More than 20 Taiwanese and Hong Kong singers, composers and other music professionals have produced a song in support of Hong Kongers opposing a proposed extradition bill, who are tomorrow to take to the streets again to demand the bill’s withdrawal.
The song, released on Friday, is titled Cheng (撐) in Mandarin, which roughly means “support” or “having one’s back.”
The character is part of the slogan Taiwan cheng Xianggang (“Taiwan supports Hong Kong,” 台灣撐香港), which was chanted by demonstrators who earlier this month rallied in Taiwan to support the Hong Kong protests.
Photo provided by Blaire Ko Music Studio
“The idea of producing the song came after some of us talked about [the protests] two weeks ago,” said award-winning Taiwanese music producer Blaire Ko (柯智豪), who oversaw the song’s production.
Ko said they came together just days after a large protest in Hong Kong on June 12.
The scale of the protests left a deep impression on him and many others, he said.
They also took action because they thought that the protests underscored the need for the world to pay attention to the suppression of freedoms, he said.
The music was composed by Poki Wu (吳永吉), the lead singer of Taiwanese rock band The Chairman (董事長樂團), and the lyrics were written by Golden Melody best songwriter award winner Wu Hsiung (武雄) and Hong Kong lyricist Albert Leung (林夕).
Others who took part in the project include Taiwanese indie band Fire Ex (滅火器), Amis singer Panai Kusui, Hong Kong Canto-pop singer Denise Ho (何韻詩) and Hong Kong singer and record producer Anthony Wong (黃耀明).
Through the song, they wanted to send the message that “no matter how small an individual is, they all aspire to have their own voice,” Ko said.
“Although it is raining now, we hope the road ahead will only be brighter and brighter,” he said.
The bill has raised concerns that it could threaten the rights of Hong Kongers, as it would allow the authorities to extradite criminal suspects to China.
The Hong Kong government on June 15 caved in to public pressure and indefinitely suspended the bill, but protesters deemed the move as a delaying tactic and demand that the bill be permanently withdrawn.
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS