Protests In Hong Kong

[JasonJ]

Pressured HK book seller ends up setting up his shop in Taiwan.

 

 

A former manager of a Hong Kong bookstore that sold titles critical of the Chinese Communist Party is set to reopen the store in Taiwan.

Lam Wing-kee was detained by Chinese authorities along with other people linked to the Hong Kong store five years ago.

He was later released and returned to Hong Kong and hoped to reopen the bookstore there.

But he gave up the idea last year after the Hong Kong government submitted a bill that would enable criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China.

He moved to Taiwan last April to flee mounting pressure from Beijing and the fear that he would be a target for extradition.

Since September, he has raised about 200,000 dollars through an online fund-raising website, which is more than he planned to collect to reopen the store.

Lam says the store will open next Saturday in central Taipei.

He said the reopening of a bookstore that once experienced Beijing's persecution is very significant. He also said he would like to welcome people from various places who like books.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200419_05/

[JasonJ]

A few days before the PRC Central government announced intention to pass laws about "HK security", Agnes (one, two, three earlier HK democracy activity examples) having a first twitter live taking a bunch of questions. All in Japanese. Over a 100 thousand views. Lots of chat about the manga, anime, and music that she does know and does not know so much, apparently a fan of ARASHI, wants to visit Japan for just fun, previous times its always been about the work stuff, she lives with her parents, hasn't gotten a hair cut in awhile. Yes, China is scary. Can they do fishing in HK? she doesn't know stuff like that but guesses so. She doesn't like her Japanese so much, pronunciation is still strange she says (she's really good of course) but she says still much to learn about the language (quite true, much room for language growth, its a never ending path). Google, Facebook, Instagram can be used like normal in HK, just like in Japan. Likes Karaoke. Is she strong in drinking? Doesn't drink so much but when she does she says she's quite strong. etc etc etc

 

What a girl.

 

Haven't listened to all of it yet, it's almost 3 hours long..

https://twitter.com/chowtingagnes/status/1262015151068209153

[Stuart Galbraith]

The more the PRC wants to make Hong Kong the PRC, the less it is. Its ironic that a post Colonial society is to be treated like a Colony, but such is the fucked up world we live in.

 

I wonder wonder what the death toll will be this time. Will anyone in the worlds Governments even care?

[JasonJ]

The more the PRC wants to make Hong Kong the PRC, the less it is. Its ironic that a post Colonial society is to be treated like a Colony, but such is the fucked up world we live in.

 

I wonder wonder what the death toll will be this time. Will anyone in the worlds Governments even care?

I think they won't be doing lots of killing in the streets like in 1989. But instead massive arrest going into detention in the mainland. Like with Xinjiang today. As 10,000s are arrested and relocated into the mainland, Mainlanders will be moved into HK. 10,000s of HKers will probably move out of HK beforehand though, into Taiwan, the US, or wherever. Such a move out has happened before.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Well in the same way collectivisation destroyed soviet agriculture, I strongly suspect the same approach will deliver similar results to the gem that is Hong Kong banking. I guess they already worked that out.

[rmgill]

[JasonJ]

I just listened to that today, in all honesty.

[Jeff]

US declares that Hong Kong is no longer enjoying autonomy from China

by AFP

27TH MAY 2020

 

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared Wednesday that Hong Kong no longer enjoys the autonomy promised by Beijing, stripping the financial hub of its special status under US law.

 

Hours before Beijing will hold a key vote on a controversial new security law on Hong Kong, Pompeo sent a notice to Congress that China was not living up to obligations from before it regained control of the territory from Britain in 1997.

 

“I certified to Congress today that Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under United States laws in the same manner as US laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997,” Pompeo said in a statement.

 

“No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground.”

 

Under a law passed last year by Congress aimed at supporting Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, the administration has to certify that the territory is still autonomous to enjoy its separate status with the US for trading purposes.

 

Pompeo had initially delayed the report, saying the United States was waiting to see the session of China’s rubber-stamp parliament, the National People’s Congress.

 

The legislature is expected on Thursday to move forward on a law that would ban “sedition” and other perceived offenses.

 

Hong Kong activists say that the law effectively abolishes the basic freedoms enjoyed in the financial hub.

 

“While the United States once hoped that free and prosperous Hong Kong would provide a model for authoritarian China, it is now clear that China is modeling Hong Kong after itself,” Pompeo said.

 

“The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong as they struggle against the CCP’s increasing denial of the autonomy that they were promised,” he said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.

 

https://hongkongfp.com/2020/05/27/us-declares-that-hong-kong-is-no-longer-enjoying-autonomy-from-china/

 

[JasonJ]

US calls for a UNSC meeting about it.

US calls for Security Council meeting on Hong Kong

The United States has called for a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss China's plan to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong.

 

The US call comes just as China's National People's Congress is set to approve the plan for the legislation on Thursday, the final day of the meeting. The proposed legislation is aimed at cracking down on opposition in Hong Kong.

 

The US mission to the United Nations made a request for a teleconference in a statement released on Wednesday.

 

The statement says the US is deeply concerned about China's actions "that fundamentally undermine Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and freedoms as guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, which was registered with the UN as a legally binding treaty."

 

It goes on to say that "this is a matter of urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security."

 

China's opposition will make it difficult for the US to gain enough support to hold a formal session. At least nine out of the council's 15 members must support the US's call.

 

Instead, the teleconference will likely be held as an informal session.

 

The US administration of President Donald Trump has suggested it will take action against China over the legislation. It has indicated sanctions could be imposed.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200528_22/amp.html

[Ssnake]

I don't think that anything will come from it, but I appreciate and respect that the US are actually doing something in support of Hong Kong.

[Simon Tan]

[JasonJ]

I don't think that anything will come from it, but I appreciate and respect that the US are actually doing something in support of Hong Kong.

Probably not.

 

But sometimes interesting bits emerge from the process, like what country backs which side.

 

So 9 are needed to open a session on it. Let the bribing begin.

 

US:US

China: China

UK: US

Russia: China

France: US

 

Niger: China

Tunesia: US

South Africa: China

Vietnam: US

Indonesia: US

Estonia: US

Saint Vincent: US

Dominican Republic: US*

Belgium: US

Germany: US

 

*But they did switch recognition from Taiwan to PRC in May 2018 so maybe they'll go China here.

[Jeff]

Well, it's time to nut up or shut up. There have been some very quiet countries that need to make a decision.

 

China approves Hong Kong national security law in face of US warning

[glenn239]

What are the choices in the decision to be made, and how does what's happening in Hong Kong make it different than just the fallout from China's responsibility in the virus outbreak?

[DB]

"The UK on Thursday said visa rights for 300,000 overseas UK citizens in Hong Kong would be extended into a "pathway to future citizenship" if China did not suspend its security law plans."

 

This amounts to a change from the right to a 6 month visa to a 12 month visa with additional options to gain full rights to reside.

 

Currently HK residents with UK Citizenship have no automatic right to reside in the UK.

 

I'm intrigued as to what happens if we suddenly have to absorb 300,000 new people, and more importantly if the Chinese government would let them all leave. Perhaps we could put them in the properties Glenn believes we should confiscate from unknown Chinese investors in London.

[glenn239]

Not just London. We have it here in Ontario too. Faceless financial companies owning more and more Toronto real estate, which sits empty. Nobody knows who they are because the front companies are so convoluted and complex, it's impossible to untangle. Not just Chinese either. It's unknown players from all over the world. Drug cartels, criminal empires, terrorists? Nobody knows. So, how about, if nobody knows who you are because you've played an unbelievably complex shell game to hide who you are, then you don't exist and have no rights. Oh, and thanks the for the trillions in properties, we'll put it to good use for the people...

Edited May 28, 2020 by glenn239

[seahawk]

Nice to see China take control of the unruly province. Taiwan is next. Shows how the USA needs to rally behind Trump and start to act like a superpower again and not some liberal peace loving coward.

[DB]

And so it moves along as expected.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52842303

 

Apparently it's just fine to terminate an international agreement 30 years early and then complain when the other side responds.

[Stuart Galbraith]

"The UK on Thursday said visa rights for 300,000 overseas UK citizens in Hong Kong would be extended into a "pathway to future citizenship" if China did not suspend its security law plans."

 

This amounts to a change from the right to a 6 month visa to a 12 month visa with additional options to gain full rights to reside.

 

Currently HK residents with UK Citizenship have no automatic right to reside in the UK.

 

I'm intrigued as to what happens if we suddenly have to absorb 300,000 new people, and more importantly if the Chinese government would let them all leave. Perhaps we could put them in the properties Glenn believes we should confiscate from unknown Chinese investors in London.

Quite right too.

 

Id welcome them coming here, they seem an amazingly productive city. At least, did.

Edited May 29, 2020 by Stuart Galbraith

[glenn239]

Nice to see China take control of the unruly province. Taiwan is next. Shows how the USA needs to rally behind Trump and start to act like a superpower again and not some liberal peace loving coward.

 

Looks to me like the Chinese calculation is that -

 

( a) Their responsibility for the Covid outbreak has ended the era of commercial cooperation regardless of Hong Kong

( b ) Our Covid reaction is such that we've broken our finances for at least a decade.

( c) The West cannot take casualties of any scale, as proven by aforementioned fucknuts overreaction to Covid.

( d) The divide between Left and Right in the US is so entrenched that when China ramps up its military spending to a level never displayed by a rival to the US in recorded history, the US will struggle to reply.

( e) The US therefore will be unable to follow into a large scale arms race that would cause real privation on the home front.

 

If this list is broadly correct, would they be wrong on any particular point?

Edited May 29, 2020 by glenn239

[Stuart Galbraith]

Yes. It ignores the fact that for a store to be successful, it has to sell. If China is not selling to the rest of the world, how successful do you think there economy will be sustained by themselves only? It was to get out that trap that they talked with Nixon.

 

A China isolating itself cannot be economically successful. The Communist leadership wont survive in an economically unsuccessful China. If they want to piss off all their customers, I say let them get on with it. We can start bringing the work home if they dont want it.

 

America was unable to follow into a large scale arms race with the USSR, so it maxed out the credit card. That was the reason for the 1980's retail boom. If they do it again, I put money on the US economy proving stronger than the Chinese one, which has only been sustained by large scale loans from Western Banks. Start calling them in. We are heading for a slump anyway, no reason not to.

[Simon Tan]

HK aint got nuttin on Minneapolis.

[Burncycle360]

Nice to see China take control of the unruly province. Taiwan is next. Shows how the USA needs to rally behind Trump and start to act like a superpower again and not some liberal peace loving coward.

 

 

Only Taiwan isn't an unruly province, it's the rightful Government of the mainland in exile and founding member of the UN, even if they have given up any claims to it. Badgering nations to cease recognizing them as a soverign state under duress of economic retaliation is effective, but it doesn't make it truth

 

The US should simply send China an invoice to offset some of the money spent on COVID response, then write off the ~trillion in debt they bought. Seems fair.

 

 

Edited May 29, 2020 by Burncycle360

[glenn239]

Stuart Galbraith, on 29 May 2020 - 09:32 AM, said:

Yes. It ignores the fact that for a store to be successful, it has to sell. If China is not selling to the rest of the world, how successful do you think there economy will be sustained by themselves only? It was to get out that trap that they talked with Nixon.

 

 

The lesson of Hitler's rise is that an economy devoted to military expansion does not need to trade because the surplus production capacity is occupied building military hardware. On the US front, the domestic priorities are so conflicted it’s questionable they can even hold their current defense spending, let alone massively sacrifice social programs to keep pace with the Chinese.

 

A China isolating itself cannot be economically successful. The Communist leadership wont survive in an economically unsuccessful China. If they want to piss off all their customers, I say let them get on with it. We can start bringing the work home if they dont want it.

 

 

 

Tomorrow, I will fly to Mars and plant Canada’s flag there. That was easy to type and so is, “China isolating itself”. Philip once sent a note to Sparta that ran, “If I invade Lakonia you will be destroyed, never to rise again.” The Spartans replied to this with one word – “If”. The best diplomatic answer in human history. Africa, the Americas and much of Asia will do their own thing and will not concede an inch on China without drawing a pound of flesh as concession. Europe is divided. Even the US will trade with China – they’ll just do it through other countries and make pretend. Isolating China will not be as easy as you type it to be.

 

America was unable to follow into a large scale arms race with the USSR, so it maxed out the credit card.

 

 

Covid update: America’s credit card just maxed out.

 

That was the reason for the 1980's retail boom. If they do it again, I put money on the US economy proving stronger than the Chinese one, which has only been sustained by large scale loans from Western Banks. Start calling them in. We are heading for a slump anyway, no reason not to.

 

 

Maybe. Maybe not. You could be right. But, what I would guess has happened in Hong Kong is that Beijing has concluded that Covid has ended the previous cooperative period so any incentive to play nice in Hong Kong no longer exists. I could be wrong. It’s happened before.

[Jeff]

And so it moves along as expected.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52842303

 

Apparently it's just fine to terminate an international agreement 30 years early and then complain when the other side responds.

 

Who's going to stop them, the other signatory to the treaty?