The top Chinese official in Hong Kong has defended Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's (董建華) decision to delay a national security bill, while a state-run newspaper yesterday branded opponents of the measure as treacherous.
Tung has faced much criticism and numerous calls for his resignation during the standoff over the anti-subversion bill, which opponents call a threat to Hong Kong's freedoms of speech, press and assembly.
But Gao Siren (
The central government in Beijing has not directly commented on Tung's retreat from plans to get the national security bill enacted today.
Such speedy passage became impossible after a key legislative ally, James Tien (
Echoing comments Tung made after he announced the delay in the bill on Monday, Gao was quoted by pro-Beijing newspaper Wen Wei Pao as saying the postponement will allow more public consultation on the contentious measure.
Hong Kong's mini-constitution requires an anti-subversion law be passed but specifies no actual timetable.
Tung was forced to back down after a half million people turned out on July 1 -- the sixth anniversary of Hong Kong's return from British to Chinese sovereignty -- in a massive protest that stunned the territory.
Further echoing Tung, Gao also called for quicker economic revival in Hong Kong, saying that could calm some of the public concerns that have been aggravated by record unemployment of 8.3 percent.
Critics have said Tung has been unable to boost the economy but keeps bringing it up as a smoke screen to detract attention from the fight over the anti-subversion law.
Despite many calls for Tung to quit, the Chinese central government has long supported the former shipping tycoon.
Tung's popularity among ordinary Hong Kong people has been dismal.
The state-controlled China Daily English-language newspaper editorialized yesterday that Hong Kong lawmakers and the public should "throw their weight behind Tung Chee-hwa's administration so that it could complete this unshirkable historic mission in a timely fashion."
The newspaper said Hong Kong opposition figures who want to stop the measure are guilty of "not only the dereliction of their civic duties and obligations but a treacherous act against their motherland and nation."
Separately, a local delegate to China's National People's Congress who also is on Tung's Executive Council called on Tung to reshuffle the policymaking body and address people's anger to avoid an escalating crisis.
"The July 1 demonstration has dealt a huge blow to Hong Kong's governance," Cheng Yiu-tong told reporters yesterday.
"If the government does not properly handle such public resentment, as soon as possible, I believe that will give rise to an administration crisis," the local delegate said.
A group of about 20 pro-democracy activists protested outside Hong Kong government offices yesterday, demanding the resignation of Tung and his top deputies.
The US, the EU, UK, Australia and New Zealand all raised questions about the anti-subversion bill -- which critics call the biggest threat to Hong Kong's civil liberties since the handover on July 1, 1997. China accused them of improperly meddling in its internal affairs.
US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Monday in Washington the US welcomed the Hong Kong government's decision to "respond to the calls of the people" and delay the legislation.
Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997 when a 99-year lease on the trading colony expired.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was