Starting with that ever-popular subject – real-estate schadenfreude. It was three years ago when the world was aghast at Li Ka-shing’s generosity or stupidity in selling his remaining floors at The Center skyscraper for HK$33,000 a square foot, when the property-valuation witch doctors had divined (thanks to Henderson Land’s bid for the Murray Road site) that it was easily worth HK$50,000 psf. Whatever happened to the parade of gruesome second-tier tycoons who piled in to buy and flip?
Bloomberg reports. You will be delighted to hear that some grubby fingers got burned. The vacancy rate in The Center is now 19% (partly because the new landlords are really a bit NOCD). Li put the proceeds into a London property with double the yield.
For the third month of the NatSec Law, an update from HKFP.
Chris Patten on why Percy Craddock was a jerk why China’s leaders can’t be trusted.
David Bandurski in Global Asia on how Xi Jinping’s personality feeds into China’s aggressive wolf-warrior style of diplomacy, complete with ambassadors thrusting copies of the great man’s books in everyone’s faces…
It is ultimately about the rise of charismatic politics in China, about the erosion of collective leadership in favor of a cult of personality around Xi Jinping … Xi is determined even to the point of absurdity to place himself at center stage … Xi Jinping is the country’s alpha male, the leader of the pack, determined to inspire a fighting spirit in the Party’s ranks. And he is the reason that China’s hackles have gone up.
As a case-study, New Statesman on how China screwed up its soft power in the Czech Republic.
Academic James Millward’s commentary on Xi Jinping’s recent speech on Xinjiang. All interesting, especially Part 3 – ‘Ideological language about ethnicity’, which includes genetics stuff about Uighurs, Turkics etc being ‘linked to Chinese bloodlines’.
Which brings us rather neatly to Xi’s recent thoughts on archaeology, urging ‘sound research and interpretation’ of ancient relics and sites. You can see where this is going.
Bernie got The Biggest Medal.
That’s Chris Patten on the NIL arrest list should he have the temerity to re-visit HK.
…and extra-chromosome type Nat Chan also received something.
So no recognition for the medical experts and professions who have been at the forefront of the current battle against Covid. Surely all have contributed more to the community than say …… Nat Chan.
Courtesy of Apple: ‘pro-Beijing members who lost in the election are given prizes, including HKFTU’s former lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-piu who ran in election for Sha Tin district and DAB’s Yeung Tsz-hei who ran in election for Yau Tsim Mong district, they are both awarded Bronze Bauhinia Star.
Out of the 78 who are awarded Medal of Honour, at least 15 are pro-Beijing members who lost in the DC election, including former Kwai Tsing DC member Dennis Leung Tsz-wing and DAB’s former Sha Tin DC member, Li Sai-wing. Several incumbent pro-Beijing DC members, including “Heung Yee” camp, Tang Ho-nin, who used profanity when retorting on the collusion between Heung Yee Kuk and gangsters in the 21-Jul Yuen Long assault, was also awarded”
The BBS’s will be rushing to have new business cards printed.
Would anyone with integrity accept such a tainted ‘honour’ that rewards losers.
Great line from Patten:
“But this was a pledge with Chinese communist characteristics: it was completely untrue.”
10.05 PM: Twitter can not be reached anymore. Did the CCP fascists switch off our access?
“Would anyone with integrity accept such a tainted ‘honour’ that rewards losers.”
Why would anyone NOT accept their ass lick participation trophy when we know the vetting process keeps OUT anyone with integrity or no desire to be linked with the joke of a “government” HK has “running things”??
https://i.imgur.com/JFfdmR2.jpg
Man supposedly in dire straits living in partitioned apartments whom director of Liaison office Luo Huining visited yesterday for National Day photo-op is an actor who had been photographed at multiple police support rallies and vandalizing Lennon walls.
Thought he looked familiar! Also NO MASKS but Boy Joshua was arrested the other day for violating the regulation????
How about the award given to each of the 2 senior Gwailo coppers who last May were identified by some very brave reporters from Apple Daily (who subsequently were arrested) as having breached, variously, rules concerning use and modification of property under the New Territories Small House Policy, use of property as a hotel, construction of unauthorized structures, and theft a police rubber cone to denote a parking space. The only consequence to this wrongdoing (that I could see) was someone in the government bureaucracy regarding Housing lost their job. The coppers had no penalty.
And this topic never appeared again in any media.
Anyone read about Animal Farm about the pigs and dogs. Rules for me and rules for thee.