Last week Britain’s security services issued an extraordinary warning to parliament naming Christine Lee, a well-known lawyer in London’s Chinese community, as an agent working covertly for the Chinese government. It is the first time MI5 has issued an “interference alert” relating to China and it cast a spotlight on the Labour MP Barry Gardiner, whose office received £584,177 worth of donations from Lee. Gardiner said he had been “liaising with our security services for a number of years about Christine Lee”. He added: “All the donations were properly reported…
Day: January 19, 2022
European Parliament debates resolution over ‘deterioration’ of media freedoms in Hong Kong
“Let’s be clear, we are witnessing a deterioration of the situation in Hong Kong,” Stella Kyriakides, the EU’s health commissioner, said during a European Parliament debate on Wednesday over a resolution urging the European Commission to take action. Photo: EPA/AFP South China Morning Post
Did Honduras’ New President Change Her Mind About Dropping Taiwan?
Advertisement The incoming Castro administration in Honduras invited Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to visit for the presidential inauguration earlier this month. This seems to be an about-face for the Castro administration, which had suggested during campaigning that it would switch recognition from the Republic of China (ROC), the name by which Taiwan is officially known, to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The inauguration will take place on January 27. It was later announced that Vice President William Lai would be attending in Tsai’s stead. Xiomara Castro of the Liberty…
Protesting Winter Olympics athletes ‘face punishment’, suggests Beijing official
Any athlete behaviour that is against the Olympic spirit or Chinese rules or laws will be subject to “certain punishment”, a Beijing 2022 official has said in response to a question about the possibility of athlete protests at next month’s Winter Games. Sign up to our Winter Olympics daily briefing, starting in February. It comes shortly after human rights advocates told athletes they were better off staying silent for the duration of the Games and amid concerns over the online security of attendees’ data contained in a mandatory phone app.…
China’s Rising Menace Hardens Taiwan’s Separate Identity
CHIAYI, Taiwan — When Li Yuan-hsin, a 36-year-old high school teacher, travels abroad, people often assume she is Chinese. No, she tells them. She is Taiwanese. To her, the distinction is important. China may be the land of her ancestors, but Taiwan is where she was born and raised, a home she defines as much by its verdant mountains and bustling night markets as by its robust democracy. In high school, she had planted a little blue flag on her desk to show support for her preferred political candidate; since…