27 May - 2 June 2019 | 326 comments (326 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

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China says Tiananmen crackdown was 'correct'

The response was a rare acknowledgment of the killings, which had followed seven weeks of protests in 1989 by students and workers calling for democracy and an end to corruption.
Hundreds, possibly more than 1,000 people were killed when soldiers and tanks chased protesters and onlookers in the streets around the square. One secret British diplomatic cable put the possible number of dead at up to 10,000.

Trade war 'hasn't made America great again,' says China
"White Paper" digest, no link to text

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun Jun 2nd, 2019 at 09:26:17 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)

Back in 1990, Trump said that it showed "the power of strength":

Donald Trump has praised the Chinese government over Tiananmen Square as well as Kim Jong-un - Independent

He was asked whether he meant a "firm hand as in China?", to which Trump replied:
When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it. Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength. Our country is right now perceived as weak... as being spit on by the rest of the world.
Trump, of course, referring to the Tiananmen Square massacre in which hundreds of pro-democracy protesters were killed by a military presence of as many as 10,000 troops accompanied by tanks.

by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Jun 3rd, 2019 at 06:30:24 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)

The only thing that cretin understands is brute force. It's his business model. He's a high-velocity blunt object.

by rifek on Tue Jun 4th, 2019 at 02:31:01 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)

"high-velocity" : the velocity of a golf cart.

by Bernard (bernard) on Tue Jun 4th, 2019 at 06:50:22 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)

I was thinking of his mouth.

by rifek on Wed Jun 5th, 2019 at 12:01:34 AM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 1)

Oh the mouth is definitely quicker than the brain on this one.

by Bernard (bernard) on Thu Jun 6th, 2019 at 06:20:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)

Hong Kong pupils petition against extradition bill as protests build, Umbrella stand 9 June 2019

In a highly rare move, more than 120,000 pupils, alumni, staff and parents from 185 secondary schools have signed a joint petition against the so-called Fugitive Offenders Ordinance amendment bill. The petition organizers say they are expecting many of their signatories to turn out, with some opposition estimates suggesting some 300,000 could join the rally in what would be the biggest protest since the Occupy pro-democracy street demonstrations in 2014.
[...]
The proposed legislation has stoked mass protests in the freewheeling former British colony, which was promised a high degree of autonomy under a "one country, two systems" formula when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997, including its independent judiciary. Embattled government officials have offered tweaks to the bill but have refused to ditch it, saying that suspects at risk of political and religious persecution and torture would not face extradition.
[...]
Hong Kong's independent courts would still have review of extradition cases as the government seeks to extend case-by-case renditions to countries, including mainland China, beyond the 20 nations with whom it has formal extradition deals.

archived
Hong Kong Lawsuit: DP World v. China Merchants Port Holdings (Djibouti)
Hong Kong legislators brawl over contentious extradition law
China changes laws in trade war with U.S., enforcement a concern

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Jun 5th, 2019 at 01:19:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Not Sweden (none / 0)

Hong Kong Authorities Bow to Beijing, Determined to Ignore a Million Protesters, A/V (EN), transcript

SEAN STARRS: Well, so I mean, they're protesting erosion of their basic freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and so on, as you mention. But you know, the immediate rationale for this extradition law is in reference to Taiwan. So I mean, Hong Kong has extradition agreements with about 20 countries, but not with Taiwan or mainland China. So a Hong Konger, Tong Kai Chan, admitted to killing his girlfriend, his pregnant girlfriend, in Taiwan, and then he escaped back to Hong Kong. And so the immediate rationale for this bill is to allow Taiwan to extradite Chan. But actually Taiwan has said that they don't want to extradite Chan, and president Tsai Ing Wen of Taiwan yesterday, Monday, said that this extradition bill represent means that we should not have one country, two systems in Taiwan. So they're using this actually to harden their pro-independence sentiments in Taiwan.
So obviously this is about Beijing's increasing encroachment on Hong Kong's basic freedoms, which is supposed to be enshrined in the the Basic Law until 2047.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Jun 12th, 2019 at 12:21:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]

not Macron (none / 0)

Hong Kong slams brakes on extradition bill amid ["excessive police force"]

Amid the chaos, government officials delayed the opening of debate on the bill, which has drawn massive protests from students and other pro-democracy advocates in the economically free-wheeling city of more than 7 million people.
The legislation, if approved, would allow Hong Kong to extradite suspected criminals to jurisdictions outside the former British colony without a prior agreement - most notably mainland China. It was not immediately clear when formal consideration of the bill would take place.
Lawmaker Charles Mok visited the protest Wednesday, defending the crowd as "well-meaning citizens" exercising freedom of expression.
[...]
The U.S. State Department this week expressed "grave concern" over the extradition proposal, saying it could threaten Hong Kong's "special status" with the mainland. That brought a sharp response from Beijing on Wednesday, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang saying no country has a right to interfere in its internal affairs.
[...]
"All of this promises a similarly more determined response from the protestors," [Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Michael C.] Davis told USA TODAY. "The government has shown no interest in trying to mitigate this evolving situation. If blocked from protesting around LegCo the protesters may resort to strikes and boycotts. The government holds the cards to pull back and reconsider the bill but has shown no inclination to do so."

Today -100: June 12, 1919: Of treaties and "stolen goods."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Jun 13th, 2019 at 12:59:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: not Macron (none / 0)

"postponed"

The bill is scheduled to be voted on June 20. Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, has said she plans to sign it.

by Bernard (bernard) on Thu Jun 13th, 2019 at 08:20:59 PM EST
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not USA (none / 0)

What [American] Citizens Have Learned About Hong Kong's Protests

"The reports are mostly intended for domestic readers," said Cheung Siu Wai, a senior lecturer at Hong Kong Baptist University. "It's impossible to completely to censor all information, so they still need an official interpretation of the events for Chinese readers."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Jun 17th, 2019 at 11:12:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]

27 May - 2 June 2019 | 326 comments (326 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)