HK Officials Lash Out at US Sanctions

The US sanctions punish HK and Chinese officials for NSL

 

Late last night Hong Kong time, Washington issued sanctions on Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and 10 other local and mainland officials as punishment for their roles in enforcing the national security law that was enacted on June 30.

The economic sanctions, issued by the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, the US-based assets of individuals or entities will be blocked, and Americans and businesses are generally prohibited from dealing with them.

Personal details of the officials were published

That means for example, Lam, who has a Facebook account, would not be able to buy ads on the social media giant, and if she has a bank account in the US, it would have to shut it down. 

While Lam claims not to have any assets in the US; critics have noted one of her sons is currently studying in Harvard University, so how will this affect him?

What is remarkable is that the sanctions not only give the list of names, but also their personal information, which Lam says amounts to "state-sanctioned doxxing", though she adds the Barker Road address for her is incorrect. Oops -- should it say Government House on Upper Albert Road?

It is also interesting to see their reactions to being on this sanctions list. If you don't have any assets in the US, why should you care? Lashing out only makes you look even more insecure, but perhaps she was given instructions to sound angry by Beijing.

She described the sanctions are "shameless and despicable", and that "We will not be intimidated" in a statement on Saturday.

Luo mocked the sanctions as he has no US assets

Meanwhile her boss, Luo Huining mocked the list, saying: "Isn't such a 'sanction' in vain as I don't have any assets abroad? Of course I can send US$100 to Mr Trump for freezing."

The other local officials targeted included Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, Secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs, Police Chief Chris Tang Ping-keung, and even retired police chief Stephen Lo Wai-chung.  

Aside from Luo, Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director Xia Baolong, his deputy Zhang Xiaoming, and Beijing's national security chief in Hong Kong, Zheng Yanxiong.

The US Treasury Department singled out Lam for "implementing Beijing's policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes," citing her role last year in attempting to pass an extradition law and, more recently, her involvement in "developing, adopting or implementing" the national security law.

A picture of Lam in Washington on her FB page

Lam said she would cancel her US visa right away even though it was due to expire in 2026. 

"Since I personally do not look forward to visiting this country, it looks like I can take the initiative to cancel it," she said in her Facebook post, which was accompanied with a photo of her smiling near Capitol Hill.

While this sanctions list does ratchet-up tensions between China and the US, it will affect Hong Kong. But many in the city are celebrating that a foreign power is finally making officials be accountable for their actions. 

Will this put a halt to the things that are happening at break-neck speed in Hong Kong? Probably not, but definitely a bump in the road to democracy that protesters will take as a win for now...

Chaos Continues on Sunday

Protesters carrying American flags as they march to the US Consulate

 

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's announcement on Wednesday didn't quite temper protesters' frustrations today. Tens of thousands marched from Chater Garden in Central to the United States Consulate on Garden Road.

Thousands of people descended on Central this afternoon

They completely blocked traffic and the surrounding areas. It is quite obvious people are not satisfied with just a formal withdrawal of the bill, as expected.

Many waved American flags as they asked Washington to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in support of the protesters.

However, the rally later became violent again, with protesters trashing Central MTR station exits, setting a fire along Pedder Street, in front of The Landmark shopping mall, and digging up bricks along the sidewalk.

Is that really necessary? We understand the frustration of the MTR having to kowtow to Beijing, but trashing MTR stations doesn't achieve much, except create more damage that us taxpayers will have to shell out.

Several exits in the Central MTR station were destroyed

This is totally playing into China's narrative that protesters are rioters... this is not a smart thing to do.

Another propaganda initiative is having two daughters of tycoons speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday. Macau casino heiress Pansy Ho Chiu-king and daughter of Maxim's founder Annie Wu Suk-ching are giving a speech on behalf of the Hong Kong Federation of Women, a pro-government organization that will present its political views on the protests that have impacted the city.

In their speech which was already released on the UN Human Rights Council website says: "The views of a small group of radical protesters do not represent the views of all 7.5 million Hongkongers. The systematic and calculated violent acts of this group have never been condoned by all Hongkongers."

Pansy Ho will speak at the UN Human Rights Council

Ho is chairwoman and executive director of MGM China Holdings in Macau, and a standing committee member of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference. Wu is the founder of the first mainland-Hong Kong joint venture, Beijing Air Catering, and is also a standing committee member at the national level.

Since when do these two women, who are the top 1 percent of the 1 percent, represent the views of 7.5 million Hongkongers? They have no idea what it's like for a fresh graduate to earn HK$12,000 a month and have no prospects of ever being able to own a 300 square foot flat that's now at HK$5 million.

They only see the protests as impacting their businesses and not seeing how the political system needs a complete overall so that everyone can have one vote for the leader of Hong Kong.

An amusing respite tonight was when Cantopop star Aaron Kwok Fu-shing was caught up in the protests in Causeway Bay in his customized black matte Ferrari.



"I'm on my way to buy diapers for my daughter!" he reportedly told reporters and then inched his way out of the street.

Tribute to IM Pei

The legendary architect IM Pei has died at the age of 102

This morning I woke up to the sad news that architect IM Pei had died at the age of 102. Tributes have been pouring in for the Chinese-American who is famous for his buildings scattered around the world, including the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and of course in Hong Kong, the Bank of China headquarters.

The Bank of China Building in Hong Kong

I pass by that building every time I go to the gym behind the bank, climbing up the stairs along the mini waterfalls. When the bank was first built, superstitious Hongkongers worried the building looked like a knife, cutting up the city, or that it looked like the devil with its two antennae at the top.

Pei's family has a long history with the bank -- in fact it just celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, making it around the same age as him!

His father, Tsuyee Pei, was one of China's leading bankers, according to the New York Times, and when Ieoh Ming Pei was an infant, the family moved to Hong Kong so that Pei senior could run the Hong Kong branch of the Bank of China.

A century later and two generations later, IM Pei's son, Li Chung Pei or Sandi, would lead the renovations of the old Bank of China just down the street from his father's shiny triangular building.

It's a wonderful anecdote that clearly illustrates the Pei's family roots in Hong Kong and its contribution to banking and architecture in the city.

The Suzhou Museum is symmetrical and calming

My other story is in 2008 I spent Chinese New Year in Shanghai on my own. One of my days there I caught the train to Suzhou for the day, wandering around when I stumbled on a building that didn't look like the typical mainland Chinese architectural style of big, boxy and lacking style.

I was immediately drawn to this building that was very symmetrical and discovered it was the Suzhou Museum -- designed by IM Pei.

But of course.

This realization made my visit to Suzhou exponentially better as I was immediately soothed by its simple lines, sitting on the edge of a man-made pond that had a calming effect.

Dramatic pyramid down below the Louvre

How did I not know this was here? The building itself was much more interesting than the exhibits inside.

Sadly the Bank of China building is the only IM Pei building in Hong Kong -- in October 2013 it was announced Sunning Plaza, a 31-storey office building in Causeway Bay, whose main feature was that there was a large open space around the buildings, thus creating an "urban oasis". People liked being able to sit outside and dine al fresco amid a quartet of palm trees.

But alas Pei's first project in Hong Kong was torn down by landlord Hysan Development that replaced it with -- what else -- a mixed retail and office building that is a non-descript office block -- literally. It opened late last year.

Nevertheless, in front of the cameras Pei was always smiling, looking dapper in his suits and wearing his trademark black frame round glasses. He knew how to charm potential clients and explain to existing clients why things had to be done his way. There were compromises too, but probably his biggest battle -- the Pyramid at the Louvre -- shows Pei's skills not only in design but also patience and persuasion.

I haven't seen this entire video of his lecture at MIT about the project, but he explains in great detail (with jokes aside), the challenges he went through and how he solved several issues.



Pei is not only a legend in architecture, but also for Chinese immigrants and ethnic Chinese the world over, an inspiration of being proud of his roots and being successful for his designs that changed the urban landscapes around the world.

Pei fought the controversy of having a pyramid at the Louvre

He may have left us but may his buildings continue to live on.

A Dose of Contemporary Art

SFMOMA has expanded after a three-year renovation completed in 2014

On our last day in San Francisco we went to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) which was walking distance from our hotel. The museum had recently undergone a three year expansion project that was finished in 2014 and it looks very modern inside, some areas with large spaces, others small and intimate.

The brochure listed exhibitions that were either coming or going so for example we missed the Robert Rauschenberg show because it was taken down, while Rene Magritte was being put up in its place.

Portable Radio by Roy Lichtenstein

Nevertheless we managed to see a few interesting things. There was some pop art on show, and we saw works by Andy Warhol, like Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy in the dress she wore when John F Kennedy was assassinated, Elvis Presley shooting a gun in a cowboy outfit, Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet and self-portraits.

There was also Roy Lichtenstein with his comic book works, but in particular I enjoyed Portable Radio, a canvas that was painted to look like a transistor radio that had a leather strap attached to the right and left sides to make it "portable".

Works by Mark Rothko and CY Twombly were also exhibited, along with Chuck Close, whose portraits need a lot of distance to be able to decipher them.

One of Alexander Calder's colourful mobiles

Many of the exhibitions are not large -- a section of one floor, and even a small space could be a mini gallery. For example one area showcased protest posters over the decades.

One show featured the works of Alexander Calder, presenting his mini mobiles or models for larger projects, some of which were displayed outside on the terrace. He liked to create movement out of static sculptures.

When it came to his larger works, teams of men had to weld giant pieces of steel together to create his pieces, very heavy and large, bolted together. Probably today they would look cleaner with newer technology to be able to make them look less clumsy without so many bolts. But at that time in the mid 60s, his designs were considered revolutionary.

Look how big Louise Bourgeois' spider is!

Another exhibition featured the works of Louise Bourgeois. Her subject? Spiders. It was definitely not for those suffering from arachnophobia! She made giant bronze statues of these eight-legged creatures, and explained that she appreciated their industriousness and artistry in creating webs.

We found them kind of scary!

Finally a poignant series if photographs called The Train by Paul Fusco, who rode the train that was carrying Robert F Kennedy's body from New York to Washington DC for burial in Arlington Cemetery. The photographer took pictures of the people who lined the train tracks with signs like "So long Bobby", giving salutes, or looking stunned that yet another promising leader was shot dead.

Afterwards when I went to the gift shop and bought a few things, the cashier told me the total and asked if I minded rounding it up a few cents to donate to the museum. Sure, why not? Every bit counts he said, and if you're polite enough to ask, it's hard to say no.

Agnes by Chuck Close

A great idea. Wonder how much they have raised this way?

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

151 Third Street

San Francisco

CA, 94103
(415) 357 4000

sfmoma.org

China is Open for Business

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the World Economic Forum in Davos

Xi Jinping is the first Chinese President to address the World Economic Forum, and today he used the platform to take the high road, making the case for globalization in a time when the UK will implement Brexit and President-Elect Donald Trump advocates isolationism.

In his speech, Xi promised to improve market access for foreign companies, and said China has no intention of devaluing the yuan or launching a currency war.

He said protectionism had to be opposed and the finger-pointing stopped.

"Those who push for protectionism are shutting themselves inside a dark house. They have escaped the rain and clouds outside, but also missed the light and air," he said. "A trade war will only lead to suffering on both sides."

Xi says China is open to foreign companies... really?

Since his predecessor Hu Jintao's leadership, China has been protectionist too, making it harder and harder for foreign companies to do business in the Middle Kingdom. And with the further media suppression on foreign journalists and outlets, people on the outside find it harder to get the information they need to objectively assess the situation.

So if Xi really does keep his word, it will be interesting to see China open its doors for more business -- but are companies willing to pay higher wages for labour? And will this still be cheap manufacturing, or something higher up the manufacturing chain?

In addition, Xi said there was no point in blaming globalization to the Syrian refugee crisis or the 2008 financial crisis. He said there was "no justification for wiping out economic globalization all together".

How does the Syrian refugee crisis have anything to do with globalization, when it's a civil war in the country?

What kind of president will Donald Trump be?

Nevertheless, it seems Xi is keen to stimulate his country's economy -- apparently it grew just over 6 percent in 2016 -- and perhaps get rid of its overproduction.

As the inauguration of Trump drawer closer, many are trying to come to terms with the new normal in Washington. Will he continue to see it as one big reality show in the White House, or will he really take the job seriously and help those who voted him into office?

Xi is probably looking on horrified at having to deal with a man who makes knee-jerk pronouncements that may or may not have substance. However, he is probably impressed by how Trump handles press conferences by shutting reporters down...

Trump's China Lesson

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen with two advisers on the call with Trump

Beijing surely when into fits of volcanic rage when US President-elect Donald Trump talked to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday evening Hong Kong time.

It later emerged that it was Taiwan that initiated the call that lasted 10 minutes in which included issues of economy and defense, according to Taiwan's Presidential Office.

"During the discussion, they noted the close economic, political and security ties between Taiwan and the United States," the office said in a statement on Saturday.

US President Jimmy Carter recognized the one-China policy

The conversation broke protocol that previous US presidents have followed of no direct contact with Taiwanese leaders since 1979, when then US President Jimmy Carter recognized the "one China" policy, shifting its support from Taiwan to mainland China, though it still has unofficial ties with the island.

Beijing's official response was cool -- it lodged an official representation to Washington on Saturday, urging it to uphold its commitment to the one-China policy.

However, Trump isn't yet president, so technically the phone call was not official. But it does seriously question the brash businessman's knowledge of the geopolitics in Asia, and if his advisers know they are provoking the dragon by pulling on its tail for no good reason as evidenced by his tweet:

Does Donald Trump understand the geopolitics in Asia?

"Interesting how the US sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call."

Sounds like a sly move on Taiwan's part to get Trump embroiled in a mess with China even before he becomes president.

How Trump handles China -- or the rest of the world for that matter -- will reveal what kind of president he is. Many within the US and around the world are terrified of what he will do after he is inaugurated domestically and globally.

It's so bizarre to see a reality TV show personality become the leader of the most powerful country in the world.

But does he understand this reality is not a TV show?

Inspired by Iris

Iris dazzles thanks to her fun in experimenting with fashion and accessories

On the plane to Vancouver I managed to sleep quite a bit and in the last part of the flight I tried to stay awake. I was probably one of the last people on the planet to watch Frozen and also caught the documentary Iris.

While I now understand the hype about the theme song "Let It Go", it was Iris that resonated with me.

Iris is Iris Apfel, the 94-year-old American interior designer and now fashion icon.

The opening scene shows her dressed up with a number of colourful amber necklaces around her neck and she starts describing her outfit and sense of style. From then onwards you are mesmerized watching the nonagenarian who's an absolute riot, not just visually but verbally too.

She even shops in craft stores to find interesting pieces

She was born in 1921 and married Carl Apfel in 1948. They started doing interior decoration and clients wanted reproductions of fabrics from a century before. As she recalls in the documentary, she bumped into a school friend whose father she remembered was a weaver.

He completed the job well, and they started getting more business, that the weaver asked the couple to go into business with them and that's how they started Old World Weavers.

Apfel says that their clients didn't want to have what others had and so the couple traveled around the world to go on buying trips to find one-of-a-kind items and and fabrics to produce from other weavers. It was then that she started buying one of a kind pieces of clothing or fabrics that she fashioned into wearable items.

Their business did so well that they decorated the White House for nine presidents: Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Clinton until the Apfels retired in 1992.

Apfel with husband Carl were in the interior design business

In the documentary they are asked what it was like decorating the White House. Carl starts to talk, hinting Jackie Kennedy was a problem, but then Iris stops him, saying these are things they are not supposed to talk about.

The film watches her as she attends events in New York (even with scenes with New York Times' photographer Bill Cunningham), and various designers exclaim how Iris is so amazing. The praises come thick and fast and Iris can see through all of it, but she's gracious about all the attention.

She mixes and matches things, but her main theme is accessorizing. Her mother had told her that as long as a woman had a good black dress, it could be dressed up or down according to the accessories.

Iris will hunt everywhere and anywhere for anything she thinks is stylish from $4 colourful wooden bangles to even stuffed animals or African prints she's found in a small shop in Brooklyn.

Iris likes mixing and matching items to create new looks

She knows exactly how to put outfits together and layers pieces even though they may not have been purchased in the same place -- that makes it even more interesting for her. Some of her items are Chinese, like fabrics by the Miao minority, or Tibetan bracelets that she quips are so heavy she only wears them if the even she is attending is about 30 minutes long.

While she was well known in design circles, Iris became globally famous after the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2005 took a good selection of her clothes and jewellery to demonstrate the creative things people could do with their outfits. Called "Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris Apfel Collection", it was one of the more popular exhibitions promoted through word of mouth, and everyone raved about her and her sense of style.

What Iris has that most of us don't is guts. She is very comfortable about standing out and wearing what she does. She doesn't care what others think, only concerned about what she wants to wear, which is her secret to pulling off these eclectic, dramatic, bold looks.

And she will buy everything and anything. Each of their homes is stuffed with clothes, accessories, furniture as well as things from stuffed animals to crazy knick-knacks. Carl seems amused whenever Iris goes shopping -- he jokes that he'd rather his money go to Iris to spend than to the taxman.

However the film also documents Carl getting older, celebrating his 100th birthday with a big bash. And one can see Iris contemplative, worrying about what to do as the two of them get older. Carl passed away in August, just three days shy of his 101st birthday.

There are scenes of Iris going through their storage facility to get rid of some furniture, paintings and accessories. She says her accountant chastised her for not throwing out the items earlier, but she firmly says she wasn't ready at the time. That gives comfort to viewers to know, that not everyone is mentally prepared to let go, even Iris.

The documentary was made by Albert Maysles, in his 80s, and sadly he too died earlier this year.

Interestingly he's sometimes part of the film, inserted here and there, capturing Iris talking directly to him, or when photographer Bruce Weber insists on talking about Maysles, and he can't help but include himself in the documentary.

Iris says young fashion designers today have no sense of history, have no understanding of the evolution of fashion. She says art, politics, history, design, fashion, the economy are all interconnected and one needs to understand all of this to realize what is going on.

She is definitely one of a kind -- and we are sad to hear her dear Carl is gone, but we hope she will keep busy and thrill us more with her striking outfits that scream attention, mixed with witty humour. She shows that one can still be very busy late in life, as she calls herself a "geriatric starlet", who's blooming in her 90s and taking it all in.

State Dinner's Asian Twist

The two couples say cheese before dinner at the White House

Yesterday US President Barack Obama hosted a state dinner for visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan at the White House.

Mark Zuckerberg with Priscilla Chan

The guest list included Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and his pregnant wife Priscilla (in a ravishing red lace dress might we add). First Lady Michelle Obama wasn't afraid to show off some cleavage in an off the shoulder Vera Wang black ball gown, though Xi's wife Peng was more demure in a peacock blue dress.

Xi wore his mandarin jacket probably in an attempt to hide his large frame, but really, he already wears ties, so why not a bow tie? The jacket just looks too plain... maybe Peng can work on that...

Anyway my sister-in-law pointed out that the chef who cooked that evening was Anita Lo, chef and owner of Annisa restaurant in New York. We actually ate there two years ago, and I remember it being curious flavour combinations and ingredients.

The main course featured one of her signature items, garlic fried milk, a crunchy smooth  garnish for the grilled Colorado lamb.

Anita Lo of Annisa cooked the state dinner that evening

What an honour for Lo, and her dinner must have shaken up the palates of the Chinese delegation to see a new interpretation of Chinese and Western food!

Hong Kong is Beijing's "Core Interest"

Beijing reminds Washington not to meddle in Hong Kong affairs...

Hong Kong is now getting even more attention from Beijing because it is deemed one of China's "core interests".

Many believe this is Beijing's way of warning Washington not to meddle in what the mainland believes is its own internal affairs.

The reference was made in a military-to-military meeting in the Chinese capital on Tuesday between PLA deputy chief of general staff Sun Jianguo and US undersecretary of defense for intelligence Michael Vickers, the PLA Daily reported.

"The US should earnestly respect China's core interests and key concerns," Sun was quoted as saying.

His words are a veiled reference to the belief that the US plays a role in Hong Kong politics, in particular last year's protests.

"Sun is telling the US to calm down and not to have any illusions about using Hong Kong to stir things up," explained retired PLA major general Xu Guangyu.

Peking University international relations professor Jia Qingguo added, "Any attempts to demand independence is an act to split the nation. Beijing will not allow it, and is asking the US not to be involved."

But where is the evidence to prove this? How did the US participate in, and in particular influence the Umbrella Movement?

No one has come forward with any kind of credible proof, and yet this theory continues to be believed.

However, all China is doing, according to Albert Ho Chun-yan, former chairman of the Hong Kong Democratic Party, is making Hong Kong more alienated from the mainland and feeling closer to Britain and America in terms of core values. "This will only create more trouble," he warned.

China's insecure needs to spell out its territory makes many Hong Kong people feel even more uneasy about the mainland and its plans for the city.

And stressing that Hong Kong is a "core interest" heightens fears that there will be greater "mainlandization" of the city, something that will be resisted at all costs.