Acting Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang (曾蔭權) began the final leg of his improbable climb to Hong Kong's top political job, leaving the government he has served for 38 years to start his campaign.
The flamboyant Tsang, who almost daily wears a bow tie, is the clear favorite to succeed the unpopular Tung Chee-hwa (
Tsang, the No.2 ranking official in Tung's government, was expected to be a more savvy chief executive who better understands the public and how to run the government.
He's a policeman's son and a devout Roman Catholic without a university degree.
As he announced his plans to run in the July 10 election, Tsang said on Wednesday, "I truly believe that I share the same aspirations of all Hong Kong people -- to see Hong Kong grow and prosper, to see stability in society, to see Hong Kong people enjoy their lives and all that this great city has to offer."
Tang will have to be elected by an 800-member selection committee -- dominated by figures partial to Beijing.
When the British left their former colony in 1997, Tsang's political career appeared to be over. In the final days of colonial rule, he was named a knight of the British Empire for his work as a civil servant.
Such an honor was thought to be a curse for an official serving the new Communist masters in Beijing.
But many believe Beijing thinks Tsang is their best option now.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is constructing a new counter-stealth radar system on a disputed reef in the South China Sea that would significantly expand its surveillance capabilities in the region, satellite imagery suggests. Analysis by London-based think tank Chatham House suggests China is upgrading its outpost on Triton Island (Jhongjian Island, 中建島) on the southwest corner of the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), building what might be a launching point for an anti-ship missile battery and sophisticated radar system. “By constraining the US ability to operate stealth aircraft, and threaten stealth aircraft, these capabilities in the South China Sea send
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