Hong Kong anti-doxxing law to be pretext for censorship and protection of officials caught in massage/hotpot situations. Who’d have thought it? Because leaving press freedom in tatters isn’t enough.
On the subject of Hotpot-gate – word is that Beijing’s officials have not so far issued a ‘line to take’ to their local supporters.
Some worthwhile reading…
Further to the Hong Kong government’s lack of non-security policies, Steve Vines in HKFP on the HK$5,000 vouchers.
Jerome Cohen on the contradictions surrounding the still-unresolved Taiwan murder case that set off the extradition bill crisis in Hong Kong.
In the ‘Move Likely to Anger China’ department, the Cannes Film Festival will screen Revolution of Our Times, directed by Kiwi Chow (who contributed to Ten Years and remains in Hong Kong). Variety says…
…there’s now a risk that China will boycott future editions of Cannes, just as it is punishing the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan for the island’s go-it-alone tendencies.
Hollywood Reporter adds that the…
…hard-hitting chronicle of police brutality during Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests in 2019 … is certain to attract the ire of China’s ruling Communist Party.
So soon Mainland movies won’t appear at any international festivals.
Also in HKFP, a look at how different sides fight over wording to put their own spin on Hong Kong-related (and indeed many other) Wikipedia entries.
In Chinafile, former lawmaker Charles Mok examines why Beijing is going after the tech giants.
An analysis of China’s Great Firewall…
China’s Great Firewall currently blocks around 311,000 domains, with 270,000 blocks working as intended, while 41,000 domains appear to have been blocked by accident…
For example, researchers said that when Chinese authorities blocked access to reddit.com, they also accidentally blocked access to booksreddit.com, geareddit.com, and 1,087 other sites.
Protocol on the deletion of Mainland LGBT social-media accounts…
Some online voices have accused the West of using LGBTQ+ ideas to undercut China’s global rise. “External forces first show that they understand minorities, and then propagate how much minorities are respected in the West. After such brainwashing, minority groups will mostly lose their confidence in China’s system and follow suit to become the West’s vassals,” one WeChat blogger wrote. “China’s competitiveness lies in its demographic dividend, and through LGBT propaganda external forces are reducing China’s fertility rate to weaken China’s competitiveness.”
Latest evil Western plot: ‘Brainwashing by showing understanding for minorities’.
In the ‘Going Down the Tubes’ department, Asia Times ponders Belt and Road’s prospects in Afghanistan, and 9-Dash-Line looks at China’s relations with Central and Eastern Europe.
Global Taiwan has some good short articles – notably on how the CCP’s 100th anniversary ‘highlights the unbridgeable gap between Taiwan and China’, and (for enthusiasts) the disruption to Taiwan-Macau ties.
What do the 23rd floor of a Hong Kong skyscraper, a variety of (especially Mainland) rich scumbags, and the delightful Pidgin phrase ‘Long God Yumi Stanup’ (‘In God We Stand’) have in common? The Guardian explains.
Today in history – Mao’s famous swim in the Yangtze river. He was really into this quite a lot, even taking a dip in the Pearl River in the 1950s…
“The water,” Li went on, “just as I had feared, was filthy. I saw occasional globs of human waste float by. The pollution did not bother Mao. He floated on his back, his big belly sticking up like a round balloon, legs relaxed, as though he were resting on a sofa.”
Right: Classic post-rock album ‘Spiderland’ by Slint, 1991.
LGBT angle sure to win over the hearts and minds of the mainland Chinese people.
Step one: show how Western cultural miscreants are approving of LGBT in China
Step two: resolutely convince LGBT people in China that China loves them by banning their accounts and doing the opposite of what those pesky liberal Westerners do
Should work a charm.
Pearl-clutching homophobia was a Western import to begin with. In imperial times, people didn’t much care who you boned, after you’d produced the requisite heir and a spare.
“So soon Mainland movies won’t appear at any international festivals.”
Cool. Just wrap mainland film awards into the “Confucius Peace Prize” ceremonies, air it on the annual Spring Festival extravaganza and be done with it all in one shot!
Everything Goes
In olden days, the truth and reason
Were never declared to be acts of treason.
Now, Heaven knows,
Everything goes.
Good authors too who once wrote dareful words
Now only publish very careful words
In their prose.
Everything goes.
If protest barred you like,
If judges hard you like,
If no more bail you like,
If months in jail you like,
If rough police you like,
If Chinese peace you like,
Why, nobody will oppose.
If patriotic song you like,
And new Hong Kong you like,
And goose-step shows,
Everything goes.
This place has gone mad today
And good’s bad today,
And black’s white today,
And day’s night today,
And that book today
That they took away
From the library display –
Where’s it gone? Who knows?
Everything goes.
As every patriot claps and cheers
And true harmonious life appears
I suppose
Everything goes.
– – – – –
With thanks to Cole Porter.
‘…globs of human waste float by’
Sums up any press conference by the HK govt.
Toph
You mean just like Marxism, Leninism and Stalinism?
The adminstration does care for HK history:
3 relics declared monuments
Tung Chee Wah, Maria Tam and Elsie Leung
In his speech, which lasted for about an hour, Xia Baolong made 5 demands for patriots, including:
(1) To fully and accurately implement “one country, two systems”, to take a firm stand, and to fight against words and deeds that undermine China’s sovereignty, security and development interests as well as the prosperity of Hong Kong.
(2) To be good at resolving conflicts and problems in Hong Kong’s development, to have a strategic mindset and a broad vision, to break through the barriers of interests that restrict Hong Kong’s economy and people’s livelihood, and to effectively solve problems such as housing, employment, healthcare and the disparity between the rich and the poor.
3. to be close to the grassroots and grounded, focusing on issues of public concern
4. to unite the forces of all parties and foster broad solidarity
5. Be responsible, work in your position and be dedicated, work hard and do your job diligently.
This will lead the community to Nirvana where “the housing problem, which is now a major concern for everyone, will be greatly improved, and sub-divided units and caged homes will be history.”
What has this guy been smoking?
It will be very entertaining to watch the incoming Legcos jump through hoops with no avenue of escape as the family passports will be confiscated. Achieving No 4 is a Mission Impossible.
I’m surprised Xia did not steal the full slogan – “and not one less”.
Mary – Interesting number of demands. Did he conclude with “not one less”?
@Mary – tbf, Curry Lamb knows exactly how to deal with 5 demands. And not one less!
I walked around CWB this Sunday afternoon, because I live here, and all I have to say is:
GET THE FUCKING POLICE OFF OUR STREETS.
Five Demands is symbolic, Not One Less is implicit.
In certain respects the Pro-e’s are under more pressure than the 60% DisenFranchised.
Leggers will have to show up at every meeting and ordering lobsters, cruising for scantily clad lasses, etc, or even following online reporting on the antics of fellow members while ‘on the job’ will be absolute no no.
Hot pot lash back has put the damper on knees up socializing so any free time will be spent catching up on what the party leaders did that day in order to be aware of subtle policy changes and hidden messages.
Conspicuous attendance at all and every patriotic event a must.
Cash in the golf and other club memberships, any but proletarian pastimes are contrary to Demand No 3.
No DC by-elections planned so, instead of well remunerated shoe-in posts for those ousted in the 2019 election, it will be compulsory participation in the lowly and poorly remunerated district advisories.
Grind, grind and more grind.
While the for DE’s
No hours long ‘struggle sessions’, now almost daily events.
No pressure to constantly prove fidelity.
No bitching from wives and kids forced to relinquish their BNOs and other indications of less than 100% patriotism.
And no pressure to deliver ….. anything.