China appears ready to grant visas to Hong Kong democracy activists long barred from entering the mainland, a fresh sign of a thaw in frosty relations between Beijing and the city's pro-democracy camp.
In another conciliatory move, Chinese officials also initiated a friendly meeting with Joseph Zen (
Quoting unidentified sources, the Hong Kong Economic Times and Ming Pao dailies reported yesterday that China would soon issue visas to some Hong Kong democracy advocates in a goodwill move. The newspapers gave no names.
Beijing's top envoy in Hong Kong was also reported as saying that granting such visas was now a possibility.
Newspapers quoted Yang Wenchang (
He had been asked if democracy advocates who had been denied visas would now be able to visit mainland China.
Hong Kong's democracy activists have long been a thorn in Beijing's side and some have been barred from the mainland for more than a decade. However, both sides have made conciliatory gestures in recent weeks ahead of a pro-democracy protest march on Thursday, the seventh anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule.
Commenting on the march, Yang said Hong Kong people had the right to protest but they should exercise that right correctly.
Bishop Zen, who has urged the city's 6.8 million residents to join the march, said yesterday he had met Chinese officials on Friday at their invitation.
"We had a good, frank and friendly talk. The atmosphere was peaceful," Zen told reporters.
Organizers of the rally expect 300,000 people to demonstrate for the right to directly elect their own leader and all of their lawmakers from 2007, demands that Beijing rejected in April.
In a poll by Ming Pao, 40 percent of 86 respondents said they would join Thursday's march.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from