More Propaganda, National Security in HK

China's control over Hong Kong expands with two departments

 

It was bound to happen eventually. Beijing is now setting up two departments in Hong Kong, one to handle national security, the other propaganda.

The new department for national security affairs will be headed by former liaison office legal affairs director Wang Zhenmin, while Yang Guang will lead the department that will manage media outlets and public opinion in the city.

Yang Guang warned HK protesters in 2019

Some may remember Yang is one of the spokesmen for the Hong Kong Macau Affairs Office, and during 2019 he was the one hosting press conferences on the anti-government protests.

At these press conferences -- the first the HKMAO made since the handover in 1997 -- Yang gave strongly-worded warnings to the protesters against street violence.

The propaganda department will take up part of the work from the office's liaison department and cater to the increasing needs to disseminate official information, host more press conferences, approve and coordinate Hong Kong and Macau journalists on the mainland, and "manage the media scene" in the two administrative regions.

Meanwhile Wang served as legal affairs director at Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong from 2015 to 2018. 

Currently the director of the centre for Hong Kong and Macau Research under Tsinghua University, Wang published a 232-page book in January he co-authored with two mainland academics detailing the rationale and legislative process of the sweeping national security law.

Wang Zhenmin is a national security legal expert

In an article in Sing Tao Daily in February 2020, Wang wrote an article explaining the urgent need to reform the central government's governance regime regarding Hong Kong and Macau.

Veteran China watcher Johnny Lau Yiu-siu says these latest developments are a systemic approach by Beijing to enhance ideological security.

"Beijing firmly regarded Hong Kong's political turmoil as a result of foreign collusion with an aim to overturn the government, so that Beijing planned a series of organizational measures to step up ideological control," he said.

Meanwhile pro-China academic Lau Siu-kai of the semi-official think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies says the departments will step up the fight against anti-China forces. 

"There is a lot to be done to weed out incorrect viewpoints about the central people's government," he said. "The new departments [in the HKMAO] will focus on monitoring public opinion and raising the awareness of Hongkongers' obligation to abide by the law at the societal level," Lau said.

Can China overturn HK people's opinions?

But will the propaganda department make any headway with so many Hongkongers skeptical of anything from across the border? It could make them even more paranoid than before, if reaction to the origins of the pandemic is any indication. 

And with information still relatively free in Hong Kong, including disinformation and misinformation, will the propaganda department be able to cut through all the noise to present its own side of the story in a convincing manner?

It will be interesting to watch its presentation and messaging, though another reminder the motherland is breathing down Hong Kong's back is a sign integration continues whether residents like it or not...

Beijing Draws Red Line on Judiciary

Beijing plans reforms in judiciary, will it sustain the pressure?

 

In the past few months, Beijing has targeted the legislature, now with only two opposition lawmakers, and the media has been under pressure, with the likes of Apple Daily raided, its founder under investigation, and RTHK under pressure to conform to become the communications branch of the government.

Now the central government is focusing the judiciary, that reforms need to be made. This was outlined by Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, during the Basic Law 30th Anniversary Legal Summit.

Zhang says patriotism will be added to reforms

"People who love the country and Hong Kong will govern Hong Kong, and people who are anti-China and cause trouble in Hong Kong are out," he said. "This is a political rule under 'one country, two systems', and has become a legal requirement now."

Although Zhang called for the "one country, two systems" governing formula, under which Hong Kong is allowed a high degree of autonomy, to be implemented comprehensively and accurately, he also said the city's constitutional systems must be upgraded, and misconceptions replaced with the correct principles, such as patriotism.

"Hong Kong treasures core values such as democracy, freedom and human rights. But before that, we need to add the term 'patriotism'," he said. "While we must talk of seeking common ground and setting aside differences, we must also insist on bottom lines. The firmer we are on the bottom line, the bigger the room for political tolerance."

This means "Basic Law-related work" needed to be done, such as "oath optimization" and "qualification screening" for civil servants, national education, and judicial reform. He didn't elaborate, though one is curious what "oath optimization" means.

The Basic Law is being changed by Beijing

Under the new security law, civil servants must pledge allegiance to Hong Kong and the Basic Law. Zhang said these moves were aimed to correct "wrongful activities" and cover loopholes.

"Right now is the time to sort out what is true and what is false," Zhang said, adding that people who do not recognize the "motherland" or threaten the country's national security, do not fall in line with the Basic Law.

"Only those who are patriotic should be in place, otherwise they should be removed from the system," Zhang said.

Patriotism will extend to "all walks of life" eventually. It is similar to then US president George Bush's post 9/11 speech, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."

Teresa Cheng and Carrie Lam at today's event

Is this something Hongkongers are prepared for, young and old, men, women, children, no matter what job you have, from a street cleaner to a tycoon?

If not, you will be removed from the system unless you remove yourself first.

Beijing Accuses Tai of Challenging the State

Candidates out campaigning before the primaries

After the overwhelming turnout for the primaries this past weekend, Beijing has issued its strongest condemnation yet, accusing Benny Tai Yiu-ting of "illegally manipulating" the city's electoral system, challenging the new security law, and acting as a political agent for foreign forces.

It's quite a mouthful to be accused of.

Tai says Beijing's accusations are "absurd"

The election is not until September, and the primaries was for the pan-democratic camp to figure out who they wanted to run on the ballot.

But Beijing was infuriated by this past weekend's primaries and put all the blame on Tai.

The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office issued a statement that said in part: "[We] strongly condemn the so-called 'primary election' organized by the opposition groups. The act is an unlawful manipulation of Hong Kong elections and a blatant challenge against the Basic Law and the national security law."

And the HKMAO pointed its finger directly at Tai: "Benny Tai was a key organizer of the 'unlawful' Occupy Central movement and an advocate of 'Hong Kong independence' and the scorched-earth mentality." the statement continued, accusing him of serving as a "political agent of foreign forces".

The statement also said the opposition's aim to have a majority in the Legislative Council amounts to overthrowing the government.

But that is not the intention of the pan-democrats. They want to hold the government accountable, and apparently Beijing considers that subversion.

Over 600,000 people participated in the primaries

Tai said the accusations were "nonsense, groundless and absurd". "It is absurd to allege this is subverting the state. Also, the allegation ignores the clear wording of the Basic Law," Tai said.

"I hope that the central government can see that 610,000 Hong Kong people have only used a peaceful and rational way to express their views through voting," he said. "If even they could be condemned as breaching the law, it will make governance even more difficult in the future and will provoke even more radical protests," he said.

Even those who did not do well in the primaries could still put their name on the ballot, he said, adding no one was being coerced.

The basic strategy is for the pan-democrats to try to win a majority in Legco so that they will have the upper hand in controlling the legislature. This could also force the chief executive to resign to resolve the deadlock and allow the public to vote again, as outlined in the Basic Law.

Cheung says democratic majority isn't subversion

University of Hong Kong principal law lecturer Eric Cheung Tat-ming said he could not see how lawmakers acting with a mandate and exercising their rights under the Basic Law could fall foul of the subversion offense under the national security law.

Also on Tuesday a spokesman for the Electoral Affairs Office said the primary was not part of the Legislative Council elections.

So now that it's settled that the primaries don't affect the upcoming election at all, perhaps the ball is back in Beijing's court?

Coronavirus Spikes, Hong Kong's Leash Tightens

The number of coronavirus cases is now over 60,000 worldwide

Every morning turning on the computer and seeing the latest coronavirus numbers is a necessary but dreaded task. But this morning it was even more shocking because the number of cases was over 15,000, almost tenfold the day before to a total of over 60,000. The number of deaths increased by 254 to over 1,300.

That's because China decided to broaden the definition of cases to not only those who have been tested and confirmed to have the coronavirus, but also include those who show symptoms that make them highly suspect of having the coronavirus, or COVID-19 to enable these patients to get the necessary care and hopefully hospital bed they need.

Zhang Xiaoming has been demoted one rung down

Previously Wuhan would only get a certain number of test kits per day in a bid to slow down or make the number of cases seem smaller. But someone has somehow persuaded China that to better control the outbreak, a more realistic show of numbers is necessary so that enough aid and help gets there.

It's hard to understand -- Wuhan doctors and nurses are working around the clock -- have the PLA doctors and nurses helped relieve them? Or are they too busy manning the newly-built hospitals?

In any event, everyday the numbers are only going to keep growing -- and these are only the cases that China is willing to tell us. There could be many more they have yet to reveal...

In the midst of the release of these shocking numbers, Beijing has demoted Zhang Xiaoming from director to deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office.

The new HKMAO director is now Xiao Baolong

The top position has been taken over by Xia Baolong, a vice chairman of the Chinese People's Consultative Conference and was previously Zhejiang party chief; most importantly he is a Xi Jinping loyalist.

And what is Xia known for? During his leadership in Zhejiang, he apparently issued the order to remove some 2,000 crosses from churches in Wenzhou, which is considered the centre of Christianity in China.

So... one can imagine Xia will be taking a harder line on Hong Kong than Zhang... Hong Kong's protesters will have a formidable opponent to conquer or charm.

China watchers conclude this latest move indicates Xi has changed the puppeteers, but the puppet (Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor) remains. It shows that Beijing is going to take more control over the city, than depend on the puppet to do the dirty work...

The People are Angry

About 5,000 people showed up at the airport to protest this weekend's violence

CARRIE WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY CITY!

In the past weekend we have seen even more shocking images of violence and repression from your police force -- they are not ours. Our police force would not shoot people in the eye to make them blind, shoot rubber bullets at point blank range, beat people descending on a moving escalator, and crush them on the ground to break their jaw.

Your police force has fired many more rounds of tear gas in the past weekend than the past few months. Is it because you need to use up the expired canisters before buying new ones? Or you just want to cause Hongkongers to have long-term health problems from the effects tear gas because there has been indiscriminate use of it all over the city, particularly in Kwai Fong MTR station, in the shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui and the bar area in Wan Chai this weekend.

WHAT KIND OF MOTHER ARE YOU?

Children are Hong Kong's future, but Carrie doesn't think so

Back on June 12 in an interview with TVB you said: "... if the young people have walked, and acted, and you still don't give them what they want. Then what? The metaphor that I use is that I'm a mother who has two sons. If every time my son tells me he wants something and I acquiesce to his wishes, for a short time our relationship between mother and son will be very good, but once this child is grown, he will have regrets. He will ask, 'Mother, why didn't you remind me then?'"

Is beating up people, shooting tear gas at them, and worst of all, telling them they have no stake in society what a mother does to her children? Or are you disowning your children who you have a responsibility to look after? They are the future of Hong Kong and you have completely disregarded them.

As a friend told me the other day, there's saying: "The hated child fears nothing". You have unleashed tens of thousands of these "hated children" in Hong Kong.

YOUR MESS IS OUT OF CONTROL

Protesters are creative in dealing with each situation

We are all angry at what you did to Hong Kong this weekend. Some 5,000 of us swarmed Hong Kong International Airport this afternoon. The airport authority shut down the airport without warning -- or was it your intention to blame the protesters? Then the police claimed they were coming with tear gas to clear the protesters and then nothing happened. So more protests are expected at the airport tomorrow.

Also today the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office is making more threats.

"In recent days, Hong Kong's radical protesters have repeatedly attacked police with highly dangerous tools, which constitute serious violent crimes and have started to show signs of terrorism," HKMAO spokesman Yang Guang said today.  "This type of violent criminal activity must be resolutely combated according to the law with no hesitation or mercy."

He ominously said the city had come to a "critical moment" and vowed to clamp down on violent crime with an "iron fist".

THERE IS NOT "BLACK HAND" BEHIND THE PROTESTERS

Shooting at point blank range in the MTR is shocking

These young people on the front lines are very smart, agile and creative. They are highly organized and know what they are doing. They use encrypted smartphone apps to communicate and on the streets they are assigned specific tasks.

Some are experts in uprooting sidewalk railings in seconds, others tying them up into barricades, others tasked with defusing tear gas canisters, or are good at throwing them back at police. No one taught them how to do it -- they learned quickly on their own.

How can you underestimate this talented group of people? Imagine if you were able to channel their energy and creativity towards building Hong Kong's economy?!

But instead your police force is the one that is sinister in its tactics, dressing up like protesters and beating them up and arresting them. That is downright dirty. How would God feel about that?

YOU ARE BEING MAINLANDIZED

Lam tells the young to fight together to build a better HK

Carrie where were you yesterday? Oh at closing ceremony of a People's Liberation Army training camp for university students. And how did you address them? In Mandarin!

"My colleagues and I will be more patient to get in touch with youth from different classes to listen to their voices. We hope that we can fight together to build a better Hong Kong," is what you said.

Fight? Really? How about build, or create, establish, assemble, or forge? Fight seems such a combative choice of words.

And yes words do mean a lot, especially when you said the extradition bill was "dead", but it's not "dead" when the bill appeared in the Gazette Index of Bills on Friday... that means the bill is still very much alive.

STAND UP FOR HONG KONG

Many people could not sleep last night. There are reports of people of all ages who cried watching the news last night, shocked and terrified their city had devolved to this mess. We need a leader to bridge the gap, but you are hardly anywhere to be found except hiding in Government House.

You've effectively handed over control of the city to other people representing Beijing, like liaison office director Wang Zhimin and Maria Tam Wai-chu, deputy director of the Basic Law Committee under the National People's Congress Standing Committee. It's hardly reassuring.

If you can't lead us, go away. We want a leader who fights for Hong Kong.

AGAIN -- WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY CITY, CARRIE?

CARRIE?

Beijing Warns Protesters

HKMAO spokesman Yang Guang gave a press conference today

Yesterday Chief Executive Carrie Lam spoke to the media, but basically said the same thing, and today it was Beijing's turn.

The spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office under the State Council held a press conference this afternoon. And guess what? He said the same thing too in a choreographed performance.

Carrie Lam repeated her stance yesterday of not budging

Yang Guang reiterated the central government's support of Lam and the police, and then condemned the protesters as "anti-China" groups who advocate civil disobedience and beautify the use of violence, saying they "fuel the tension within the city".

"What is the next step forward? We are calling on Hong Kong people to take a united stand against the violence," Yang says.

"It is imperative to end the violence. I call on Hong Kong citizens to stand up and protect your beautiful homeland, just like that elderly citizen in the airport and like the hardworking class who strive to go to work everyday."

The HKMAO spokesman is referring to the elderly man who was jostled in the airport after lashing out at a protest sign, and people who vented their anger at protesters who tried to stop MTR trains from running on time yesterday, the day of the general strike.

Testy fights broke out in the MTR during the general strike

So it seems Yang is advocating non protesters pick fights with people in black. How is this productive? How about letting Lam resign and withdraw the bill? That would definitely ease tensions in Hong Kong.

He warns that those who play with fire will pay the price... eventually.  "All parties will be held legally accountable. This is a message to all criminals: do not mistake our restraint as being soft, do not underestimate the central government's determination in maintaining stability."

Yang also says that those who defaced China's national emblem and seized the national flag from a pole and flung it into the sea are posing a serious challenge to Chinese sovereignty, calling them "radical elements". "They will have to face justice in the future," he says.

Then Yang refers to jailed independence leader Edward Leung's slogan, "Reclaim Hong Kong, revolution of our times" which is the latest battle cry of the protesters. The HKMAO spokesman latches onto this slogan as a sign that the protesters are seeking independence and asks, "What do you want to liberate Hong Kong from?"

The HKMAO held an unprecedented second press conference

However, protesters have said that this slogan can be interpreted many ways, but independence is not one of them. They all understand that Hong Kong is under China, but that the political system is broken and want to be able to directly vote for the city's leader.

Yang repeats what former leader Tung Chee-hwa has said before, that the United States and Taiwan have been orchestrating things behind the scenes, influencing the protesters. This is the most ridiculous accusation, but China hopes with enough repetition that it will be believed. This could not be farther from the truth.

Beijing and Lam seem to have no respect for Hongkongers' intelligence, thinking they are too weak or don't understand what's really going on, when these 7 million people have some of the sharpest minds around.

So many people are against the extradition bill and supporting the protests (the peaceful ones), including many people from various sectors as well as the civil service, which is unheard of.

People strongly opposed national education in 2012

But another HKMAO spokeswoman, Xu Luying insists that the protesters don't have enough patriotism, that they have not any national education.

"Passionately loving our nation should be a fundamental value. When national education is lacking, is it any wonder why our young people are acting like this? I feel that a firm national education should be a priority to put our young people back on the right path.

"Hong Kong's young people are also China's young people. Their future is China's future. The central government cares a lot for the issues they are facing but the problems cannot be resolved with violence," she says.

Young Hongkongers already don't like the idea of having national education rammed down their throats. Joshua Wong Chi-fung led the movement back in 2012 when they besieged government offices for 10 consecutive days.

Protesters working quickly to contain the tear gas with water

This idea will only inspire students to further protest the further mainlandization of their education...

But alas...

Finally on the issue of the possibility of the People's Liberation Army marching into Hong Kong, Yang reiterates Beijing's support of Lam and the police to be able to bring stability back to the city. When pressed again on the issue he says:

"My answers have been laid out before but what I would like to emphasize again is that the central government supports Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. We will not let any acts attacking the principle of 'one country, two systems' go unpunished."

Cryptic...

Benny Tai in the Hot Seat

Benny Tai believes Beijing wants to make an example out of him

Last week Benny Tai Yiu-ting was in Taipei speaking at a seminar organized by the Taiwan Youth Anti-Communist Corps.

He said that if "dictatorship" ends in China, the country's various ethnic groups could exercise the right to self-determination and decide how they could link up with each other.

"We could consider going independent, being part of a federal system or a confederation system similar to that of the European Union," he said.

Only a small minority want Hong Kong independence

Afterwards the pro-Beijing establishment in Hong Kong swiftly condemned Tai, hinting again that he was not qualified to teach at the University of Hong Kong, while the Hong Kong Government said it was "shocked", claiming Tai was invoking separatism.

The State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) spokesman said it believed "a small number of people in Hong Kong have colluded with external separatist forces" to advocate the city's independence.

"They have fully exposed their attempts to split the country and violated the national constitution, the Hong Kong Basic Law, and the relevant laws in Hong Kong. They are challenging the bottom line of 'one country, two systems'. Such activities must not be ignored or tolerated," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile Tai was "shocked" by the criticism heaped on him by numerous pro-Beijing lawmakers and the HKMAO, saying his comments were not new, and were "imaginations of the future" and did not violate any criminal laws. Chinese state media also chimed in that someone like Tai should not be given a platform.

Grenville Cross says Tai is not criminally liable for his speech

He believes he is being condemned and made an example to intimidate others from discussing the possibility of democracy in Hong Kong.

"It is a calculated plot against me... to [declare] that any discussion on Hong Kong independence -- albeit not directly endorsing [the notion] -- will not be allowed in society and universities," the HKU law academic said.

Former director of prosecutions Grenville Cross also says Tai's comments are not criminal.

"Tai has not actually advocated independence in his Taiwan remarks," said Cross. "He simply suggested it as one of several possibilities if certain hypothetical events were to happen. This falls short of being criminal under either the existing sedition law or the 2003 [national security law] proposals."

He adds even if someone were to publicly advocate independence, no law would be broken if it was done peacefully, and if someone were to be prosecuted for sedition, there would need to be proof of inciting violence, promoting hatred and stirring up ill will.

Hong Kong's freedoms must be protected

However Tai won't be surprised if the government pushes through a bill to make any talk of independence -- violent or not -- punishable under Article 23. That would severely limit people's right to freedom of speech according to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, he says.

This is the pro-Beijing camp's attempt to further shred the credibility of the pro-democratic camp, which is still reeling from the recent by-elections in which its results were disappointing.

Nevertheless, 24 pan-democratic lawmakers issued a joint statement backing Tai, vowing to "resolutely defend academic freedom" and insisting the law scholar was entitled to his academic analysis.

They urged all parties to stop attacking Tai and warned that "Hong Kong will no longer be Hong Kong" without free speech.

This pathetic need to destroy Tai isn't working -- it's not good for the city nor society to kill freedom of speech over hypothetical ideas.

We need to do whatever we can to protect the freedoms we have left.

Safeguard Hong Kong

A blurry picture of a banner that says "Safeguard Hong Kong" on Lion Rock

The hiking activists are at it again.

This morning a yellow banner appeared on Lion Rock in Kowloon with the words "Safeguard Hong Kong" on it.

However, it wasn't anchored properly so it was flapping in the wind.

Police were alerted of the banner at 7.30am and by 11am they had successfully removed it, though it is unknown who put it there and for what reason.

How the Hong Kong rail station would work

However, it is believed the banner is related to the controversy over the Chinese government's state council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) insisting that the city must implement the joint checkpoint at the cross-border rail link being built to connect with Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

The National People's Congress Standing Committee has already authorized a plan where mainland Chinese officials would enforce national laws as part of the West Kowloon station.

"[Authorities] on the mainland and in Hong Kong must execute [the NPCSC's] decision," a HKMAO spokesman said to Xinhua news agency.

The NPCSC's decision was described as "an important constitutional judgment that cannot be challenged" and is in line with Hong Kong's Basic Law, according to a top Beijing expert on the mini constitution.

However, the Hong Kong Bar Association was "appalled" by the decision, saying the move was the most retrograde step since 1997, with the Basic Law being "irreparably breached" and the rule of law "severely" undermined.

The rail-link in West Kowloon is under construction

The association added the decision regarding the co-location agreement of having mainland authorities exercising mainland laws in Hong Kong territory was not supported by any provisions in the Basic Law.

"This plainly amounts to an announcement by the NPCSC that the cooperation agreement complies with the constitution and the Basic Law 'just because the NPCSC says so", the association's statement said.

"Such an unprecedented move is the most retrograde step to date in the implementation of the Basic Law and severely undermines public confidence in 'one country, two systems' and the rule of law in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region."

What is Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor going to do about this? So far she hasn't said much, which means she is complicit to her Beijing masters.

Again Hong Kong people and institutions are left having to defend the city again. It is appalling that the Basic Law isn't even respected by Beijing and instead it keeps changing the goal posts whenever it needs to keep its advantage.

Is there any legal way of challenging the NPCSC's decision? Or are we left to silently accept this latest announcement?

Yet another issue to protest about come July 1, 2018.