Tsang Angry at WSJ's Editorial -- Again

Tsang complains about WSJ editorial second time in a month

Constitutional affairs minister Erick Tsang Kwok-wai complained yet again to the Wall Street Journal about its editorial on Sunday's Legislative Council election, describing it as a "sham poll", and accusing the newspaper of "arrogance which knows no bounds".

It is the second time in a month that Tsang sent a strongly worded letter to complain the New York-based newspaper must correct its "inaccuracies".

"I am sickened by your biased and unsubstantiated editorials on Hong Kong issues and have given up hope that you will ever try to report accurately and fairly on Hong Kong," Tsang wrote in a letter dated on December 23.

Tsang (second left) retorts NY's voter turn out low

The opinion piece was titled: "Democracy Boycott in Hong Kong", which was published hours after voting closed on the first poll following the massive revamp of the electoral system.

The newspaper described the Legislative Council election as "a sham poll" in which democratic candidates were blocked from running", adding that "all candidates must receive Communist Party approval".

How is the second part incorrect? Because it was one-sided, the democratic candidates did not feel it was worth throwing their hats into the ring.

Tsang compared the poll's 30.2 percent turnout -- the lowest since 1997 -- to the 23 percent recorded in the recent New York mayoral contest, and the 33.3 percent of this year's French regional elections.''

"Following the logic of your argument, would you also suggest that 'almost nobody came to the election' in those two elections?" Tsang asked.

This is where Western countries have to be ashamed for their poor voter turnout, whereas in Australia you must vote otherwise you will be fined.

Only one non pro-Beijing candidate won

He also refers to a line in the editorial which said the news paper "seems to have a better feel for Hong Kong public sentiment than the government does", to which the minister countered: "I wonder how many times you have visited our city for you to be able to make such a claim. I am stunned by your arrogance which knows no bounds".

Earlier this month Tsang threatened to "take necessary action" against the WSJ over an editorial that he claimed incited residents to boycott the election or cast blank votes.

An opinion piece the following day disputed Tsang's December 6 letter and said he "seemed oblivious to the irony" when he started that Hong Kong upheld freedom of speech, the press and publication.

Tsang's knee-jerk reaction is so shrill and emotional, it's hard to take him that seriously...

Hong Kong Sends Warning Shot to WSJ

Tsang threatened to take "necessary action" against WSJ

The Hong Kong government continues to be on the offensive against anyone who may seem to be appear to be directing people on how to vote in the upcoming Legislative Council elections on December 19.

Its latest salvo was against the Wall Street Journal which published an editorial last Tuesday that said because the city's electoral system has been completely overhauled so that only "patriots" hold political power, so that "boycotts and blank votes are one of the last ways for Hongkongers to express their political views".

A screenshot of Tsang's letter headline

Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai took offence to the editorial and threatened "to take necessary action".

He wrote a letter to the WSJ dated December 1, but in it he mentions the election "next month". Nevertheless, the letter was printed in full with the headline: "Hong Kong Issues a Threat to the WSJ", hinting that freedom of the press was also being intimidated.

Tsang claimed there were "factual inaccuracies and baseless assumptions" in the WSJ editorial.

In his letter, Tsang claimed to be "shocked" that Hongkongers could only either cast a blank vote or boycott the election.

"Please be advised that inciting another person not to vote, or to cast invalid vote, by activity in public during election period is an offence under... the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance, irrespective whether the incitement is made in Hong Kong or abroad," he wrote. "We reserve the right to take necessary action."

Chan says WSJ made a statement, not opinion

Last month Tsang also wrote to Bloomberg about its article about the upcoming election, claiming it was "sensationalist and biased reporting" that was "extremely deplorable".

However, Hong Kong Journalists Association chairman Ronson Chan Ron-sing expressed doubts over the need for Tsang to issue such warnings to a media outlet.

"The WSJ only made a statement that boycotts and blank votes are one of the ways voters can choose to express their political views. You can disagree with the WSJ and put forward your arguments." he said.

"Warning that it is against the law serves no purpose, and only makes you look like you are losing your bearings."

Ouch, but true.

Food and Beverage Industry in Coronavirus Peril

Lan Kwai Fong is quite quiet following a rash of coronavirus cases there

The Hong Kong government has announced more stringent measures to try to stem the imminent wave of coronavirus, by finally banning all visitors to the city, except those from Macau and the mainland, and is proposing that all 8,600 bars, restaurants and nightclubs with liquor licenses stop serving alcohol.

At the press conference this afternoon, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor explained the reason for banning alcohol by saying: "Sometimes people get a bit intimate when they're drunk, and this will raise the risk of cross infection."

Carrie Lam proposes banning alcohol sales to stop gatherings

She was probably referring to the 11 positive cases that were found in Lan Kwai Fong, with several cases involving people who were bar hopping in the area. A Wall Street Journal reporter's March 13 picture of nearby Peel Street packed with people, mostly non-Chinese and not wearing masks was also used as evidence to cut down on social gatherings.

However many criticized Lam for assuming people only drink alcohol to get drunk... and then have sexual relations.

Nevertheless, restaurant and bar owners are clamouring for the government to promise subsidies to pay staff and rent; reporters asked Lam if Hong Kong would follow the UK and pay 80 percent of wages, but she was vague in her reply.

A WSJ reporter's picture of Peel Street on March 13

Some restaurants and bars didn't wait for Lam's announcement and decided to close temporarily. Even if they put really strict measures in place, such as having tables 1-metre apart, hand sanitizing, have guests fill out health declaration forms, and staff wearing masks, is it really worth putting all that effort in and not make enough money to pay staff, let alone guarantee their safety either?

Following hotels that are empty, pretty much the entire food and beverage industry could be in peril if the government does not step in to keep it afloat. Restaurants don't make much money from serving food, it's from serving alcoholic drinks.

Also keep in mind hotels are owned by tycoons, while the vast majority of bars and restaurants are owned by small independents. After the coronavirus crisis is over, hotels will be open, but will bars and restaurants?

Hong Kong Sets Bizarre Toilet Paper Trend

A relief to know Pope Francis tested negative for the coronavirus

We are relieved to hear Pope Francis does not have the coronavirus, but a cold. Thank God for that but we hope he recovers soon and not kiss babies for a while.

But we are disturbed by how Hong Kong has started this awful trend of panic buying of things like toilet paper, hand sanitizers and cleaning products. It spread to Singapore, Japan, Australia, New York and now Vancouver.

A friend sent me a video yesterday that is 1:43 that shows an endless line of almost all Chinese people waiting to pay for stuff at Walmart in Richmond, BC.

It was just staggering to see how long that line was. It must have taken at least 2 hours to get to the cashier.

What is going on?

Is Kleenex too costly a toilet paper to panic buy in Australia?

This herd mentality only further stokes fear. Relax folks, there's enough toilet paper for everyone... eventually...

After about a month, some of my colleagues drifted into work today. They were surprised to see the office still relatively quiet, as others didn't seem to get the memo that they should report back.

Those who hadn't appeared much or at all actually enjoyed working from home, even if they had kids to look after. Some with young children had to get them disciplined into a new way of schooling at home, and eventually got the hang of logging into class on their laptops at certain times during the day.

Their dining table doubled as the office, so at lunchtime the table had to be cleared, gobbled down their meals and then turned it back into a work space.

Families are spending an inordinate amount of time together

A Wall Street Journal story talked about expat families who were crammed in their 1,100 square-foot apartment during their home quarantine. It was meant to sound like a hardship, but how do you compare that to a local teacher who has to teach lessons online from her bunk bed she shares with her sibling?

The things you are forced to do when a coronavirus hits your city...

The Chinese Riddle

Rupert Murdoch with Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People

The Chinese like to talk in riddles, particularly their leaders.

Chinese President Xi Jinping received Rupert Murdoch in the Great Hall of the People today. The News Corp chairman probably wanted to pay his respects in the hopes that he might get a sign that the ban would be lifted on his Wall Street Journal website.

Wen Jiabao's family's wealth was unraveled by the NYT

According to Xinhua Xi said: "[We] welcome foreign media and correspondents to cover China stories, introducing China's development to the world, and helping the world grasp the opportunities (afforded by) China's development."

What did Murdoch say in return?

He apparently said to China Daily: "We are very happy, in my newspapers and different news outlets, to try and foster more understanding between our two countries (the United States and China), I think not just on a formal basis, but also with people themselves."

What Xi and Murdoch said need to be taken with huge grains of salt because Chinese state media aren't the most accurate when reporting what people, particularly foreigners say. Their words can be massaged to fit the agenda, and here it's to give the impression that China is open for reporting.

Wendi Deng on the day her divorce was finalized in New York

But what of blocking not only WSJ, but also The New York Times, Reuters and Bloomberg sites?

And not issuing journalist visas to both The New York Times and Bloomberg apparently in retaliation for them publishing stories about senior leaders' families and their web of wealth?

Meanwhile it's interesting Murdoch is making this pilgrimage after his 14-year divorce from Wendi Deng, who wasn't able to help him crack the China market... or perhaps she had other things in mind?

In any case it's no illusion that Murdoch is keen for global media domination and China is the biggest market he has yet to conquer. Apparently 21st Century Fox is looking for a Chinese partner to build theme parks around popular films and TV shows like The Simpsons.

Will we see a Simpsons' themed park in China soon?

Will China let him in?

Does Xi's statement above give any indication?

Keeping the Momentum Going?

Jimmy Lai talks to the media after his visit to police headquarters

Today there was an advertisement in the Asia edition of the Wall Street Journal where a group of pro-democracy financiers in Hong Kong listed "10 requests" to the Chinese Communist Party.

These include asking Beijing to "refrain from interfering in the administrative affairs of Hong Kong" and to "establish a system of genuine universal suffrage" as well as defend the city's freedoms.

"Three years ago, I was just like any other trader in Hong Kong. I didn't care about politics... but things have changed so much it is important for finance people to speak up and to stand together to fight for true democracy," said hedge fund manager Edward Chin of HK Finance Monitor 2047, which took out the ad.

He added the letter outlining the 10 points would be given to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The pro-democracy campaign group consists of 70 finance workers, and had previously supported the Occupy Central movement.

"The economy is being hindered by the lack of democracy here," said corporate governance activist David Webb, who is also part of the campaign group.

"Hong Kong has to start looking at whether we're going to... preserve the current systems that we have, or whether we are now on the slippery slope of erosion and assimilation and absorption into the mainland system."

It's curious to see people in finance take out an ad like this -- don't they just care about making money?

In the meantime it's hard to tell what their real motive may be. Some critics think these so-called campaigners give the impression they are supporting the pro-democracy movement, but in fact hope this will benefit their balance sheets, while others say Hong Kong was previously under colonial rule -- didn't they also make money then?

For now we look at this as another form of support for the Umbrella Movement -- though it seems to be slowly being dismantled by the authorities with the leaders being called into the police station.

Upon their request, Next Media founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying visited the Wan Chai police headquarters yesterday and he was very forward in asking the police to charge him immediately.

However Lai later reported the authorities refused his request, "but they said they had the right to ask me to report back any time", he said.

Sounds like they are trying to use any opportunity to exercise their powers -- the point of almost abusing them, like they did with "chalk girl", a 14-year-old who was arrested for drawing pictures with chalk on the former Lennon Wall in Admiralty and was separated from her family.

Seems as if both sides are testing the "rule of law" which will be a healthy exercise. However, it would be in the best interests of the police not to overstep their boundaries too much, as they need to rebuild their reputation after their heavy-handed approach to protesters during the Umbrella Movement...

Brash, Bold... Bust?

Chen Guangbiao selling cans of "fresh air" with his likeness on them

Chinese tycoons. They think they can buy up whatever they want.

But Chen Guangbiao is finding this out the hard way.

The multimillionaire made his wealth in tearing down buildings and bridges and recycling the material, and has done publicity stunts like sell canned fresh air and handing out cash to victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

But probably his biggest stunt so far was his opinion piece in the January 5 edition of the Global Times where he wrote he was disappointed in the negative coverage of China and felt that he could influence American media by buying $1 billion worth of shares of the New York Times.

He even warned readers that he was serious and that it was not a joke.

This past week he did fly to New York and hoped to have a meeting with shareholders of the Times but this did not pan out. He probably didn't know that the company is set up so that there are two kinds of shares: ones that are publicly traded but do not affect the running of the company, and the others that are majority controlled by the Ochs-Sulzberger family that has owned the paper for more than 100 years.

After his failed attempt, he was ridiculed in the media for his business card that he purportedly handed out to the media:

Apparently this is what his business card looks like...

It has a passport picture of him on the left and on the right are numerous grandiose titles he obviously made up for himself. They include: "Most influential person in China", "Most prominent philanthropist of China" followed by "Most charismatic philanthropist of China", and we love this one -- "Most well-known and beloved role model".

Despite his public setback, Chen is undeterred. In fact he is know publicly pondering buying another paper. "I am going to talk to the Wall Street Journal and find out if it's for sale," he said in an interview with Sinovision, a New York-based TV station.

Chen added he was well aware many American newspapers were owned by Jews and that he had "equally competent IQ and EQ" compared to Jews. "I am very good at working with Jews," he said.

Chen likes to demonstrate he has gobs of cash lying around...

Uh huh.

So we are waiting with baited breath to see what the WSJ will say.

In the meantime we get the sinking feeling that Chen isn't leaving the US until he acquires an American paper.

Americans appreciate someone who's brash and determined, but probably not the way Chen is presenting himself...