Some HK Free Press pieces you might have missed…
Revealing which media are and are not invited to John Lee’s inauguration would aid terrorists. (Maybe the more outlets are allowed to cover the show, the more the public is terrorized with boredom.)
Spring festival sedition trials: Stand News for publishing opinions, and a Portuguese citizen for Internet posts and crowdfunding for ‘military expenses’. A comment on the former…
The longer this trial goes on, the more clear it becomes that GovHK thinks that any media outlet that allows any protester or pro-Demo person to express their view is guilty of sedition.
(Also, a thread on the disappearance of online media archives.)
And Beijing and Hong Kong officials lash out against remarks by the US Consul-General. Government release – 1,800 words of overly wrought righteous fury – here…
…the US Government and politicians have been repeatedly exploiting different incidents and occasions, as well as creating excuses, to slander the NSL and attack the HKSAR in its dutiful, faithful and lawful implementation of the NSL.
Perhaps the authorities could arrange to have fewer ‘incidents and occasions’ in the first place?
Elsewhere…
YouTube interview with Pete Spurrier of Blacksmith Books. Who knew the trendy and glamorous world of publishing includes scooping coins up in the middle of a flooded road?
The CCP spells out its ‘national security’ neurosis: from the Center for Strategic Translation, an English version of an extract from The Total National Security Paradigm: A Study Outline…
“an important and authoritative auxiliary text for the broad mass of cadres” to include in their group study sessions.
George Magnus in New Statesman on China’s economic prospects…
If the ultimate goal of the government is to have a compliant citizenry that is beholden to and trusting in the CCP, the last few months have done the opposite. The zero Covid experience has stained the government’s reputation and its status among citizens. Xi’s political status is secure, but his reputation is now clearly flawed.
NY Mag interview with Michael Pettis on the same subject.
The Guardian on Xi’s hold on power, regardless of screw-ups…
Several analysts the Guardian spoke to described a catch-22 in Xi’s leadership, but one he ultimately benefits from. He has consolidated power so successfully that he essentially is the party. It means that he owns its mistakes as well as its successes, but having effectively destroyed the prospects of any opposition, it’s of little consequence. There may be dissatisfaction with Xi, but not among anyone powerful enough to do something about it.
(Also in the Guardian – a pretty good long read on the Cultural Revolution, including Xi Jinping’s ‘creation myth’.)
The Belt and Road vision-concept thing will be 10 years old this year. 9 Dash Line takes stock…
…BRI has all but disappeared from official statements and speeches by the Chinese leadership … Nonetheless, the Chinese leadership is reluctant to fully abandon the BRI, aiming to reframe and transform the initiative instead.
China Digital Times looks at the struggle to portray it as a success. And WSJ (firewalled) on badly built projects starting to crumble from Uganda to Ecuador to Pakistan.
From China Media Project – how Chinese authorities are Trying Too Hard to enlist exchange students in ‘discourse power’ propaganda initiatives.
Also from CDT, Cyberspace Administration guidelines on countering ‘gloomy sentiments’ during Spring Festival…
4. Strengthen the crackdown on feudal superstitions and unhealthy traditions. First, continue to clean up posts and videos that praise or promote feudal superstitions and practices, fortune telling, divination, and other illegal services. Strictly limit the use of click-bait posts that feature revealing clothing or suggestive behaviors to create vulgar personas such as “hotel hottie,” “scenic-spot hottie,” “snow hottie,” “rural hottie,” “food delivery hottie,” etc.
“continue to clean up posts and videos that praise or promote feudal superstitions and practices, fortune telling, divination”
Umm ……. reports on the CNY crowds at Che Kung and Wong Tai Sin temples and the Lam Tsuen (plastic) Wishing Tree tick all those boxes.
Not to mention the millions being poured into promoting Chinese customs and culture on both sides of the border.
Yet another 1C2S conundrum?
Kung Hei
@Mary Melville – I’m not sure the Che Kung Temple’s oracular pronouncements qualify as feudal superstition. Twice in the past 13 years they’ve told the government it needs to listen to the people, which sounds considerably less feudal than what we’re stuck with now.
Xi Emperor Has No Clothes
What’s all this then?
Seditious links, satirical comments, interfering in our internals…
I arrest you on suspicion of doin’ somethin’ or other.
I must ask you to walk this way and fall down the station steps.
Mind how you go.
Mixed feelings about two of your links today, Hemmers; one to the HKSAR government’s incontinent cri de coeur in response to the US Consul, the other to the guidelines issued by the “Cyberspace Administration”.
I’d just like to say that I strongly condemn the style in which the former is written and also that I vehemently object to your providing links to mind-numbing screeds which serve little purpose other than to impair the mental wellbeing of your readership.
You redeem yourself, however, by linking us to the latter, which I, for one, found to be a barrel of laughs from beginning to end. So overcome by mirth was I when I perused the examples provided of “vulgar personas” that the tears were running down my legs. I can’t thank you enough.
Anyway, must fly as my “pool table hottie” is calling me over to strictly investigate and no doubt resolutely crack down on some arcane breach of the rules perpetrated (allegedly) by his opponent.
Ho hum.
Re: Low Profile – when the Che Kung ‘oracle’ advises the government to ‘listen to the people’ it is referring to the demands and interests of HYK not those of the hoi polloi.
Lau “noted that the same number 11 stick was drawn at the ceremony by his father – then-Heung Yee Kuk head Lau Wong-fat twelve years ago, which is a reminder for the government to do more consultations and listen to more opinions, in order to make its projects more workable.” ie more lucrative for vested interests.
Let’s just say this, Jimmy Lai is exactly where he deserves to be
Alex Lo shows himself to be a bigger turd than was thought possible.
@Mary Melville – that’s their interpretation, certainly, but not necessarily the only one. The Kuk doesn’t have a monopoly on interpretation.
Surely the CCP must be China’s number one “feudal superstition and unhealthy tradition”?