August | 2019 | CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

09/08/2019

China on red alert as Typhoon Lekima bears down on east coast

A woman shields herself with an umbrella as she walks in New Taipei City in rain brought by Typhoon Lekima as it passes northeastern Taiwan on August 9, 2019 — Image caption Lekima has brought heavy rain to Taiwan

Chinese authorities have declared a red alert as a powerful typhoon heads towards the eastern coast.

Typhoon Lekima is currently battering Taiwan with winds of more than 190km/h (120mph) and is due to make landfall in China’s Zhejiang province on Saturday.

Emergency teams have been deployed to the region to guide relief work, China’s emergency ministry said.

Thousands of people further up the coast in Shanghai have been warned to prepare to evacuate.

Lekima, which is the ninth typhoon so far this year, strengthened into a super typhoon late on Wednesday, but Taiwanese authorities have since downgraded it to a regular typhoon.

Flood warnings have been issued for eastern sections of China’s Yangtze River and the Yellow River until Wednesday. The provinces of Jiangsu and Shandong are also on alert.

Cruise liners have been told to delay their arrival in Shanghai and some train services have been suspended over the weekend.

Beijing has also cancelled some trains heading to and from the Yangtze delta region.

Lekima is one of two typhoons in the western Pacific at the moment. Further east, Typhoon Krosa is spreading heavy rain across the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. It is moving north-west and could strike Japan some time next week, forecasters said.

Lekima was passing the north of Taiwan on Friday, causing flight cancellations and the closures of schools and offices.

Power was cut to more than 40,000 homes and the island’s high speed rail service was suspended north of the city of Taichung, local media reported.

The huge storm came a day after eastern Taiwan was rattled by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake. Experts said the risks of landslides triggered by the tremor were made more likely by the typhoon dumping up to 900mm (35 inches) of rain on Taiwan’s northern mountains.

Lekima also brought heavy rain and high winds to south-west Japan on Friday, cutting power to about 14,000 homes, broadcaster NHK reported.

China’s weather bureau said Lekima was expected to have weakened further by the time it made landfall. The country has a four-stage colour-coded warning system, with red representing the most severe weather.

Source: The BBC

Posted in Beijing, broadcaster NHK, cancelled, China alert, Cruise liners, cyclones, east coast, flight cancellations, Guam, Hurricanes, Japan, jiangsu province, Lekima, Northern Mariana Islands, offices, Pacific, red alert, schools, Shandong Luneng, Shanghai, suspended, Taichung, Taiwan, Train services, trains, Typhoon, Typhoon Krosa, Uncategorized, Yangtze River, Yellow River, zhejiang province | Leave a Comment »

08/08/2019

Xi sends condolences to Egyptian president over terrorist attack in Cairo

BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent a message of condolences to his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, over a recent terrorist attack in Cairo.

In his message, Xi said he was shocked to learn about the grave terrorist attack in the capital, which resulted in major casualties.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, and also in his own name, Xi expressed deep condolences over the victims, conveyed heartfelt sympathy to the injured and the bereaved families, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The Chinese president noted that China firmly opposes terrorism in all its forms and strongly condemns the terrorist attack, saying that China staunchly supports Egypt’s efforts in maintaining its security and stability and fighting terrorism.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Cairo, Chinese President Xi Jinping, condolences, Egyptian President, terrorist attack, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

08/08/2019

Nestle starts selling Starbucks-branded coffee in China

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Food giant Nestle (NESN.S) on Thursday started selling Starbucks-branded (SBUX.O) coffee in mainland China, seeking to tap growth in a market where it says coffee consumption per capita remains low compared to global standards.

Nestle last year paid $7.15 billion for exclusive rights to sell the U.S. chain’s coffees and teas globally, and began selling Starbucks-labelled products in Europe, Asia and Latin America in February.

The world’s largest food company will start selling 21 Starbucks-branded capsule and instant coffee products on Chinese e-commerce platforms like Alibaba’s (BABA.N) Tmall and JD.com (JD.O), as well as to offices and hotels in tier-1 cities, both companies said.

“We believe China is the most exciting market in general but especially for coffee because… per capita cup consumption is quite low as compared to Asia,” said Rashid Aleem Qureshi, Nestle’s chief executive officer for the Greater China region.

“Right now the overall soluble coffee in China is growing between 3-5% (a year) and we believe that by bringing this exciting new business opportunity we should be able to grow faster than that,” he said, referring to a category that includes capsule and instant coffee.

Nestle’s move comes as the Swiss company experienced a slower first-half growth in China, its second-largest market, where other categories like mainstream baby foods have struggled compared to pricier options.

China’s per capita coffee consumption is about 6 cups a year, compared to 400 in Japan and 300 in South Korea, Nestle said.

The partnership with Starbucks would help Nestle add a premium coffee option to the range of products it already sells in China, such as Nescafe instant coffee range and Nespresso capsule coffees, Qureshi said.

Starbucks China CEO Belinda Wong said the Nestle deal would open two new avenues to sell its products in China, where it has been investing heavily in its store network and delivery amid tougher competition from local startups.

Source: Reuters

Posted in Alibaba’s (BABA.N), Asia, China alert, coffee, companies, Europe, Greater China region, hotels, Japan, JD.com (JD.O), Latin America, Nescafe, Nespresso, Nestle, offices, selling, South Korea, starbucks, Starbucks-branded, Swiss company, tier-1 cities, Tmall, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

07/08/2019

Xinhua Headlines: China expands Shanghai FTZ for further opening-up, globalization

BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) — China on Tuesday announced the expanding of its Shanghai free trade zone (FTZ) in its latest major strategic move for further opening-up.

The addition of the Lingang area is a major strategic decision made by the Communist Party of China Central Committee to further opening up, Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen told a press conference Tuesday.

It also demonstrates China’s clear stand to adhere to all-round opening up in the new era and an important measure taken to actively lead the healthy development of economic globalization, Wang said.

The new Lingang section will match the standard of the most competitive free trade zones worldwide and implement opening-up policies and systems with strong global market competitiveness, according to an overall plan for the new Lingang area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone issued by the State Council, or the cabinet.

Lingang, with a start-up area of 119.5 square kilometers, will facilitate overseas investment and capital flows and realize the free flow of goods, according to the plan.

Aerial photo taken on June 27, 2019 shows the Lingang area in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

“The new area is not just a simple expansion of the existing free trade zone and a copy of existing policies. It is comprehensive, profound and fundamental institutional innovation and reform,” Chen Yin, executive vice mayor of Shanghai, told the press briefing.

The Shanghai FTZ had an area of 28.78 square kilometers when it was established in September 2013 and expanded to 120.72 square kilometers in December 2014.

Over the past years, the Shanghai FTZ has made remarkable progress in its bold exploration in sectors like investment, trade and finance and contributed precious experience to the all-around deepening of reforms and high-level opening-up, said Wang.

SPECIAL ZONE

The area will be built into a special economic function zone with global influence and competitiveness, to better serve the country’s overall opening-up strategy, the plan says.

“The status as a special economic function zone means that it is not adding more facilitation but moving toward real investment and trade liberalization,” said Shen Yuliang, a researcher with the Institute of World Economics under the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

By 2025, the Lingang area will have a relatively mature institutional system of investment and trade liberalization and facilitation. By 2035, it will be built into a special economic function zone with strong global market influence and competitiveness, becoming an important platform for the country to integrate into economic globalization.

The area, administered like a special economic zone, will establish an institutional system with its focus on investment and trade liberalization and set up an open industrial system with global competitiveness, according to the plan.

Aerial photo taken on June 27, 2019 shows new cars wating for shipment at a port in the Lingang area in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

It will strive to become a business cluster for international business, cross-border financial services, frontier technology research and development and cross-border services trade, and speed up the industrial upgrading of existing companies.

The Yangshan comprehensive bonded area will be set up there, and the area will also pilot free capital inflows and outflows and free capital conversion.

Income tax shall be levied at a reduced rate of 15 percent within five years from its establishment for qualified enterprises engaged in manufacturing and R&D in key fields including integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, biomedicine and civil aviation, says the plan.

Shanghai will also set up a fund of 100 billion yuan (14.2 billion U.S. dollars) in five years to support the development of the new area, said Chen.

OPENING-UP, INNOVATION LEADER

The plan says the new area will be granted greater administration power for self-development, self-reform and self-innovation, and regularly promote its experience to spearhead a new round of reform and opening-up of the Yangtze River Delta.

Apart from serving the Belt and Road Initiative and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the new area is also designed to promote the coordinated development, reform and opening-up of the Yangtze River Delta, said Wang.

The Lingang area, home to Tesla’s gigafactory, has become a cluster of high-end industries after more than a decade of development, and it now emphasizes the development of key industries like integrated circuits, AI, biomedicine and civil aviation.

Aerial photo taken on July 25, 2018 shows Phase IV of the Yangshan Deep Water Port of east China’s Shanghai. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

China’s economy faces complicated external situations and to improve industrial competitiveness and move up the value chain, the boost of scientific and technological innovation capacity is the only way, said Yin Chen, secretary general of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone Comprehensive Research Institute with Fudan University.

With more openness, the new area can boost Shanghai’s high-end resources allocation ability and better represent the country to take part in global cooperation and competition, said Yin.

BOON FOR BUSINESSES

The addition of the new area to the FTZ is a boon for both domestic and foreign businesses.

“The new tax policy support will help speed up the commercialization of autonomous driving,”said Xue Jiancong, vice president of TuSimple, an AI company registered in Lingang that received the country’s first open road testing license for trucks.

“We hope that the new policies will help promote the free flow of auto parts,”said Song Feng, president of Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., citing current restrictions on imports of old machinery parts.

Yu Bo, a tax partner at accounting firm PwC, said China has been rolling out institutional reforms over the past years to allow domestic institutions in alignment with international standards.

China, among the top three investment destinations with the biggest development potential for business executives worldwide in an PwC survey, should continue to improve the business environment for foreign investment and conduct more institutional reforms to promote the higher-level opening-up, said Yu.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in artificial intelligence (AI), Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), biomedicine, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, China alert, Civil aviation, Communist Party of China Central Committee, economic globalization, expands, free trade zone (FTZ), Fudan University, healthy development, Institute of World Economics, integrated circuits, Lingang are, manufacturing and R&D, PwC, self-development, self-innovation, self-reform, Shanghai, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, special economic zone, State Council, trade liberalization, TuSimple, Uncategorized, Yangshan comprehensive bonded area, Yangtze River Delta, Yangtze River Economic Belt | Leave a Comment »

07/08/2019

China, US sign UN protocol on mediation despite ongoing trade dispute

46 countries agree protocol aimed at using mediation instead of legal action
Singapore set to capitalise on the naming of the convention, at Hong Kong’s expense

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong attends the signing ceremony of the Singapore Convention on Mediation. Photo: Handout

China and the United States have briefly put aside their escalating trade war and joined 44 other countries in signing a new global protocol on mediation aimed at settling cross-border trade and commercial disputes.

The Singapore Convention, under the United Nations framework, will allow mediation agreements to be recognised and enforced in the courts of all 46 signatories, which include South Korea and India. European Union nations are expected to sign in the next phase.

It was agreed against a backdrop of ongoing tensions between China and the US over tariffs and currency manipulation, and a trade dispute between South Korea and Japan

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addresses delegates at the Singapore Convention on Mediation event. Photo: Handout

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the protocol demonstrated that countries are capable of achieving consensus through effort and creativity, and are open to binding commitments.

He also observed that the established world order of multilateralism is “under pressure”.

“Existing multilateral institutions are not perfect, many are in need of urgent reform, suffer from a loss of confidence, or have practices and structures that are no longer fit for purpose,” Lee said, without elaborating which bodies he was referring to.

He added that the solution would not be to abandon these bodies, but to improve them through reform and bringing them up to date.

“We must make sure they reflect current economic and political realities, and ready them to deal with the new issues created by the progress of technology and globalisation.”

Stephen Mathias, the UN’s assistant secretary-general for legal affairs, said the agreement helped unify mediation rules and remove uncertainty in enforcing mediation agreements.

Delegates attend the signing ceremony of the Singapore Convention. Photo: Handout

The protocol contains standardised terms to apply mediation agreements across jurisdictions, and is expected to bolster the use of mediation rather than legal action to resolve trade disputes.

This rare example of international cooperation can be likened to the New York Convention on arbitration, which was adopted by the UN 60 years ago and is now applied by 160 countries.

Singapore has also capitalised on the naming of the convention, positioning itself as the legal hub in the region, in competition with Hong Kong.

The UN’s Commission on International Trade Law, for instance, has signed a memorandum to establish an academy in international dispute resolution in Singapore.

Hong Kong or Singapore: who to trust on belt and road disputes?

Mediators in Hong Kong said the convention only served to promote their rival city, as Hong Kong professionals remain competitive in the market.

“Lots of cases with a ‘Chinese element’ would pick Hong Kong,” said lawyer Christopher To Wing. “For instance, a US or British firm runs into a dispute with a Chinese firm, they will choose Hong Kong, as the city is close to China.”

But he conceded that more support and funding from the Hong Kong government is needed to catch up with similar promotion efforts by the Singapore government.

Source: SCMP

Posted in belt and road disputes, China alert, Commission on International Trade Law, Cross-border, European Union, Hong Kong, India alert, Lee Hsien Loong, mediation, sign, signing ceremony, Singapore Convention, Singapore Prime Minister, South Korea, tariffs and currency manipulation, trade and commercial disputes, trade dispute, UN protocol, UN’s assistant secretary-general for legal affairs, Uncategorized, United States, US | Leave a Comment »

06/08/2019

Chinese police mass 12,000 anti-riot officers in Shenzhen for drill

Security forces shown tackling ‘demonstrators’ wearing black shirts
‘Anti-mob’ tactics prepare forces for the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic

Shenzhen police broadcast live footage of a security exercise involving 12,000 officers rehearsing anti-riot drills. Photo: Weibo

More than 12,000 police officers assembled in Shenzhen in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong on Tuesday for a drill that included anti-riot measures similar to those seen on the streets of Hong Kong.

The drill was part of security preparations for the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, Shenzhen police said on the force’s Weibo newsfeed.

“A drill will be held to increase troop morale, practise and prepare for the security of celebrations, [and] maintain national political security and social stability,” police said.

China mobilises 190,000 police officers to prepare for 70th anniversary celebrations

In live videos of the police drills shown on the Yizhibo network, officers in body armour, helmets and shields confronted groups of people in black shirts and red or yellow construction safety helmets – similar to those worn by Hong Kong protesters – who were holding flags, banners, batons and wooden boards.

“The practice is complete with mature anti-mob tactics. The police forces can present an anti-mob formation, which is flexible, suitable for different situations, with accurate aim and effective control,” a narrator said during the live broadcast.

As the drill escalated and more “rioters” were deployed, police fired tear gas and smoke covered the training ground.

A few minutes later, the rioters fired home-made gas bombs then set bogies alight and drove them at the police lines. The officers changed formations and pressed the rioters, making arrests. Police handlers and their dogs were also on the scene.

A blazing bogie is driven towards police lines during Shenzhen police’s anti-riot exercise. Photo: Weibo

Other drills included anti-smuggling and search-and-rescue exercises involving personnel from the People’s Liberation Army.

The drill was presented as preparation for the 70th anniversary celebrations but it came amid continued violence in the streets of Hong Kong and two incidents of the Chinese national flag being thrown into Victoria Harbour.

Hong Kong has been engulfed in two months of turmoil stemming from opposition to the now-suspended extradition bill.

Police handlers and their dogs were deployed against people dressed like Hong Kong demonstrators. Photo: Weibo

“Is this hinting at Hong Kong?” a commenter on the Shenzhen police Weibo thread asked.

“We are doing drills today, and they can enter into real practice in Hong Kong in the future. We can send thousands of anti-mob squads over and strike hard at the radical traitors, those Hong Kong independence supporters,” another user said.

Since protests escalated in Hong Kong, Beijing has reiterated its “unflagging support” for embattled Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her administration to take lawful action to restore order, and warned that the city was entering “a most dangerous phase” with violence on the streets.

Source: SCMP

Posted in 70th anniversary, anti-riot officers, banners, batons, Beijing, black shirts, body armour, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chinese police, confronted, construction safety helmet, dogs, drill, flags, gas bombs, Guangdong, guangdong province, helmets, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Chief Executive, Mass, migrant workers, national flag, People’s Liberation Army, People’s Liberation Army (PLA), People’s Republic of China, search-and-rescue exercises, Shenzhen, Shenzhen News Radio, shields, smoke, tear gas, Uncategorized, unpaid salaries, Victoria Harbour, Weibo, wooden boards, Yizhibo network | Leave a Comment »

05/08/2019

Indian external affairs minister to visit China

BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — At the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will visit China from Aug. 11 to 13 and co-chair the second meeting of the China-India high-level people-to-people exchanges mechanism with Wang, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced Monday.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in China alert, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, External Affairs Ministry, Indian, Uncategorized, visit | Leave a Comment »

05/08/2019

China, Iraq to boost cooperation, bilateral ties in various fields

BAGHDAD, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — China and Iraq vowed to enhance cooperation and develop bilateral relations in various fields, the Chinese embassy in Baghdad said in a statement on Monday.

The statement came after Iraqi President Barham Salih received on Sunday China’s Ambassador to Iraq Zhang Tao at the presidential palace, where the two sides exchanged views on bilateral relations.

During the meeting, Salih said that the two countries have a long history of friendship, and the bilateral ties have currently maintained a sound momentum of development with fruitful pragmatic cooperation in various fields, the statement said.

Salih added that “Iraq attaches great importance to developing relations with China.”

He said that “Iraq is willing to continuously strengthen exchanges at all levels, deepen the strategic integration of each other’s development strategies, enhance strategic cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and promote the new strategic partnership between Iraq and China,” according to the statement.

For his part, Zhang said that China is “willing to encourage more Chinese enterprises to participate in post-war reconstruction in Iraq, support Iraq’s economic and social development, and continuously enrich the content of China-Iraq strategic partnership,” the statement said.

He added that “the traditional friendship between China and Iraq is profound and long-lasting, and the establishment of diplomatic relations has contributed to developing bilateral ties in a healthy and stable manner.”

Zhang believes that “since the establishment of the strategic partnership in 2015, the development of China-Iraq relations entered the fast lane, as the political mutual trust between the two countries has been consolidated, pragmatic cooperation has been deepened, and cultural exchanges have continued to expand.”

On May 5, Zhang said in an interview with Iraqi state-run al-Sabah newspaper that the volume of the trade exchange between China and Iraq exceeded 30 billion U.S. dollars in 2018.

He asserted that “China is considered the biggest trading partner of Iraq, and Iraq is the second biggest oil supplier to China, and the fourth biggest trading partner of China in the Middle East.”

Source: Xinhua

Posted in Baghdad, Belt and Road Initiative, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), biggest trading partner, bilateral ties, boost, China alert, China's Ambassador to Iraq, China-Iraq strategic partnership, Chinese embassy, cooperation, Iraq, Iraqi President, Middle East, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

05/08/2019

Celebrities, businesses and school take patriotic stand after Chinese flag protest in Hong Kong

Analysts say mood is shifting in mainland China as demonstrators ‘cross a line’ with national symbols

Staff and students from Pui Kiu Middle School in North Point hold flag-raising ceremony on campus on Monday. Photo: Nora Tam

A Hong Kong protester’s decision to tear down a Chinese flag and throw it in Victoria Harbour on Saturday set off an outpouring of criticism, from Chinese internet users and celebrities to pro-Beijing businesses and schools in the city.

Then on Monday at about 7pm, a group of protesters went to the same flagstaff in Tsim Sha Tsui, tore down the flag again and threw it into the harbour, the second such incident in three days. In both cases, the protesters escaped.

In North Point, the Pui Kiu Middle School organised a flag-raising ceremony at the campus on Monday even though the school was officially on summer holidays.

Principal Ng Wun-kit said teachers and students were called back on short notice to take part.

“We saw [on the news] that some rioters in helmets threw the Chinese national flag in the harbour and we strongly condemn such behaviour. It was disrespectful,” Ng said.

“We wanted to show that we are one of the 1.4 billion Chinese people who want to protect the national flag. We hope that the students, teachers, and [Hong Kong] citizens who love the country and the Chinese Communist Party can respect the Chinese flag.”

Other Hong Kong businesses and organisations flying the Chinese flag on Monday included international hotel chain Courtyard by Marriott Hong Kong, Chinese engineering firm Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries and Chinese pharmaceutical giant Beijing Tong Ren Tang.

Beijing’s Hong Kong affairs office condemns protesters who threw Chinese flag in the sea

A spokeswoman from the hotel chain said it had flown the flag for many years and Monday was no exception.

“We display the flag because we are a Chinese-funded company. We do not have plans to take it down any time soon,” she said.

On Sunday, a group of Beijing supporters sang the national anthem and raised the Chinese flag in Tsim Sha Tsui to replace the one taken down.

On microblogging site Weibo, mainland Chinese and Hong Kong celebrities were among those forwarding pictures of the flag or salutes to it, adding the hashtag “the Chinese national flag has 1.4 billion flag bearers”, a topic started by China Central Television (CCTV) on Sunday. As of Monday night, the trending topic had been read more than 2 billion times, with more than 8 million posts and support from Hong Kong actors Jackie Chan, Jordan Chan Siu-chun and Hawick Lau Hoi-Wai.

In a commentary published online on Sunday, CCTV said the topic had attracted a strong response because patriotism ran deep among the Chinese people.

“We protect the flag, the national emblem, our country, and we protect our country like we protect our own homes,” it said.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam blasts violence at Yuen Long and liaison office, amid further extradition bill unrest

Analysts said the mood on Chinese social media had changed as protesters in Hong Kong vandalised symbols of the central government, crossing a line for most mainland Chinese.

Wang Jiangyu, an associate law professor at the National University of Singapore, said that although many mainlanders had admired Hong Kong and sympathised with its civil movements in the past, the situation had changed.

“The Chinese flag being insulted is on the top of a list of things mainlanders dislike, and for state media, which represent the central government’s position, focusing on such issues can frame the protesters as enemies of the Chinese nation or the people,” Wang said.

“It can increase the hatred of mainlanders towards the Hong Kong protesters and gain support for the central government to take action in the future.”

Ma Ngok, a political scientist at Chinese University of Hong Kong, said mainland media were using the incident to achieve their own propaganda purposes.

“Mainland media made it seem like [the flag protest was] the theme for the whole movement … but it does not represent the main demands of the anti-extradition movement. They are turning single actions into broad propaganda, and biasing mainland sentiment about Hong Kong,” Ma said.

Source: SCMP

Posted in Beijing Tong Ren Tang, businesses, campus, Carrie Lam, celebrities, Central government, China Central Television (CCTV), chinese communist party, Chinese flag, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Courtyard, flag-raising ceremony, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Chief Executive, Jackie Chan, mainland media, Marriott Hong Kong, National University of Singapore, North Point district, patriotic stand, propaganda purposes, Protest, Pui Kiu Middle School, school, Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries, Tsim Sha Tsui, Uncategorized, vandalised symbols, Victoria Harbour, Weibo | Leave a Comment »

05/08/2019

Hong Kong protests: Police and protesters fight running battles

Police in Hong Kong have been fighting running battles with activists in a third consecutive day of protests, after a call for a general strike caused widespread disruption on Monday.

Protesters blocked roads and paralysed train services at peak times on a day of action across the city.

More than 200 flights were cancelled as the protests entered their ninth week.

Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, has pledged to restore law and order, rejecting calls for her resignation.

Initially the demonstrations, which began on 9 June, focused on a controversial extradition law, which would have allowed the transfer of suspects to mainland China. However, the protests have now become a wider challenge to Beijing’s authority.

Ms Lam warned that Hong Kong was “on the verge of a very dangerous situation”.

Media caption Protests take place in Hong Kong for the ninth weekend – for and against the authorities

In her first media address in two weeks, Ms Lam said the protesters’ actions had challenged the principle of “one country, two systems” – the extra freedoms granted to Hong Kong when it was returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

She also accused activists of using the extradition bill as a cover for their real goals.

“We continue to allow these violent protesters to make use of the [extradition] bill to conceal their ulterior motives,” she said. “Those ulterior motives are going to destroy Hong Kong.”

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (C) speaks during a press conference in Hong Kong on August 5, 2019

The Chinese foreign ministry said no one should underestimate China’s resolve to safeguard the stability of Hong Kong, Reuters news agency reports.

What happened on Monday?

Police fired tear gas at several locations as protesters rallied into the night, setting fires and besieging police stations. In the North Point district, which has a reputation for pro-Beijing sympathies, men wielding long poles clashed with demonstrators before falling back.

More than 80 people were arrested, in addition to the 420 detained since 9 June. In that time, police said they had used more than 1,000 tear gas canisters and 160 rubber bullets.

Protest leaders had called for a general strike. While many people made it to work, in some areas protesters blocked trains from leaving stations and scuffled with commuters. Several lines of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) were suspended for a time, and the Cross-Harbour Tunnel was also blocked.

One video circulating on Twitter reportedly showed a car in the district of Yuen Long forcefully hitting a barricade set up by protesters, injuring one person.

It is not clear how many joined the strike, but tens of thousands of protesters were out on the streets. Several shops and businesses were closed, including international fashion retailers like Topshop and Zara.

Hong Kong airport, one of the busiest in the world, said travellers should check its website and seek updates directly from the airlines.

Most of the cancelled flights were with local carriers Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines.

“The Airport Authority advises passengers… to proceed to the airport only when their seats and flight time have been confirmed,” the airport said in a statement.

What’s behind the Hong Kong protests?

The protests were initially sparked by a controversial bill that would allow China to extradite suspects from Hong Kong to the mainland.

Critics said it would undermine the territory’s judicial independence and could be used to target those who spoke out against the Chinese government.

Although the bill has now been suspended, demonstrators want it fully withdrawn.

Their demands have broadened to include an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality, Ms Lam’s resignation, and the dropping of riot charges linked to the protests.

Last week, more than 40 activists appeared in court charged with rioting. If convicted, they could be jailed for up to 10 years.

The Chinese army has so far stayed out of the dispute, but China’s top policy office in Hong Kong has previously condemned the protests, calling them “horrendous incidents” that have caused “serious damage to the rule of law”.

Unease rose last week when China’s army in Hong Kong posted a video on Chinese social media network Weibo showing soldiers conducting anti-riot drills.

Source: The BBC

Posted in "one country, two systems", Beijing's authority, calls, Carrie Lam, Cathay Pacific, controversial, extradition law, fight, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Airlines, Hong Kong's leader, judicial independence, law and order, Mainland China, North Point district, pledged, Police, protesters, protests, rejecting, resignation, restore, running battles, suspects, Topshop, transfer, Uncategorized, Weibo, Zara | Leave a Comment »

CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

Chindia Alert: You’ll be Living in their World Very Soon

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Archive for August, 2019

China on red alert as Typhoon Lekima bears down on east coast

Xi sends condolences to Egyptian president over terrorist attack in Cairo

Nestle starts selling Starbucks-branded coffee in China

China, US sign UN protocol on mediation despite ongoing trade dispute

Chinese police mass 12,000 anti-riot officers in Shenzhen for drill

Indian external affairs minister to visit China

China, Iraq to boost cooperation, bilateral ties in various fields

Celebrities, businesses and school take patriotic stand after Chinese flag protest in Hong Kong

Hong Kong protests: Police and protesters fight running battles

What happened on Monday?

What’s behind the Hong Kong protests?

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