China has appointed the head of the national security office in Hong Kong as its top representative officer in Hong Kong – a sign that Beijing will tighten its control over the city. Zheng Yanxiong, 59, replaces another hardliner, Luo Huining, 68, as head of Beijing’s top representative office in Hong Kong, the State Council said in a notice. As the inaugural director of the Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong, Zheng was among the Chinese and Hong Kong officials sanctioned by the United States for undermining Hong…
Day: January 15, 2023
History revisited: what the isolationist Qing dynasty tells us about Xi Jinping’s China
At the height of the Qing dynasty, the Chinese empire was one of the great powers of the world. Its territory spanned all the way to Inner Asia and its economic prosperity and military might was the envy of the world. But despite its success, rampant corruption, weak governance, internal revolts and foreign invasion led to the decline of its national power and its eventual collapse. The beginning of the 20th century would mark the end of China’s centuries-long dynasties, ruled over by emperors. For decades, the Qing imperial dynasty’s…
China’s emigration ‘run philosophy’ results in surge for Hong Kong visas amid city’s top talent hunt
Amid policy uncertainties, economic distress and growing interest in “run philosophy” – a Chinese social media euphemism for emigration – the launch of the Top Talent Pass Scheme has added to enthusiasm for mainland Chinese to move to Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s thirst for talent is also fuelling the trend. In an effort to compensate for the city’s own brain drain over the past three years, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced a slew of measures – including the Top Talent Pass Scheme – in October to woo global talent.…
Rounding Off Africa Tour, China’s Top Diplomat Visits Egypt
Cairo — China’s chief diplomat was in Cairo Sunday for talks with Egyptian and Arab League officials, marking his last stop in a multi-leg trip to Africa that aims to consolidate Beijing’s footprint across the resource-rich continent. Foreign Minister Qin Gang met separately with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit. He also met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry. In a joint news conference, Foreign Minister Shoukry said the talks addressed Sino-Egyptian relations and increasing Chinese tourism to the Middle Eastern country, which has for…
South Korean President Travels to UAE, Seeks Arms Sales
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol received an honor guard welcome Sunday on a trip to the United Arab Emirates as he hopes to expand his country’s military sales here. Yoon’s visit comes as South Korea conducts business deals worth billions of dollars and stations special forces troops to defend the UAE, an arrangement that drew criticism under his liberal predecessor. Now, however, it appears the conservative leader wants to double down on those military links even as tensions with neighboring Iran have already…
China, Hong Kong Resume High-Speed Rail Link after 3 Years of COVID Curbs
HONG KONG/BEIJING — China resumed on Sunday high-speed rail services between Hong Kong and the mainland for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it dismantles travel curbs after Beijing scrapped quarantine for arrivals a week earlier. The re-opening comes amidst a massive wave of infections nationwide and a day after authorities said nearly 60,000 people with COVID had died in hospital, following last month’s abrupt U-turn on “zero-COVID” policy in the wake of historic protests. Despite the infections, some passengers voiced excitement and relief about…
Major Myanmar-China Border Crossing Partially Reopens
Yangon, Myanmar — A Myanmar-China border crossing vital to trade has partially reopened, an official said Sunday, after years of a pandemic-prompted closure. COVID-19 shuttered the Muse-Ruili checkpoint — among the Southeast Asian nation’s busiest — in April 2020. One of Muse town’s border gates opened Saturday at 7:00 am (1230 GMT), according to an official in Myanmar’s northern Shan state. Six trucks made the short relay trip at the Mang Wein crossing, said U Min Thein, vice-chairman of the Muse Rice Commodity Exchange. “China only allowed us to export…
Covid in China: WHO chief calls for more details on cases and sequences
In the call, Tedros said the UN agency appreciated the authorities’ public release of information on the overall situation, saying it allowed for a better understanding of the epidemiological situation and the impact of this wave in China. He also noted efforts by Chinese authorities to scale up clinical care at all levels for its population. Advertisement The NHC said Beijing and the WHO had engaged in “technical communication” a few times since the end of zero-Covid, but did not give details of those exchanges. It is the second time…
Auburn Banned TikTok, and Students Can’t Stop Talking About It
One former sorority sister at Auburn, for example, “did a new TikTok dance every day promoting Auburn Zeta Tau Alpha so people would see how much fun she was having with her ‘zisters,’” Ms. Franco said, adding that it would be a “huge hit” to Greek life at Auburn if the university’s ban extended to sorority TikTok accounts and related hashtags. Ms. Franco said that she was not concerned about the security risks prompting the ban — a sentiment echoed by other students, including Ms. Hunt. “From what I’ve heard…
WHO Appeals to China to Release More COVID-19 Information
BEIJING — The World Health Organization has appealed to China to keep releasing information about its wave of COVID-19 infections after the government announced nearly 60,000 deaths since early December following weeks of complaints it was failing to tell the world what was happening. The announcement Saturday was the first official death toll since the ruling Communist Party abruptly dropped anti-virus restrictions in December despite a surge in infections that flooded hospitals. That left the WHO and other governments appealing for information, while the United States, South Korea and others…