Hong Kong pro-democracy legislators yesterday welcomed a rare invitation from Beijing to visit China -- a move some observers said is an attempt by the Communist government to improve its standing in the former British colony.
Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang (
Opposition legislator Lee Cheuk-yan (
"This reflects a more relaxed way of handling things," he said.
One major point of conflict has been Beijing's violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square in June 1989, in which at least hundreds were killed. Hong Kong's opposition has repeatedly denounced the crackdown, but Beijing has stood by its decision to send in troops.
Legislator Emily Lau (劉慧卿) also welcomed the invitation to Hong Kong lawmakers, but urged Beijing to allow pro-democracy figures from Hong Kong to travel in China freely. The pro-Beijing Wen Wei Po newspaper reported that the banned lawmakers would be issued single-entry travel permits for the upcoming trip.
The newspaper hailed the visit as a breakthrough, describing it as "a small step to Guangdong, a big step for communication."
But political scientist James Sung called it an olive branch aimed at delaying proposed democratic reforms in the territory.
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
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
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