Safety in Hong Kong
On Jan. 29, Hong Kong authorities said that they would engage with local and foreign groups in a one-month consultation process regarding Article 23 of the Basic Law.
Under the law, crimes such as treason, insurrection, espionage, destructive activities endangering national security and external interference would be punished. In particular, when it comes to national security, any act endangering Hong Kong’s economic and social development and collusion with foreign forces would be considered a crime.
In other words, if the Hong Kong authorities believed that someone has spread information unfavorable to Hong Kong’s economic development, the person would be punished according to the Basic Law. Information about China’s youth unemployment data would be considered to fall under that category. Starting from Aug. 15 last year, the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics said that it would stop releasing unemployment data specific to different age groups.
Obviously, Beijing knows that once the actual numbers are revealed, its economy would definitely be jeopardized and worsen.
Once Article 23 is implemented, any information supposedly endangering Hong Kong’s economy would be banned. The investment environment would become highly opaque for international businesses. Entrepreneurs would be unable to access a range of information and hence could not make accurate decisions.
Moreover, they would constantly be at risk of breaking the law for no apparent reason, given that Article 23 of the Basic Law is vague and ambiguously defined. The trial of pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英) has proved that Hong Kong’s judicial system is not functioning at all. Recently, a great number of foreign investors have left. It is widely acknowledged that Hong Kong is no longer Asia’s top financial center.
As for the crime of collusion with foreign forces, overseas political commentators are targeted by Hong Kong authorities. A British political commentator based in Germany, Martin Oei (黃世澤), on his own YouTube channel called on Hong Kongers to “lie down,” urging them not to cast their ballots in the district council elections. The court then issued an arrest warrant for him. Oei’s post was shared on Facebook by a Hong Konger, who was then accused of inciting people not to vote.
Clearly, Hong Kong authorities have put Article 23 into practice. Oei and the person who shared his post became examples to intimidate and silence overseas Hong Kongers.
With Article 23, the enforcement authorities in Hong Kong would be able to carry out their actions abroad. Officials also confirmed that special teams would be established to promote the law. The target is obviously international political commentators who care about Hong Kong. The law would allow China to interfere in other countries’ domestic affairs.
When Beijing can no longer silence others, it is likely that Hong Kong authorities would build an online firewall just as China did. Then, even a virtual private network could not be used.
It is advised that Taiwanese living in Hong Kong return to Taiwan or go elsewhere. Nobody can make a fortune in Hong Kong anymore. Now, the risk of Internet censorship is in sight.
Moreover, there are no Taiwanese officials in the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong. If a Taiwanese is in danger, they might not be properly assisted and protected.
Taiwanese should avoid going to Hong Kong because they might end up like Morrison Lee (李孟居), who served a 22-month prison sentence in China on espionage charges.
Li Guangzhi,
a Hong Kong national
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus in the Legislative Yuan has made an internal decision to freeze NT$1.8 billion (US$54.7 million) of the indigenous submarine project’s NT$2 billion budget. This means that up to 90 percent of the budget cannot be utilized. It would only be accessible if the legislature agrees to lift the freeze sometime in the future. However, for Taiwan to construct its own submarines, it must rely on foreign support for several key pieces of equipment and technology. These foreign supporters would also be forced to endure significant pressure, infiltration and influence from Beijing. In other words,
“I compare the Communist Party to my mother,” sings a student at a boarding school in a Tibetan region of China’s Qinghai province. “If faith has a color,” others at a different school sing, “it would surely be Chinese red.” In a major story for the New York Times this month, Chris Buckley wrote about the forced placement of hundreds of thousands of Tibetan children in boarding schools, where many suffer physical and psychological abuse. Separating these children from their families, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to substitute itself for their parents and for their religion. Buckley’s reporting is
As Taiwan’s domestic political crisis deepens, the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have proposed gutting the country’s national spending, with steep cuts to the critical foreign and defense ministries. While the blue-white coalition alleges that it is merely responding to voters’ concerns about corruption and mismanagement, of which there certainly has been plenty under Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and KMT-led governments, the rationales for their proposed spending cuts lay bare the incoherent foreign policy of the KMT-led coalition. Introduced on the eve of US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the KMT’s proposed budget is a terrible opening
Last week, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), together holding more than half of the legislative seats, cut about NT$94 billion (US$2.85 billion) from the yearly budget. The cuts include 60 percent of the government’s advertising budget, 10 percent of administrative expenses, 3 percent of the military budget, and 60 percent of the international travel, overseas education and training allowances. In addition, the two parties have proposed freezing the budgets of many ministries and departments, including NT$1.8 billion from the Ministry of National Defense’s Indigenous Defense Submarine program — 90 percent of the program’s proposed
RSS