Free Republic

HONG KONG — Under the cover of darkness early Thursday, authorities in Hong Kong tore down a public sculpture dedicated to the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre, accelerating a campaign to erase the crackdown from public recollection and stamp out dissent in a city that until recently was one of Asia’s freest. The 26-foot-tall artwork, known as the “Pillar of Shame,” had stood at the University of Hong Kong for nearly a quarter-century and honored the hundreds, if not thousands, of students and others killed on June 4, 1989, when the Chinese military crushed pro-democracy protests....

Rampant smuggling of Australian rock lobsters into mainland China is a national security threat, Hong Kong's new customs chief said on Thursday (Oct 21), as she vowed to crack down on the trade. Lobsters are one of a number of products from Australia that China has restricted imports of as relations between the countries plunged. But they remain a prized and much sought-after delicacy in mainland China. Imports of Australian rock lobsters to Hong Kong - which maintains no restrictions on the crustaceans - have since skyrocketed, with suspicions that the vast majority end up on mainland tables. Louise Ho...

The National Basketball Association quietly backtracked its policy that forbade the text “FreeHongKong” on custom jerseys on its online store after severe blowback. As the Washington Free Beacon reported Monday, the NBA did not allow the phrase on custom jersey orders but permitted a variety of other phrases, including anti-Semitic messages. As of Tuesday morning, however, “FreeHongKong” is allowed on jerseys. …

China’s Communist Party will impose a sweeping national security law in Hong Kong by fiat during the annual meeting of its top political body, officials said Thursday, criminalizing “foreign interference” along with secessionist activities and subversion of state power. The move is the boldest yet from Beijing to undercut Hong Kong’s autonomy and bring the global financial hub under its full control, as it works to rewrite the rules that have allowed the territory to enjoy a level of autonomy for the past 23 years. After steadily eroding Hong Kong’s political freedoms and independent legal system, Beijing signaled that the...

A British parliamentary committee is urging the British government to be more outspoken in support of democracy in Hong Kong. In a report Friday, the Foreign Affairs Committee said British officials have failed to clearly state their position on democratic developments in the Chinese territory, and warned that it could damage Britain’s reputation there. They stressed that Britain “can and should take a position” on democracy in the Chinese territory. …

Taipei is very closely watching Beijing’s actions in Hong Kong—and so far it doesn’t like what it sees. The events of the past three weeks in Hong Kong have underlined two major points. First, Beijing’s policy has not changed. Second, China’s attempt to reintegrate Taiwan with the mainland has been postponed indefinitely—perhaps forever. Beijing’s preeminent leader, Xi Jinping, has refused to allow Hong Kongers to participate in the nomination process that is the first step in the selection of the next leader of the province. This does not surprise anyone in Taipei. Even though Beijing formally accepts the one country-two...

Hong Kong does not enjoy “full autonomy” and must accept Beijing’s control and oversight, China announced on Tuesday, less than a week after more than 100,000 protesters gathered in the former colony to berate the Communist Party and demand greater democratic rights. In a lengthy and controversial “white paper”, China's powerful State Council claimed “comprehensive jurisdiction” over the former British colony, which returned to Chinese hands in 1997. Hong Kong held no “residual power” and while it enjoyed considerable independence from Beijing, “the central government has the power of oversight over the high degree of autonomy,” it added. …

An international poll has revealed the world’s least tolerant countries—with Hong Kong at the top of the list and Britain near the bottom. The global social attitudes study claims that the most racially intolerant populations are all in the developing world, with Bangladesh, Jordan and India in the top five. By contrast, the study of 80 countries over three decades found Western countries were most accepting of other cultures with Britain, the U.S., Canada and Australia more tolerant than anywhere else. …