Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) yesterday called on the US to stop interfering in the territory, and that she had discussed COVID-19 controls and economic relief with mainland Chinese officials during her three-day trip to Beijing.
Speaking to reporters in Beijing, Lam said that the Chinese government would support Hong Kong’s competitiveness, as well as tech innovation in the Asian financial hub.
Lam said that whoever wins the US presidential election should end US interference in the internal affairs of the territory and China overall.
Photo: Reuters
She accused the administration of US President Donald Trump of repeatedly interfering over the past year, citing US sanctions on officials, including herself, and the suspension of special trading conditions previously granted to Hong Kong.
“That is totally unreasonable,” she said at the news conference. “I hope that they will come back to normalcy and accept that the relationship has to be built on mutual respect and cooperation.”
The US earlier this year took issue with China’s enactment of a new National Security Law.
The Trump administration backed democracy activists who said that the legislation ended the “one country, two systems” framework under which Hong Kong is part of China, but given a high degree of autonomy over local affairs.
Lam said that the legislation has been an effective deterrent after pitched battles between demonstrators and police during protests last year.
“Hong Kong has recovered its stability and has not seen any large-scale violent incidents,” Lam said. “With this stable environment, we can focus on economic development and improving people’s lives.”
Lam was praised by Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng (韓正), who said that her government had “overcome all kinds of difficulties and dealt with the challenges.”
Hong Kong was wracked by protests last year demanding fully democratic elections and opposing China’s expanding influence in the territory’s affairs.
Han, one of seven members of the Chinese Communist Party’s top leadership body, praised Lam’s government for its handling of the pandemic, easing the economic burden on the population, implementing the national security legislation and protecting the stability of Hong Kong.
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January last year have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about
A Vietnamese migrant worker yesterday won NT$12 million (US$379,627) on a Lunar New Year scratch card in Kaohsiung as part of Taiwan Lottery Co’s (台灣彩券) “NT$12 Million Grand Fortune” (1200萬大吉利) game. The man was the first top-prize winner of the new game launched on Jan. 6 to mark the Lunar New Year. Three Vietnamese migrant workers visited a Taiwan Lottery shop on Xinyue Street in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (崗山), a store representative said. The player bought multiple tickets and, after winning nothing, held the final lottery ticket in one hand and rubbed the store’s statue of the Maitreya Buddha’s belly with the other,
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
RSS