Tens of thousands gathered yesterday in sweltering heat in Hong Kong to protest against a pro-democracy campaign that has threatened to shut down the territory’s financial district, exposing a deepening rift over political reforms in the former British colony.
The rise in tit-for-tat street protests between pro-Beijing and pro-democracy groups accents the challenges China faces in shaping Hong Kong’s political future.
Backed largely by Beijing-friendly groups, Hong Kong’s Alliance for Peace and Democracy says it “desires peace and no violence” and has denounced the pro-democracy Occupy Central movement that has said it would lock down the city center if Beijing does not allow truly democratic elections for a chief executive in 2017.
Photo: Reuters
“We want to show that the march does not have to be violent and angry. It can be happy,” former Hong Kong radio host and spokesman for the alliance Robert Chow said.
The group says it has so far collected close to 1.5 million signatures, including that of Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying (梁振英), saying the “illegal” Occupy campaign would tarnish Hong Kong’s reputation and hurt business.
It was not possible to independently verify the claim, which exceeded the almost 800,000 votes in Occupy Central’s unofficial poll on democracy in June.
Photo: AFP
The campaign kicked off early yesterday with a run through the center of Hong Kong that drew about 1,500 people in temperatures as high as 30°C, organizers said.
The rally was overshadowed by speculation that some business groups had pressured people to take part.
One Chinese participant surnamed Chen, who is in her 60s, said some people attended simply because they like running.
Photo: AFP
“I bumped into a friend. She is running with colleagues from a property-management firm. She said her firm encouraged her to run and she took part because she likes running,” she said.
More people, mostly groups of elderly people, showed up later in the morning to offer a flower “for peace,” with different groups wearing the same colored T-shirts and hats.
Occupy Central has said its movement is peaceful, demanding a “genuine choice” for Hong Kong’s 5 million eligible voters.
“We do not support Occupy Central because it will bring trouble and instability to the city,” retiree Law Kwai-wing, 77, said, adding that he had traveled across the border from China’s Guangdong Province as part of a bus tour organized by the pro-Beijing Federation of Trade Unions (FTU).
The group planned to stay for less than an hour before returning across the border for lunch, which tour members would buy for themselves, he added.
Many participants said that they had been provided with free transportation by political and business groups. In one district, about 150 people boarded buses organized by the Hong Kong Livestock Industry Association.
In a WhatsApp message seen by reporters, people were offered HK$350 (US$45) to attend the rally “for five hours.” However, the message sender declined to provide their name or background.
Alliance spokesman Chow dismissed such messages as fake and attempts to discredit the campaign.
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
‘DANGEROUS GAME’: Legislative Yuan budget cuts have already become a point of discussion for Democrats and Republicans in Washington, Elbridge Colby said Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and Taipei must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, Elbridge Colby, said on Tuesday during his US Senate confirmation hearing. The nominee for US undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he is “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10 percent of GDP. Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team,
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
RSS