Remembering Li Wenliang, the 12 Hongkongers and Jimmy Lai

Tributes pour out for Li who warned about the coronavirus

 

Today is the one year anniversary of Wuhan ophthalmologist Li Wenliang sending a text message in a group chat with his former classmates about a mysterious virus that seemed to be life threatening.

At first he was silenced by the police, and then later he himself contracted the virus and died on February 7. 

Zhang sentenced to four years for her reports

One year later, citizen journalist and lawyer Zhang Zhan was sentenced to four years in prison for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" when she shot videos of what she saw in Wuhan. She knew she was going into sensitive territory as police and security guards threatened to destroy her phone if she continued filming. Zhang did, revealing how much the government wanted to prevent the truth from coming out.

She is not the only person to give first-hand reports in Wuhan, but also Chen Mei, Cai Wei, Li Zehua, Chen Qiushi, and Fang Bin. They have either been arrested or detained, but we have yet to have any update on their situations.

And look where we are today, with over 82 million cases, almost 1.8 million deaths worldwide.

Meanwhile this morning in Shenzhen, the verdict came down on the 12 Hongkongers who tried to flee to Taiwan by speedboat but ended up being intercepted by the Guangdong coast guard.

The Chinese authorities claimed the trial was open, and yet none of the relatives of the 12 were in the courtroom, nor were diplomats allowed in either. 

Two under aged Hongkongers freed from China

First, two were underage and after pleading guilty, they were handed over to Hong Kong police this morning after spending four months in detention. The pair, Liu Tsz-man and Hoang Lam-phuc, refused to talk to the media about their experience.

Eight of the fugitives face seven months' in prison, but having served four months, it is expected they will be released in March.

However, Tang Kai-yin and Quinn Moon were convicted for organizing the crime of illegally crossing the border. Tang was sentenced to three years, and Quinn -- the only woman in the group -- faces two years in prison.

Reaction from their families and pro-democracy activists was that the sentences were too harsh, while mainland lawyers and pro-Beijing politicians felt the outcome was lenient.

A family-appointed mainland lawyer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the punishments handed to Tang and Quinn were "too heavy".

The families of the 12 have had no contact

"If their role only involved buying or driving the boat as a group, it shouldn't constitute organizing the crime," he said, in a reference to Tang's role.

Barrister Chow Hang-tung could not understand why the fugitives' offences were categorized as "serious" when they were first-time offenders.

"On the mainland, many illegal border crossing cases were not even treated as criminal cases," she said. "But for a closed-door trial, any sentences is too tough. Everyone knows this wasn't an open and fair trial. This sentences was extremely excessive -- it was meant to deter Hong Kong people from continuing with their [political] movement."

However, Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong's sole representative to the National People's Congress Standing Committee said the sentences were understandable.

"Some Hong Kong critics have tried to politicize this, and said mainland authorities will prosecute them on charges related to national security," he said. "But that did not happen... The only message from the court was that if you cross the border illegally, you will bear the consequences. Nothing else."

Judge says Lai is giving his personal opinion

Then in Hong Kong, a High Court judge said Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has an "arguable" case against a charge of breaking the national security law, in his explanation of why he allowed the tycoon out on bail.

While the prosecution claimed Lai's commentaries proved his collusion with foreign forces by requesting foreign governments impose sanctions on the mainland and Hong Kong, Justice Alex Lee Wan-tang said these purported requests could be seen as mere personal opinion.

The judge added the fraud case against Lai lacked enough evidence to prove he and two co-defendants had intended to deceive the landlord about subleasing space to another firm.

Justice Lee also felt the restrictions on Lai's movements and actions were reasonable, and that he would not flee Hong Kong. 

 

Keeping the May Fourth Spirit Alive

Matthew Pottinger spoke in Mandarin to mark the May Fourth Movement

I completely missed the speech by Matthew Pottinger, Deputy National Security Advisor on May 4 to mark the 101th anniversary of the May Fourth Movement. He spoke it entirely in Mandarin, which is pretty good, and it must have been tiring to read out a speech that was over 20 minutes long, but his points are very interesting.

To be able to speak directly to the Chinese, let alone Beijing is very interesting, though sadly his speech was censored so not many actually got to watch it.



But the content of his speech and using the anniversary of the May Fourth Movement to talk about the importance of democracy is fascinating.

He says on May 4, 1919, following World War I, thousands of university students descended on Tiananmen Square to protest the unfair treatment of China at the Paris Peace Conference. Western nations appeased Imperial Japan by granting it control of a territory including previously German-occupied Shandong Peninsula.

"The Chinese students who marched to Tiananmen that day shouted 'give us back Shandong!' and 'don't sign the Versailles Treaty!' Police forced the students to disperse," Pottinger says. "But as frequently happens when governments close down avenues for peaceful expression, some protesters resorted to violence. In a principled move that acknowledged popular anger, China refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles later that year."

He adds "Mr Science" and "Mr Democracy" were mottoes of the movement that propelled China into the modern era.

Then Pottinger talks about Hu Shih, a Chinese philosopher, essayist and diplomat. During the May 4 Movement, he was a key contributor in releasing the Chinese language free from scholars and imperialist culture and instead giving it to the ordinary people. "Bai hua" or literally "plain speech" is what Hu advocated which was revolutionary at the time.

Hu's peer, Chang Peng Chun, or PC Chang also made a big contribution. He studied in the United States, adapted Mulan for the stage, and organized a US tour for Peking opera singer Mei Lanfang. However Chang's greatest achievement was his contribution to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, says Pottinger.

"Marrying Western belief in the primacy of the individual with Chinese concern for the greater good", Chang helped craft a document that would be relevant to all nations... A declaration on human rights was not simply about the rights of the individual, in Chang's view. It was also about the individual's obligations to society," says Pottinger.

Then he pivots, asking who today embodies the May Fourth Spirit, and Pottinger immediately brings up ophthalmologist Li Wenliang, who alerted his group of friends about a new virus that seemed contagious, but later was forced by the police to sign a "confession" for leaking word about the coronavirus. Li died from the virus days soon after.

"Dr Li's comment to a reporter from his deathbed still rings in our ears: 'I think there should be more than one voice in a healthy society, and I don't approve of using public power for excessive interference.' Dr Li was using Hu Shih-style 'plain speech' to make a practical point," observes Pottinger.

He also names citizen reporters who have also tried to find the truth but are missing: Chen Qiushi, Fang Bin, and Li Zehua; he also points out more foreign reporters have been expelled from China than the Soviet Union did over decades.

Pottinger also names people who have served as "China's conscience". "Many are regular citizens. Xu Zhangrun [Xi critic], Ren Zhiqiang [tycoon and Xi critic], Xu Zhiyong [civil rights activist], Ilham Tohti [Uighur academic], Fang Fang [novelist who wrote Wuhan Diary], 20 Catholic priests who have refused to subordinate God to the Communist Party, and the millions of Hong Kong citizens who peacefully demonstrated for the rule of law last year. The list goes on," he says.

Towards the end of his speech, Pottinger asks what the ultimate legacy of the May Fourth Movement will be, and the answers can be found by the Chinese people.

"Those with fortitude to seek and speak the truth in China today may take comfort, however, in something Lu Xun wrote: 'Lies written in ink can never disguise facts written in blood.'"

One can see why Pottinger's speech was censored, but a strong case for China to continue in the May Fourth Spirit towards democracy... as it later led to the establishment of the Communist Party...

De-Sinicizing the Coronavirus

Xi Jinping and the Party want you to raise doubts of the coronavirus' origins

The Chinese Communist Party is busy at work -- not just fighting the coronavirus, but also spinning the story of where the virus came from.

Chinese embassies around the world have been instructed to say that "while the virus severely hit Wuhan, where it really originally came from is unknown. We are conducting new studies to locate the virus' true origin".

Chinese diplomats are calling COVID-19 the "Italian virus"

But some people will continue to insist on calling it the Wuhan coronavirus, even though China persuaded the WHO to name is COVID-19 in order to de-sinicize the virus.

The embassies are instructed to "raise doubts", suggesting the virus originated from somewhere else and not China, and that the diplomats should start calling it the "Japanese virus" or "Italian virus" or "Iranian virus".

The CCP is trying to make the claim that the virus that was first reported in China actually came from abroad to cover up the fact that the government delayed reporting the virus and the magnitude of the crisis until weeks later.

Case in point: the late Dr Li Wenliang reported this virulent unknown virus to his circle of colleagues on WeChat on December 30, and apparently Xi Jinping knew about the coronavirus spreading on January 7, but nothing was done about it until January 23 when Wuhan went under lockdown.

Dr Li Wenliang knew about the virus Dec 30

However, the CCP is spinning the lockdown as being successful, and that the rest of the world should "say thank you to China" for its reaction to the virus. The government is probably smirking behind its mask seeing the United States, Iran, Italy and South Korean unable to effectively contain the virus.

However, China should also keep in mind it needs the US and the rest of the world healthy to keep its economy going, so if the US is down, China's chances of restarting its economy on all cylinders is very slim...

China Already Knows How the Story Ends

The book about the coronavirus in China is out

Yesterday I wrote a blog post about China's propaganda machine going into overdrive with its tales of heroism and self-sacrifice of healthcare workers and ordinary people in their efforts to fight the coronavirus.

Today China reported 327 new cases compared to 433 the day before, and 44 deaths, which is less than the number of cases around the world, but this epidemic, which infectious disease experts fear could develop into a pandemic, is far from over.

The book talks about China's valiant efforts to battle the virus

However the Chinese have already published a book about the country's valiant efforts in overcoming the coronavirus called A Battle Against Epidemic: China Combating Covid-19 in 2020. It seems China already knows the ending to the story when the coronavirus hasn't even peaked yet.

A news release issued by the Xinhua News Agency says the book "collectively reflects General Secretary Xi Jinping's commitment to the people, his sense of mission, his far-reaching strategic vision and outstanding leadership as the leader of a major power."

Talk about a breathless sentence, perhaps because it was such a rushed project to finish.

There are articles extolling Xi Jinping's leadership in the crisis

The book features articles from Chinese state media that reiterate over and over how the Communist Party of China in its great wisdom knows how to battle the coronavirus, and has done so effectively.

The press release also claims the book will focus on "key moments, individuals and events during China's ongoing fight against the epidemic". 

Will it pay tribute to ophthalmologist Dr Li Wenliang and how he sounded the alarm about the coronavirus in late December but was accused by the police of spreading rumours? Li was infected with the coronavirus and died on February 7 and considered a hero by many Chinese who were angered by how the police, and by extension the local government treated him, and demanded free speech.

Will Dr Li Wenliang be memorialized in the book?

In any event, the book -- should you wish to read it -- will be available in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Arabic.

Isn't it a bit too premature to come out with a book like this? But perhaps the Chinese are trying to be optimistic?

China's Propaganda Machine in Overdrive

Medical staff in full suits looking after coronavirus patients in Wuhan

The Chinese government is anxious to show it is doing everything to battle the coronavirus, which means all hands on deck in the propaganda department.

There are video clips of mostly men who are seen dashing into police stations or government offices and dropping off boxes of masks or lots of cash and then running away.

It's meant to show people's selflessness, that they are willing to give away their life savings to the authorities to fight the coronavirus. If they ran away, how would they know all these details? Or maybe these people just robbed a bank beforehand?



The first video seemed shocking but sweet, but now there are about 41 different video clips which makes them even more staged. Why would so many people run into a police station or government office, dump bricks of cash on the counter and then run off again? It boggles the mind.

Then today CCTV has a clip of apparently two nurses decked out in full hazmat gear complete with plastic shields and blue suits yellow shoe covers in a coordinated dance outside of the hospital. Apparently they were trying to make light of the situation and enjoying a fun moment.



Really? From the clips I've seen of nurses having mental breakdowns, them dancing like children is completely off the wall and ridiculous. It's so obvious this clip was begging for sympathy.

But then there are uncomfortable video clips of more than a dozen nurses in Gansu province having their heads shaved, calling them "the most beautiful warriors!" in a bid to show their devotion to fighting the coronavirus. These women are crying, which seems to indicate they were coerced into doing this. Why didn't the men go bald too?



And there are horrific stories of nurses being forced to take birth control pills so they wouldn't menstruate (as going to the bathroom would be too much trouble), and they were chastised for asking for sanitary pads and tampons, saying they "lacked the spirit of devotion".

While the propaganda army was hoping these clips of the nurses would make the public sympathize with them, it actually enraged people that the women were being treated this way and vented their wrath online.

Young people in particular have had enough of the propaganda machine, as they can access a lot of information and clips via WeChat or going over the Great Firewall to see what people outside of China are saying about the coronavirus in their own country.

People are still very angry about Dr Li's Wenliang's death

They were particularly angry following the death of Dr Li Wenliang, who tried to warn his former classmates about the coronavirus, and were angry that the police accused him of spreading rumours.

"In the past month, many young people have been reading a lot of firsthand information and in-depth media reports about the epidemic on the internet," says Stephanie Xia, a 26-year-old in Shanghai in The New York Times. She says they are angry and confused about what they learned.

"There's some gap between what the young people are really like and what the government believes what they're like," Xia adds.

For young people today, this coronavirus and how they experienced it is much like other seminal events, like the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, the Wenzhou train crash in 2011, the downfall of Bo Xilai in 2013.

How China's next generation is influenced by how they went through this year's coronavirus crisis will forever shape their perceptions of the Communist Party of China and their trust in the government.

One gets the feeling it's not going to be very solid...

Where is Chen Qiushi?

A screenshot of Chen Qiushi in Wuhan to document the coronavirus there

People who have been following lawyer and citizen journalist Chen Qiushi are asking where he is.

In the last few days he has been missing and now he has been "quarantined" but no one knows where.

Some may remember the Qingdao native who came to Hong Kong in August to report on the anti-government protests. He made videos of the protests and posted them on YouTube, challenging state media reports that claimed all the protesters were rioters and separatists.

In August he was in Hong Kong

Instead Chen said most of them were peaceful. "Not all of them are rioters," the 34-year-old said in one of his videos.

He was summoned back to Beijing, and after he returned, he was harassed and silenced by the authorities. His social media accounts, including Weibo that had 740,000 followers, were deleted.

But he vowed to continue to speak out.

When news of the epicentre of the coronavirus was in Wuhan, Chen got on a train on Chinese New Year eve to go there and report what was happening. He promised he would tell the truth, that he would not spread rumours, that he would try to protect himself from the coronavirus the best he could, and he would not leave Wuhan if he caught the virus.

He made videos interviewing people who were sick and desperate for a hospital bed, he interviewed nurses and doctors, one of whom confirmed there were corpses in the hospital hallways covered in sheets but they didn't know if they had died of the coronavirus. He also saw the unsanitary conditions in the hospitals with used gloves, masks and vomit everywhere.

He posted videos, talking about corpses in hospital hallways

At the same time he had to watch his back with the authorities knowing he was there and didn't want him out reporting on his own. They forced him to move out of his hostel, his WeChat account would be blocked if he posted another video on the app.

And now Chen has been missing since February 6. His friend posted a video of Chen's mother the following day, saying her son had disappeared.

"I'm here to beg everyone online, especially friends in Wuhan to help find Qiushi, find out what's going on with him," she said.

Then later that evening Xu Xiaodong, a well-known mixed martial artist, posted a video saying that Chen had been forced into quarantine.

"In the last few hours the Qingdao public security officers and state security officers... notified Qiushi's parents that Qiushi has already been detained in the name of quarantine. Qiushi's' mother immediately asked them where and when he was taken away, they declined to say," said Xu.

Chen (left) with friend and MMA fighter Xu Xiaodong

Xu stressed that in his conversations with Chen, he was in good health before he disappeared.

Chen's friends worry about him, but also that he might be infected with the virus.

Are people looking for him? Will he be found? As some have said online, we cannot have another Li Wenliang...

Remembering Dr Li Wenliang

Dr Li Wenliang was infected with the new "SARS-like virus"

This morning we hard the news that Li Wenliang, the doctor who was one of the first to warn about a "new SARS virus" died. He was only 34 years old.

Pictures like these flooded social media

Mainland Chinese were devastated by the announcement and immediately declared Li a hero; they directed their anger at the government for punishing him for telling the truth. The national grief is similar to that of the Wenzhou train crash in July 2011. Two high-speed trains collided, killing 40 people, and a proper investigation was never conducted, and even one of the train cars was buried to prevent further inquiry.

A friend living in Beijing told me his WeChat account went berserk from 2am with messages of anger, grief, sadness and frustration. The people mourning Li's death related to him, a 34-year-old, married with a child and another due in June.

He was not challenging the state -- all the ophthalmologist was trying to do was warn his medical school classmates to be careful about this serious SARS-like virus in a post on his WeChat.

On January 3, the authorities accused Li and seven others of spreading rumours, and forced him to write a statement admitting to "illegal behaviour".

In the statement, it asks Li: "Can you stop your illegal behaviour?" and "Do you understand you'll be punished if you don't stop such behaviour?"

He wrote in response: "I can". "I understand".

Li's statement he had to sign

After his death, people wrote on their surgical masks : "我能" "我明白" and posted pictures of themselves wearing the masks as a way to mourn Li.

The hashtags #we want freedom of speech#, "#I want freedom of speech#" and "#Wuhan government owes Dr Li an apology#" were created on Weibo and viewed some 2 million times before being shut down around 5am.

People felt that if Li wasn't punished and the authorities took his post seriously, then we would not have over 30,000 confirmed cases now and over 600 deaths, mostly in Wuhan, Hubei province.

The central government, now trying to appease people, is sending a team from the dreaded National Supervisory Commission that typically looks into corruption to investigate Li's death.

But we all know what happened. Li posted his statement complete with his thumbprint on it. How much more can Beijing cover up or deny?

A mournful farewell for Li Wenliang in the snow

Tonight there was a quickly organized memorial for Li at Chater Garden in Hong Kong. Only a handful of people came out to the event that where pro-democracy activist Lee Cheuk-yan gave a speech criticizing President Xi Jinping as well as Chief Executive Carrie Lam for not moving fast enough to contain the coronavirus.

People held white chrysanthemum flowers before a portrait of Li.

It's a pity not more people came out, but maybe some worried about too many people showing up or they didn't know about the protest vigil at all.

In an interview with The New York Times days before he died, Li said: "If the officials had disclosed information about the epidemic earlier, I think it would have been a lot better. There should be more openness and transparency."

In Hong Kong a small protest vigil for the ophthalmologist

When asked how Li felt about the police accusing him of spreading rumours, he replied: "The police believed the virus was not confirmed to be SARS. They believed I was spreading rumours. They asked me to acknowledge that I was at fault.

"I felt I was being wronged, but I had to accept it," he continued. "Obviously I had been acting out of good will. I felt very sad seeing so many people losing their loved ones."

Li believed he would get better within two weeks and then rejoin his colleagues in treating patients.

Alas that was not to be.