Zhifan Liu 刘之凡 on Twitter - "This Chinese singer has seen his tiktok account suspended after being reported by netizens for looking like... President Xi Jinping"
Hong Kong history exam question sparks China rebuke - "A history exam question asking Hong Kong students to assess colonial Japan's occupation of China sparked a rebuke by Beijing on Friday (May 15) and reignited a row over academic freedoms in the semi-autonomous city. The criticism comes as Hong Kong's schools and universities – some of the best in Asia – become the latest ideological battleground in a city convulsed by political unrest. China's foreign ministry and state media rounded on a university entrance exam question that asked students to decide whether Japan's invasion of China from 1900 to 1945 "did more good than harm"."Hong Kong's education sector must not become a chicken coop without a roof," the foreign ministry wrote on the Facebook page of its Hong Kong office."Hong Kong's (university exam) question leads students to be traitors," wrote the pugnaciously nationalist Global Times newspaper on Friday... Mainland China's schools and universities are strictly controlled, with little deviation from communist party lines tolerated.Semi-autonomous Hong Kong has a much freer system that encourages debate and analysis... Hong Kong's education bureau criticised the city's exam board, saying it was "hurting the feelings and dignity of the Chinese people".It described the question as "a leading one" and demanded a response from the exam board... Ip Kin-yuen, a lawmaker who represents the education sector, said students would be expected to know and write about Japan's violent excesses in any exam question assessing the country's legacy within China."Students ... can use what they know to discuss against a statement, this is very common in a history exam""
Don’t blame liberal studies for Hong Kong’s political crisis – taught well, the subject could actually help defuse extremism - "former Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa describedliberal studies as a failure, even though the reform that paved the way for the compulsory teaching of the subject in secondary schools came during his tenure.The scapegoating of liberal studies for a political meltdowncreated by the ruling elite is simply barking up the wrong tree. If liberal studies can indoctrinate students into extremism, should we remove the subject of Chinese history, which covers much more political content, such as the Boxer rebellionand the 1911 revolution,which may inspire revolutionary fervour?"
Taste the protest: Hong Kong shop unveils ‘tear gas’ ice cream flavour - "The main ingredient is black peppercorns, a reminder of the pungent, peppery rounds fired by police on the streets of the semi-autonomous Chinese city during months of demonstrations last year.“It tastes like tear gas. It feels difficult to breathe at first, and it’s really pungent and irritating. It makes me want to drink a lot of water immediately,” said customer Anita Wong, who experienced tear gas at a protest. “I think it’s a flashback that reminds me of how painful I felt in the movement, and that I shouldn’t forget.”... “We would like to make a flavour that reminds people that they still have to persist in the protest movement and don’t lose their passion,” he said.He tried different ingredients, including wasabi and mustard, in an effort to replicate the taste of tear gas. Black pepper, he said, came closest to tear gas with its throat-irritating effects... At about $5 a serving, tear gas ice cream has been a hit. Prior to social distancing regulations over the coronavirus outbreak, the shop’s owner said he was selling 20-30 scoops per day... police have been out in force to deter large gatherings and the government is pressing ahead with legislation that would make it a crime to mock the Chinese national anthem."
China Uncensored - Posts - "*Preschoolers all looking at Xi Jinping* Education with Chinese Characteristics. #china #school #brainwashed #xijinping #xijinpingthoughtsonsocialismwithchinesecharacteristicsakaxijinpingthought"
Center Party: The millions to China should rather be used to build Norway - "Party leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) has asked Development Minister Dag-Inge Ulstein (KrF) to explain how much Norway has given in aid to the economic superpower China from 2014 to now.
- China is becoming one of the world's largest economies and is a very offensive, global superpower. Should we then spend Norwegian aid money on China? says party leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) to Nettavisen...
Norway has provided NOK 581 million in assistance to China from 2014 through 2019. 178 million of these aid crowns have been provided in direct assistance to the public sector in China...
The Minister of Development has previously defended Norwegian assistance to China in that it can help reduce climate emissions and achieve the sustainability goals of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030."
Amazing. When Western pathological altruism reaches new heights (depths). But of course China will still shit on Norway
Consider the Possibility That Trump Is Right On China - The Atlantic - "When a new coronavirus emerged in China and began spreading around the world, including in the United States, President Donald Trump’s many critics in the American foreign-policy establishment were quick to identify him as part of the problem... Far from discrediting Trump’s point of view, the COVID-19 crisis reveals what his strategy asserted: that the world is a competitive arena in which great power rivals like China seek advantage, that the state remains the irreplaceable agent of international power and effective action, that international institutions have limited capacity to transform the behavior and preferences of states... his irresponsible behavior and lack of transparency revealed what Trump’s National Security Strategy had identified early on: that “contrary to our hopes, China expanded its power at the expense of others.” Instead of becoming a “responsible stakeholder”—a term George W. Bush’s administration used to describe the role it hoped Beijing would play following China’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001—the Chinese Communist Party used the advantages of WTO membership to advance a political and economic system at odds with America’s free and open society. Previous National Security Strategy documents had tiptoed around China’s adversarial conduct, as if calling out that country as a competitor—as the 2017 document unequivocally did—was somehow impolite. But at some point, an American administration needed to shift the conversation away from hopes for an imagined future China to the realities of the Communist Party’s conduct—which is hardly a secret... Trump’s emphasis on protecting U.S. sovereignty brought to a boil a simmering national debate about the overlooked costs of globalization. A blind adherence to what the economist Dani Rodrik has called “hyper-globalization”—the idea that the interests of big corporations and the principle of market integration took precedence over widely shared prosperity and economic security—had come at the expense of domestic industries. For years, people who complained about these consequences were dismissed as isolationists or as being on “the wrong side of history.”... Many of President Trump’s critics in the foreign-policy community put great stock in the ability of multilateral and international organizations to constrain the misbehavior of China and other states. These organizations, at their best, promote concerted action against commonly recognized problems. But Trump’s critics tend to view them mainly in their idealized form and as the central instruments to solve global problems and advance values shared by all. In practice, though, how international organizations perform is profoundly influenced by power relationships among member states.China’s leaders have become quite skillful at using these bodies to pursue their own interests... Despite its record of stealing patented technologies, China tried to lead the World Intellectual Property Organization, an effort thwarted by Washington. Chinese tech companies have also sought to induce the United Nations to adopt their facial-recognition and surveillance standards, to clear the way for the deployment of their technologies around the world... The United States remains the largest contributor to the WHO, paying about 15 percent of the organization’s budget—compared with China’s 0.21 percent. In early March, Trump signed a supplemental appropriations act that included $1.3 billion in additional U.S. foreign assistance for pandemic response. Most recently, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced an additional $274 million in emergency funding for at-risk countries. This aid does not come with the strings that China attaches to its aid.Contrary to what critics argue, “America first” does not mean “America alone.”... only one organization in the entire world has as its sole responsibility the American people’s safety. That institution is the U.S. government. Whether led by Republicans or Democrats—or by Donald Trump or anyone else—it should always put the American people first."
China to impose sweeping national security law in Hong Kong, bypassing city's legislature - The Washington Post - "China's Communist Party will impose a sweeping national security law in Hong Kong by fiat during the annual meeting of its top political body, officials said Thursday, criminalizing "foreign interference" along with secessionist activities and subversion of state power. The move is the boldest yet from Beijing to undercut Hong Kong’s autonomy and bring the global financial hub under its full control, as it works to rewrite the “one country, two systems” framework that has allowed the territory to enjoy a level of autonomy for the past 23 years. After steadily eroding Hong Kong’s political freedoms, Beijing signaled that the national security law will be a new tool that allows it to directly tackle the political dissent that erupted on Hong Kong’s streets last year... The new tactic marks an escalation in Beijing’s crackdown in the former British colony and the clearest indication that it views Hong Kong as a restive region to be brought to heel after last year’s protests... “Beijing has opted for the most risky route,” said Ho-Fung Hung, a professor of international relations at Johns Hopkins University. “It will show the world that ‘one country, two systems’ is, if not already over, almost over.”... The Hong Kong dollar weakened sharply against the U.S. dollar as the reports emerged... For the United States to treat Hong Kong as a separate entity, mostly for commercial purposes, the State Department must certify that the city retains “a high degree of autonomy” from China"
China's military says it is prepared to protect security in Hong Kong, as protests grow - "Under the proposed anthem law, a person would commit an offence if they take various actions with “intent to insult” the anthem, such as changing lyrics or music or singing in a “disrespectful way”. Recent booing of the Chinese anthem, March of the Volunteers, at Hong Kong football marches has embarrassed Beijing.The law carries financial penalties and jail time of up to three years.Opponents say the legislation could be weaponised against pro-democracy activists and legislators. It has already led to physical confrontations in LegCo.“If you show any disrespect, which is a loosely defined concept legally, they’ll use it against you,” says Dennis Kwok, pro-democracy lawmaker.“This kind of law is the hallmark of an authoritarian government, whenever they see something they don’t like, they try to criminalise it. They are clamping down on freedom.” The Hong Kong government rejected claims it suppresses freedom of speech, saying the spirit of the bill was about “respect”, and an offence only occurs if someone expresses their views by publicly and intentionally insulting the anthem.Prominent democrat legislator Claudia Mo said the current political climate has driven opposition.“Things have changed in the last two decades in Hong Kong,” she says. “We have reached a point of no return in not trusting this government.”The government says it has a constitutional responsibility to enact the anthem law quickly, and has declared it a priority."
One country, one system
International experts quit Hong Kong police protest probe - "An international panel of experts hired to advise Hong Kong's police watchdog over its handling of huge anti-government protests announced Wednesday (Dec 11) they were quitting, in a major setback for the government.Hong Kong's government has insisted its Independent Police Complaints Commission is capable of holding the force to account over snowballing claims of brutality.But critics have charged the body lacks adequate powers, is stacked with pro-establishment figures and has been toothless when it comes to keeping the police in line."We ultimately concluded that a crucial shortfall was evident in the powers, capacity and independent investigative capability of IPCC," the experts said... a leaked statement from the group revealed they felt the police watchdog was not equipped to carry out a proper investigation, and suggested a fully independent inquiry would be better suited. But their frank assessment was not welcomed by Anthony Neoh, the IPCC's head.He gave an interview to a mainland Chinese media outlet rebuking the panel, saying they "do not understand Hong Kong's situation"."
U.S. condemns latest Hong Kong violence, urges both sides to de-escalate - "The United States on Monday condemned “unjustified use of deadly force” in the latest Hong Kong violence and urged police and civilians alike to de-escalate the situation"
From November 2019. It's quite funny - China shills pretend the US has never condemned Hong Kong protester violence, and pretend that there are only riots in Hong Kong and that there's only peaceful protests in the US, in order to level their favourite charges - "hypocrisy"
China drops word 'peaceful' in latest push for Taiwan 'reunification' - "Taiwan has complained of increased Chinese military harassment since the coronavirus pandemic began, with fighter jets and naval vessels regularly approaching the island on drills China has described as routine... there was no mention of the word “peaceful” in front of “reunification”, departing from the standard expression Chinese leaders have used for at least four decades when addressing parliament and mentioning Taiwan... China wants Taiwan to accept the “one country, two systems” model, which is supposed to guarantee a high degree of autonomy and which Beijing uses to run the former British colony of Hong Kong.However, all major Taiwanese parties have rejected it."
The Ocean Planet - Posts - "China’s exploitation of the world’s fish stocks is far greater than previously thought, with research showing the country has more than 12,000 vessels fishing beyond its waters, three times more than previous estimates.The Chinese fleet is the biggest contributor to the “global fisheries crisis”, which has resulted in two thirds of the world’s commercial stocks being overfished or fished to the limit, according to a report by the Overseas Development Institute, a think tank.China consumes more than a third of fish caught globally and is targeting the high seas or waters belonging to other countries after depleting its own stocks, the report says. At least 183 of the Chinese “distant water” vessels — those that fish outside national waters — have been found to be involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, it adds.The study identified 1,821 of the Chinese vessels as trawlers, many of which are suspected of carrying out bottom trawling, a particularly destructive fishing technique.Almost 1,000 of the vessels were found to be registered overseas, with 518 flying the flags of African nations. The report suggests that China is taking advantage of poor governance in developing countries by getting them to sign fisheries agreements that allow unsustainable levels of fishing in their waters"
Melissa Chen - "Racist plaques depicting Winnie the Pooh holding a bat with chopsticks have begun to pop up around Atlanta, and police have no leads as to who is responsible."
"How happy is Xi Jinping that this plaque of Winnie the Pooh eating bat soup is called “racist?”It’s like, he might as well fire his entire propaganda department and just rely on useful idiots like Vice.
China is not strong enough to pull off its bid for world dominance - "Xi was courting trouble when he told Party cadres in 2013 to prepare for a long-term “conflict” with the West, and vowed to defeat liberal free-market systems. He upped the ante two years later with calls for an all-out struggle against “dangerous Western views and theories.”... The White House document states that there will be no more kid-glove treatment of global rivals (read Putin’s Russia too, or the Chavistas) in the forlorn hope that “their inclusion in international institutions and global commerce would turn them into benign actors and trustworthy partners. For the most part, this premise turned out to be false. Rival actors use propaganda and other means to try to discredit democracy.”... The US will now go on the counter-offensive and take it to the foe. This reminds me of the Reagan Doctrine in the early 1980s, which I covered as a foreign correspondent in Central America - a proxy war that Washington won, nota bene, contrary to widespread claims at the time that the US was enfeebled and prosecuting a lost cause... “We do not cater to Beijing’s demands to create a proper ‘atmosphere’ or ‘conditions’ for dialogue. Likewise, the United States sees no value in engaging with Beijing for symbolism and pageantry; we instead demand tangible results and constructive outcomes. We acknowledge and respond in kind to Beijing’s transactional approach with timely incentives and costs, or credible threats thereof.”... The document is the collective voice of Washington. It reflects the thinking of both parties on Capitol Hill and much of the military-diplomatic establishment. Trump is almost a China dove at this juncture, swept along by political forces that are getting ahead of him... Trump’s decision to revoke Hong Kong’s special status under US law will - when fleshed out - matter more than meets the eye. It puts the hub on the wrong side of the world’s financial superpower, deprived of implicit support from the Fed and the US Treasury, and treated like any other city in China. The 1,400 US companies on the enclave - and 96,000 US nationals - will start to drift away, some to Singapore. Capital is already leaving.It is not so much the loss of tariff-free access that hurts, but everything else. Iris Pang from ING says the killer is the coming curb on technology transfers. A whole industry of service companies revolves around US digital and hi-tech components... Great financial entrepots are famously sticky. They have incumbency advantages. But they invariably go into structural decline once their unique geopolitical advantage is disrupted.What Xi has just done to Hong Kong is akin to the Habsburg asphyxiation of Antwerp in the 16th Century. It also had a special status as a free-thinking hub until Philip II - a fanatical control-freak, like Xi - suppressed their liberties in the pursuit of the Counter-Reformation. Persecuted Jews fled North to Amsterdam. The great Buerse faded away. Xi Jinping has clearly concluded that Hong Kong’s economic value as Asia’s premier hub - and as China’s gateway to world finance - is less than the political cost of letting the enclave’s democracy movement continue to defy him and reproach his totalitarian model. Hong Kong’s role as a conduit for foreign capital flows and investment is no longer quite so crucial in any case under Beijing’s new policy of “self-reliance”... Xi Jinping has taken a fateful step in walking away from the Sino-British Declaration and so brazenly flouting an international treaty law lodged at the UN."
