Tag: Hong Kong

US to hold China accountable for human rights abuses: US Speaker
24Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

US to hold China accountable for human rights abuses: US Speaker

The United States Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday lauded the sanctions imposed by the Biden administration on China and said that Washington will hold Beijing accountable for human rights abuses against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang as well as against people in Tibet and Hong Kong“The Biden administration’s coordinated sanctions on China are a strong and resounding step to hold China accountable for its barbaric atrocities against the Uyghur people,” Pelosi said in a statement.“America, together with our allies, will continue to hold Beijing accountable for its campaign of human rights abuses, including those targeting the Tibetan people, people of Hong Kong and journalists, human rights lawyers and advocates on the mainland,” she added.Pelosi said that the US Congress will further its actions w...
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Japan slams Beijing over electoral changes in Hong Kong
15Mar By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia

Japan slams Beijing over electoral changes in Hong Kong

Japan has expressed its concerns regarding China’s decision to change the electoral system in Hong Kong, saying that the resolution passed by China's National People's Congress to change the electoral system in Hong Kong is a major setback to the city's autonomy and that it "cannot overlook" the resolution."The decision this time will further undermine the confidence in the 'one country, two systems' framework, as provided for in the Hong Kong Basic Law and the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration," Japan's foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.The ministry said that Japan's concerns were growing due to the recent arrest and prosecution of a number of opposition politicians and activists.It also called on Beijing to hold elections in Hong Kong that were open to candidates "represen...
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US condemns Beijing’s move to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system
13Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

US condemns Beijing’s move to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system

After Beijing approved a resolution to drastically overhaul Hong Kong's electoral system to ensure only 'patriots' can rule the city, the United States publicly condemned China for its “continuing assaults on democratic institutions”."We condemn the People's Republic of China (PRC's) continuing assaults on democratic institutions in Hong Kong," US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said during a press briefing."The changes approved by the National People's Congress today, on March 11, are a direct attack on Hong Kong's autonomy, its freedom and democratic processes limiting political participation, reducing democratic representation, and stifling political debate in order to defy the clear will of people in Hong Kong and deny their voices in their own governance," he added.On Thurs...
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China asks Australia to abandon its interference in Hong Kong’s affairs
2Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

China asks Australia to abandon its interference in Hong Kong’s affairs

China’s Foreign Ministry has urged Australia to abandon its interference in Hong Kong’s affairs and lashed out at the country for granting protection visas to Hong Kong passport holders in December.“Hong Kong affairs fall entirely within China’s internal affairs. No foreign country has the right to interfere,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday.“China urges Australia to stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs in any way, to avoid further damage to China-Australia relations,” Wang said.A report from Australia’s Department of Home Affairs on the processing of Subclass 866 onshore protection visas indicated that fewer than five Hong Kong passport holders had their applications approved in December.The allocation marked the first time that ...
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Hong Kong govt calls for tighter supervision of city’s public broadcaster
24Feb By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, USA

Hong Kong govt calls for tighter supervision of city’s public broadcaster

In a move which is seen as an attempt to curtail freedom of the press, the Hong Kong government has called for tighter supervision of city’s public broadcaster.In a 157-page report, the Hong Kong government accused the public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) of often reporting critically on officials and lacking transparency and objectivity.The report came hours after the government announced that the head of the public broadcaster would leave his post six months before his tenure ended. However, his replacement is a civil servant from outside the broadcasting service with no journalism experience.For supporters of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, RTHK’s troubles signalled the fate of independent journalism under an intensifying crackdown on dissent. Often compared to the B...
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‘Let’s each manage our own business’: Top Chinese diplomat on US’ remarks on human rights abuses
7Feb By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

‘Let’s each manage our own business’: Top Chinese diplomat on US’ remarks on human rights abuses

In a sharp response to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling out Beijing for its gross human rights violations in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, the top foreign policy aide to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Yang Jiechi has said “let’s each manage our own business.”Yang told Blinken during their Friday call that the US should “correct recent mistakes, and work with China to promote the healthy and stable development of China-US relations by upholding the spirit of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation,” according to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.Yang said that both sides should respect the other’s core interests, as well as political systems and developmental paths of their own choosing, according to the statement.“Each side should focus ...
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Hong Kong imposes first lockdown due to surge in covid-19 cases
23Jan By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, USA

Hong Kong imposes first lockdown due to surge in covid-19 cases

The government in Hong Kong has imposed its first COVID-19 lockdown in Jordan, a neighbourhood on the Kowloon Peninsula, after a sudden rise in the number of coronavirus cases.A statement read: The government made a “restriction-testing declaration”, which requires residents from parts of the bustling neighborhood of Jordan to stay in their premises and undergo compulsory testing arranged by the government.Residents will be required to stay at their homes until all the residents are subjected to mandatory testing, which the authorities aim to complete under the time frame of 48 hours.Thousands of Hong Kong residents are affected by the lockdown, said the government’s information office.Wong Kam-sin, Hong Kong’s Secretary for the Environment, said that the water from the pipes of several bu...
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China makes representation to UK over meddling in Hong Kong Affairs: Foreign Ministry
7Jan By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

China makes representation to UK over meddling in Hong Kong Affairs: Foreign Ministry

A day after the United Kingdom slammed China for the arrest of over 50 pro-democracy politicians and activists, Beijing on Thursday said that Hong Kong was a territory of China and any interference in its domestic affairs amounted to an “infringement on its sovereignty.“In response to UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab’s statement, China made a strong representation to the UK side,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Thursday.Hua claimed that Hong Kong was a territory of China and, therefore, any interference in its domestic affairs amounted to an “infringement on Chinese sovereignty.”“The United Kingdom should abandon its colonizer mentality and illusions about the continuing colonial influence on Hong Kong. It should as well abandon hypocrisy and double standards, ...
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Hong Kong Police arrest 8 more pro-democracy legislators
9Dec By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, Singapore

Hong Kong Police arrest 8 more pro-democracy legislators

The Hong Kong police on Tuesday arrested eight more pro-democracy legislators over their role in an unauthorized protest last summer.According to media reports, while the police have only said that the arrested people were of age between 24 and 64, local media has said that former pro-democracy legislators and veteran activist Leung Kwok-hung, known as Long Hair, was among them.Meanwhile, a Twitter post of former legislator Eddie Chu said he too had been arrested.“Chu Hoi Dick was arrested and searched by the police at 0640am this morning,” the post read. “He was charged with two crimes related to July 1st: holding or organizing an unauthorized assembly, and knowingly participating in an unauthorized assembly,” the post added.The arrests came less than a week after police sentenced three o...
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China sanctions 11 US officials in response to Hong Kong sanctions
30Aug By Walter ParezNo Comments
China

China sanctions 11 US officials in response to Hong Kong sanctions

China imposed sanctions on 11 Americans in retaliation for similar restrictions imposed by Washington over an alleged effort to undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy.China’s sanctions targeted Senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton and Pat Toomey; Congressman Chris Smith; Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth; National Endowment for Democracy President Carl Gershman; and Michael Abramowitz, the president of Freedom House.“In response to the U.S.’s wrong behaviors, China has decided to impose sanctions on those individuals who behaved badly on Hong Kong-related issues,” the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian, said.On August 7, The U.S. said that it was placing sanctions on 11 Chinese officials and their allies in Hong Kong.The sanctions target Hong Kong Specia...
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