2019 anti-extradition bill protests and it did not apply for exhibition in Hong Kong and it was slammed by local Beijing-backed newspapers as advocating independence, an offence under the national security law, Hong Kong Free Press reported.

Meanwhile, several other films associated with the 2019 unrest, including have been pulled from commercial screening.

In 2019, more than a million Hongkongers held a mass protest that started with widespread opposition to plans to allow extradition to mainland China, and broadened into calls for full democracy and official accountability, as well as protests over unprecedented police violence, Radio Free Asia reported.

HOng KONG

Scribes body refuses to shutdown

The national security law imposed by Beijing in Hong Kong has led to many media outlets shutting down, but the Hong Kong Journalists Association has refused to wind up, said a media report.

Writing in The New York Times, Austin Ramzy, a Hong Kong reporter, said, “Unions have folded. Political parties have shut down. Independent media outlets and civil rights groups have disappeared. The Hong Kong government, its authority backed fully by Beijing, is shutting down the city’s civil society, once the most vibrant in Asia, one organization at a time.”

“But one group, the Hong Kong Journalists Association, has refused to fold, even as Hong Kong’s security secretary repeatedly singles it out for public criticism,” he added.

“We will try to fight to the last moment,” said Ronson Chan, the association’s chairman. “But honestly, it’s a gamble. How cruelly will the Beijing government treat us? We know the history of journalists in the People’s Republic of China,” the report said.

Ramzy, in its report, said that the authorities have used a national security law, which was introduced last year after months of widespread anti-government protest, to silence dissent. Dozens of groups have been forced to disband.

Human Rights Watch, which is based in New York, left Hong Kong after it was penalised by China in retaliation for American legislation supporting Hong Kong protesters in 2019, the report said.

“Our China team continues to function and to track Hong Kong developments closely,” said Sophie Richardson, the China director at Human Rights Watch.

According to the report, Amnesty International said on Monday that it was closing its local and regional offices in Hong Kong because the security law had made it impossible for human rights groups to operate in the city.

“Activist groups have also been decimated. The Civil Human Rights Front, which had organised large marches, closed in August after Beijing’s office in Hong Kong accused it of opposing China and the police opened an investigation into its funding. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organised an annual vigil to mourn those killed in the 1989 crackdown on the Tiananmen protest movement, disbanded after the authorities began looking into its funding and accused most of its leadership of national security offenses, including subversion. The authorities removed displays from the group’s museum and blocked access in Hong Kong to the group’s website,” the report said.

Many groups continue to operate, but some fear that the crackdown could spread.

“We are not interested at all in politics,” said Brian Wong, a member of Liber Research Community, an independent research institute that focuses on land use. “But from what we can see on the mainland, eventually all of civil society can be seen as a threat,” the report said. (ANI)

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HK’s Tiananmen massacre museum reopens online

Last week, the Hong Kong Alliance that runs the museum was fined HK$8,000 for opening the museum without a proper licence….reports Asian Lite News

A Hong Kong museum that commemorates the victims of China’s 1989 crackdown on protesters at Tiananmen Square re-opened online on Wednesday months after it was forced to shut down.

Last week, the Hong Kong Alliance that runs the museum was fined HK$8,000 for opening the museum without a proper licence.

Taking to Twitter, the Hong Kong Alliance wrote, “The June 4 Memory & Human Rights Museum will officially open to the public on 4 August 2021.”

On June 4, 1989, Chinese troops had entered Tiananmen Square in Beijing and fired on students gathered in the largest pro-democracy protests that the Communist regime never witnessed. The death toll ranged from several hundred to thousands.

The pro-democracy protests were suppressed as China had declared martial law and sent its military to occupy central parts of Beijing.

China, with the help of local authorities, has been ruling Hong Kong with an iron fist. Authorities have also begun clamping down on cultural expression. Initial steps have included the closing of exhibitions dealing with pro-democracy protests.

Last month, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced that censorship guidelines on the city had been expanded to cover “any act which may amount to an offence endangering national security”.

The Hong Kong authorities have increasingly been relying on the China-backed National Security law, which provides them broad power to limit people’s political freedom and to arrest journalists at independent news outlets.

The law criminalises any act of secession (breaking away from China), subversion (undermining the power or authority of the central government), terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, with punishments of up to life in prison. (ANI)

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UK welcomes US offer of safe haven to HK residents

Earlier, US President Joe Biden signed a memorandum that provides a temporary safe haven to residents of Hong Kong…reports Asian Lite News.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Thursday (local time) welcomed the decision by the United States to offer a stay of expulsion to Hong Kong residents staying in the country who fear persecution back home.

He also said the United Kingdom would stand up for Hong Kongers by offering British overseas citizens, a path to British citizenship.

“I warmly welcome the US’s big-hearted decision to announce a migration offer for Hong Kongers. The UK is standing up for the people of Hong Kong, including by offering British Nationals (Overseas) in Hong Kong a path to citizenship,” Raab tweeted.

Earlier, US President Joe Biden signed a memorandum that provides a temporary safe haven to residents of Hong Kong.

“Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. signed a memorandum directing the deferral of removal of certain Hong Kong residents who are present in the United States, giving them a temporary safe haven,” the White House spokesperson Jen Psaki statement said.

The move shows Biden’s “strong support for people in Hong Kong in the face of ongoing repression by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and makes clear we will not stand idly by as the PRC breaks its promises to Hong Kong and to the international community,” it added.

US has been vocal about Beijing’s crackdown on the territory through its National Security Law passed in June last year. This measure has also been slammed by the international community which criminalises rights through vague charges, The Hill reported.

This latest move is likely to invite a strong response from Beijing, which has rejected criticism from the US and its allies over its crackdown in Hong Kong.

China, with the help of local authorities, has been ruling Hong Kong with an iron fist. Authorities have also begun clamping down on pro-democracy activists.

As China has strengthened control over Hong Kong through varieties of laws including the draconian National Security Law, the people of the semi-autonomous city are facing increasing policing and crackdown. (ANI)

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Sadiq offers warm welcome to HK migrants

The Mayor also pledged to launch crackdown on racist abuse and hate crime incidents in London…reports Asian Lite News.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has offered a warm welcome and a message of support to Hongkongers who have begun arriving in the capital.

London is expected to welcome the largest proportion of arrivals from Hong Kong to the UK this year after the Government introduced a new visa for Hong Kong British National (Overseas) status holders and their families. It is estimated that between 123,000 and 153,000 adults and their dependents will take up the visa this year to live, work and study in the UK.

The Mayor welcomed the move from Ministers and is working alongside the Government to ensure suitable support is available, the City Hall said.

City Hall will use more than £900,000 of Government funding as part of the integration work across the city to ensure new arrivals can settle in London, including advice on housing, education and employment.

“I want to be very clear to Hongkongers and their families who have begun arriving in the capital that they are very welcome in London,” Sadiq said.

“Our city has a proud history of being home to people from many different backgrounds, and I’m committed to doing all I can to help them settle in London. By working alongside the Government, local authorities, communities and community organisations we will ensure that suitable support is available right across the capital so that they can quickly feel part of our great city,” he added.

Sadiq will also be working with organisations, including Hong Kong Arc, Hongkongers in Britain, Hackney Chinese Community Services and Refugees Welcome to discuss how best to support the community and address any concerns they may have.

The Mayor also pledged to launch crackdown on racist abuse and hate crime incidents in London. He has already invested more than £6 million to support London’s diverse communities and tackle the scourge of hate crime, as well as funding grassroots community organisations and civil society groups.

“Government funding is helping to ensure that new arrivals from Hong Kong have the best start to their new lives – assisting them to find a home, a school place for their children and employment – here in London and across the country,” Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said.

“The Government is creating 12 virtual welcome hubs across the UK, backed by £43 million, to give BNO status holders the practical help they need to establish themselves. It’s my sincere hope that these families will find the UK a place they can call home,” he added.

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US govt warns firms about doing business in Hong Kong

At the same time, Treasury announced sanctions against seven Chinese officials for violating the terms of the 2020 Hong Kong Autonomy Act….reports Asian Lite News

The Biden administration issued a blanket warning to US firms about the risks of doing business in Hong Kong.

Four Cabinet agencies — the departments of state, treasury, commerce and homeland security — released the nine-page advisory that alerts companies about the shifting legal landscape in Hong Kong and the possibility that engaging with Hong Kong business could incur reputational and legal damages.

At the same time, Treasury announced sanctions against seven Chinese officials for violating the terms of the 2020 Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which calls for asset freezes and other penalties against those who participate in the crackdown.

“Businesses, individuals, and other persons, including academic institutions, research service providers, and investors that operate in Hong Kong, or have exposure to sanctioned individuals or entities, should be aware of changes to Hong Kong’s laws and regulations,” said the notice, which is titled “Risks and Considerations for Businesses Operating in Hong Kong.”

“This new legal landscape … could adversely affect businesses and individuals operating in Hong Kong. As a result of these changes, they should be aware of potential reputational, regulatory, financial, and, in certain instances, legal risks associated with their Hong Kong operations,” it said.

Chinese reaction

China’s Foreign Ministry branch in Hong Kong said new US sanctions on Chinese officials and its updated business advisory on the city are “extremely rude” and “extremely unreasonable” bullying acts with “despicable intention.”

A spokesperson for the Commissioner of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong in a statement late on Friday strongly condemned the US actions, saying they were blatant interference in Hong Kong and China’s internal affairs.

Hong Kong’s government responded with a statement calling the US advisory “totally ridiculous and unfounded fear-mongering” driven by ideology. “The main victims of this latest fallout will sadly be those US businesses and US citizens who have taken Hong Kong as their home,” the statement said.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, meanwhile, responded to the advisory by acknowledging the business environment “is more complex and challenging” but saying that it would continue its work.

“We are here to support our members to navigate those challenges and risks while also capturing the opportunities of doing business in this region,” it said in a statement.

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