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.
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.
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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)
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)
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.
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. https://t.co/2ILgAF4GMP
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)
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.
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.
Those risks include the Chinese government’s ability to gain access to data that foreign companies store in Hong Kong…reports Asian Lite News
The US will warn American companies this week of the increasing risks of operating in Hong Kong, three people familiar with the matter said, as Washington seeks to ramp up pressure over Beijing’s crackdown on the financial center.
Those risks include the Chinese government’s ability to gain access to data that foreign companies store in Hong Kong, two of the people confirmed. The warning, first reported by the Financial Times, will come in the form of a business advisory, the people said.
Such an alert from President Joe Biden’s administration would underscore how Washington’s concerns about the former British colony have escalated since Beijing launched a crackdown on local democracy demonstrations in 2019.
A fourth U.S. official cited the territory’s national security measure, passed last year, as undermining the rule of law, which has allowed the business community to prosper in Hong Kong. U.S. officials argue the law has weakened the boundaries between China and Hong Kong, which has been run as a “Special Administrative Region” with a separate governing and economic system since the British handover of the colony in 1997.
The U.S. is also concerned with a new law that allows Beijing to retaliate against anyone complying with anti-China sanctions, the people said. The White House declined to comment on the matter.
The business advisory warning from the U.S. would follow a Trump administration decision last year to roll back special trade privileges granted to Hong Kong in recognition of China’s promise to ensure a “high degree of autonomy” for the city from Beijing.
U.S.-China ties were already strained over issues including tariffs and the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic when Biden took office in January. Relations have only become more strained since then, and while Biden has met in person with counterparts from across Europe, Russia, Japan and South Korea, he and Chinese President Xi Jinping have yet to meet.
The U.S. president is expected to take part on Friday in a virtual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, whose members include China. Later this month, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman plans to travel to Beijing, according to two people familiar with her plans. Biden and Xi could meet in person during a Group of 20 gathering in Rome in late October.
Despite the eroding ties between the world’s two biggest economies, trade between the U.S. and China has continued apace, fueled by consumer spending in the recovery from the pandemic.
Chinese data show the nation’s merchandise exports to the U.S. are running at a record-high pace so far this year, while U.S. figures indicate a rate well above 2020 but below prior years. Meanwhile U.S. shipments to China are running at or near record levels.
Responding to the reports on Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its opposition to what it views as U.S. interference in Hong Kong’s affairs. Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters that the city had been more stable under the security law.
Those remarks came before the U.S. updated its business advisory cautioning U.S. companies on the risks of supply chain links to the Xinjiang region, where China has been accused of a wide range of human rights abuses against Uyghurs.
“The United States will continue to promote accountability for the PRC’s atrocities and other abuses through a whole-of-government effort and in close coordination with the private sector and our allies and partners,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
Adding to the mounting tensions, China on Tuesday denounced Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s appeal for a “united front” against China.
In a visit to Brussels earlier this week, Yellen hearkened back to the partnership and “rules-based international order” constructed after World War II — before calling out three countries she said imperiled that order.
“Together, we need to counter threats to the principles of openness, fair competition, transparency and accountability,” Yellen said in remarks she’s scheduled to deliver to EU finance ministers Monday.
“These challenges include China’s unfair economic practices, malign behavior, and human rights abuses; the Lukashenko regime’s ongoing abuses in Belarus; and Russia’s continued and growing malign behavior,” she said in some of her most pointed criticisms to date of Moscow and Beijing.
“China strongly deplores and rejects Treasury Secretary Yellen’s remarks,” Zhao said Tuesday at a regular press briefing in Beijing.
The latest developments occurred as White House officials discuss proposals for a digital trade agreement covering Indo-Pacific economies, according to people familiar with the plans.
Details of the potential trade agreement — part of a Biden administration effort to check China’s influence in the region — are still being drafted, but the pact could potentially include countries such as Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore, according to one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the process isn’t public.
Over 60 per cent of people expressed doubts about their future under the draconian law which was imposed in June last year…reports Asian Lite News
Most Hong Kongers are doubtful about their future under the Chinese imposed national security law which has left a “chilling effect” on people of the territory since its passage in June 2020, according to reports.
Quoting Mainland Affairs Council, Taipei Times reported that over 60 per cent of people expressed doubts about their future under the draconian law which was imposed in June last year.
In a report marking the 24th anniversary of the territory’s handover to China, the council said that the US-based Freedom House in March gave Hong Kong the worst rating in the history of its Freedom in the World report at 52 points, ranking “partly free,” due mainly to the security legislation.
Germany’s Global Public Policy Institute and Reporters Without Borders similarly downgraded the territory in their respective reports on academic and press freedom, it added.
Meanwhile, several people including activists, students, journalists have been arrested in the past few months in Hong Kong under the security legislation. The scope of those prosecuted for speech from prior to the law’s passage — from politicians to academics and journalists — has produced a “chilling effect,” the council’s report said.
HOng KONG
The press especially is facing “unprecedented political violence,” including with the redefinition of “media representative” to only recognize workers of media outlets registered with the government, it said.
Next Digital has emerged as a victim of the security legislation, as police have used it to prosecute owner Jimmy Lai and Apple Daily executives, it said.
The closure of the Apple Daily on June 25, shortly after the government froze its assets, has “sounded a death knell for press freedom in Hong Kong,” Taipei Times reported.
Many news firms have chosen to stay silent, leading to the closure or removal of content from online publications such as Stand News, Winandmac Media and Post 852, it added.
Meanwhile, increasing numbers of academics critical of Beijing have been dismissed or forced out since last year. Some have even seen their teaching qualifications revoked for disseminating content in support of independence, it added.
Changes to the education curriculum in February also outlawed political activities on campuses and banned teachers from discussing their political views, while mandating education about the security law to more than 8,000 students, it said.
Fear over-reporting by students is likely to deepen self-censorship on campuses, the council said, adding that some academics are also considering cutting back on international exchanges.
Censorship has even extended to the Internet and the arts, drawing an ambiguous red line that would stifle creative freedom, it added.
The Web site HKChronicles, which publishes personal information of police officers and pro-Beijing figures, was reportedly shuttered by Hong Kong security forces with cooperation from Internet service providers, the council said.
Pro-China media have also criticized the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for funding “reactionary” works of art and the M+ museum for exhibiting works by Ai Weiwei, it added.
Changes announced last month to the Film Censorship Ordinance would ban films that “endanger national security,” it said.
Public gatherings have also been halted, including the annual Tiananmen Square Massacre candlelight vigil that had been held every year for three decades, it said.
Even freedom of movement could be affected, as the passage in April of changes to immigration regulations would grant authorities the power to bar individuals from entering or leaving the territory when it goes into effect on August 1, the council added.
The law criminalizes 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)
The spokesperson also accused European Parliament of “distorted facts with ulterior motives.”…reports Asian Lite News.
China on Friday opposed a European Parliament resolution on Hong Kong, which had denounced the closure of the city’s pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, highlighting the rapid deterioration of press freedom in Hong Kong.
“Under the national security law in the HKSAR, Hong Kong society has returned to stability, the rule of law and justice have been upheld, and the extensive lawful rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents have been better protected in a more stable and secure environment,” the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) said in a statement.
The spokesperson also accused European Parliament of “distorted facts with ulterior motives.”
This comes after European Parliament on Thursday had adopted with a landslide majority urgent resolution denouncing the closure of Apple Daily, and the rapid deterioration of press freedom in Hong Kong.
The European Parliament also called on the Hong Kong government to immediately and unconditionally release and drop charges against all journalists.
“This European Parliament resolution is an important step in addressing press freedom abuse in Hong Kong, but it is now paramount that all democratic governments and other international organisations join their voices in protest against the repressive campaign led by the Chinese regime,” said RSF East Asia bureau head, Cedric Alviani.
In the resolution, the European Parliament expressed its “strongest solidarity with all Hong Kong journalists who, despite the entry of National Security Law into force, have continued to strenuously defend media freedom and independent journalism and to keep reporting about the dramatic evolution of events” and called on the Hong Kong government “to end all legal harassment and all intimidation directed at journalists.”
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) commended this “much-needed resolution addressing the escalating crackdown on press freedom in the territory.” (ANI)
UK on Monday reported 22,868 coronavirus cases, the highest since January 30 this year, according to official figures…reports Asian Lite News.
The Hong Kong government has announced that from July 1, all passenger flights from Britain will be suspended in view of the latest Covid-19 situation in the latter country.
In a statement on Monday, the government said that decision was taken as the pandemic situation rebounded recently in Britain with the spread of the Delta variant, reports Xinhua news agency.
It added that a number of cases imported from Britain involving variants have also been detected in Hong Kong over the past few days.
Hong Kong will also at the same time classify Britain, which is currently a “very high-risk” place, as “extremely high-risk” to restrict persons who have stayed in that country for more than two hours from boarding passenger flights for the city, the statement said.
Considering that the pandemic situation is still unstable in existing extremely high-risk places, which are Brazil, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa, the existing restrictions on the aforementioned places will continue.
UK on Monday reported 22,868 coronavirus cases, the highest since January 30 this year, according to official figures.
The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 4,755,078.
The country also recorded another three coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 128,103. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
More than 44.4 million people in Britain have received the first jab of Covid-19 vaccine and more than 32.5 million people have received two doses, the latest figures also showed.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Pic Andrew Parsons No 10, Downing Street)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested Monday that there will be no early easing of the remaining Covid restrictions before the planned date of July 19.
Johnson has announced a four-week delay to the final step of England’s roadmap out of Covid-19 restrictions until July 19, amid a surge in cases of the Delta variant first identified in India.
