China on Wednesday condemned a British report that expressed concern over eroding freedoms in Hong Kong, accusing Britian of having “ignored and distorted the truth” about the territory.
Former British colony Hong Kong enjoys rights unseen on the Chinese mainland, including freedom of expression, which are protected in the handover agreement between China and Britain, but in recent years concern has grown in Hong Kong and abroad about its freedoms disappearing as Beijing tightens its grip on the territory.
In a report on Wednesday, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Jeremy Hunt said he was “concerned that on civil and political freedoms, Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy is being reduced.”
Photo: Reuters
Hunt cited recent moves by Hong Kong authorities, including banning a pro-independence party, screening political candidates and barring a Financial Times journalist who chaired a talk by an independence activist.
He described “recent pressure being applied on Hong Kong to move towards a mainland Chinese interpretation of civil and political freedoms, under which certain subjects are effectively off-limits for discussion and debate.”
In response, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Britain to “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs,” state media reported.
A spokesperson for the ministry in Hong Kong said the “so-called report ... ignored and distorted the truth by deliberately confusing the legitimate and lawful measures taken” to fight pro-independence forces and protect national security, Xinhua news agency reported.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) has previously criticized Britain’s six-monthly reports, noting they still continue “despite the unification.”
British activist Benedict Rogers said it was “the first time that the [British] Foreign and Commonwealth Office has publicly stated so clearly and strongly in a six-monthly report that not all aspects of ‘one country, two systems’ are functioning well.”
The report “reflects a serious deterioration of the situation on the ground,” Rogers said.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS