📡Guardians of Hong Kong aka BeWater HK
585 subscribers
804 photos
16 videos
602 links
We provide translation of news in English from local media and other sources, for academic use.
Facebook: http://bit.ly/BeWaterHongKong
Instagram: @guardiansofhk
Download Telegram
China insists on dynamic clearing, Netizens complain: the more you're clearing, the less it's working

In mid-March, Chinese President Xi Jinping said to insist on a scientific and precisive dynamic zero-covid strategy. Right after, government agencies and the media commented "not wavering" and "not relaxing", showing their support for the "#DynamicZeroCOVID" strategy one after another.

The National Health Commission (NHC) of China re-emphasised at a teleconference on Friday (#Apr01) the need to firmly unify thoughts and actions with the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the decisions of the Party Central Committee and the State Council. It is to resolutely curb the spread of the epidemic to ensure that the goal of the "social zero-COVID" strategy can be achieved on time.

Many Chinese netizens asked, "How long would it last? How to achieve it on time?" in response to this target proposed by the NHC. Some other netizens used the recent Shanghai epidemic as an example to mock: "Dynamic zero-covid, the more you're clearing, the less it's working".

Source: Deutsche Welle #Apr02

#ZeroCovid #DynamicClearing #COVID19 #China #NationalHealthCommission #XiJinping

https://bit.ly/36Wxqfw
As U.N. Rights Chief Visits China, Some Fear She’ll Become Part of the Spin

The news was given prime placement in Chinese state media: The United Nations’ human rights chief, on her long-awaited visit to the country, had spoken with China’s leader, Xi Jinping. An article plastered across the website of Xinhua, the state news agency, relayed Mr. Xi’s declaration that the Chinese people were enjoying “unprecedented” rights. Then the article quoted the U.N. official, Michelle Bachelet.

“I admire China’s efforts and achievements in eradicating poverty, protecting human rights and realizing economic and social development,” she said, according to Xinhua.

Source: NT Times #May27

https://t.co/oWlZsGvlSp

#China #UnitedNations #XiJinping #Spin
#XiJinPing Warned US President #Biden Democracy Is Dying: 'You Don't Have the Time'

Source: Newsweek #May27

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
#XiJinPing Warned US President #Biden Democracy Is Dying: 'You Don't Have the Time'

//US president Joe Biden revealed that after being elected to the White House, Chinese President Xi Jinping cautioned him that democracies are on the decline and that one day "autocracies will run the world."

"I've met more with Xi Jinping than any other world leader has. When he called me to congratulate me on Election Night, he said to me what he said many times before," Biden said. "He [Xi] said democracies cannot be sustained in the 21st century, autocracies will run the world. Why? Things are changing so rapidly. Democracies require consensus, and it takes time, and you don't have the time."

...Biden reiterated that he believed democracies would prevail against autocracies like China and Russia.

In recent months, many countries have moved to sanction Russia and supply Ukraine with military and humanitarian aid in an effort to support Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty. Russia has had few allies in the fight, although its most powerful has been China.//

Source: Newsweek #May27
https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-naval-academy-speech-china-democracy-warning-1710966
Chinese Authorities Detain Civilian in Mental Hospital for Expressing Opinions over Lockdown Policy

In Nanking, China, a young woman called Ding Yin was sent to a mental hospital after expressing her concerns over the lockdown of Shanghai.

Ding wrote a letter to #XiJinPing, reminding the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (#CCP) of the problems of power abuse and the difficulties faced by the population.

Ding was hospitalised sincr then without any date of release.

Source: Radio Free Asia #Jun10
https://bit.ly/39j6h7x

#Censorship #Regime #ShanghaiLockdown #Pandemic #MentalHospital
#FirstHand #Jun30
Hong Kong Authorities Seal Off Wanchai North to 'welcome' Xi Jinping


Since June 29, 2022, Hong Kong police sealed off a large area completely including car ways and pavements in Wanchai North, to prepare for the arrival of the Chinese Communist Party (#CCP) leader #XiJinPing. From the midnight of June 30, the Exhibition and Convention Center station will also be closed.

On July 1, Xi will be present at the Exhibition and Convention Center to observe the ceremony celebrating the establishment day of the Hong Kong SAR and the officiation of the new Chief Executive.

On the eve of July 1, Hong Kong police sent in the anti-terrorism squad to patrol the area in their new uniform. Police dogs were also deployed. Reporters on the flyover were stopped and searched for 4 times.

During Xi's visit to Hong Kong, the metro will not stop at the
Exhibition and Convention Center station until 2pm on July 1. Buses will also be rerouted.

It was reported that some pro-democracy groups like the League of Social Democrats were warned by the authorities of the consequence of carrying out protests on the day.

#PoliceState #FailedState #Authoritarianism #Suppression #Handover
Media is too big
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
Chinese Communist Leader VS British Royal Visits to Hong Kong

On June 30, 2022, Chinese Communist party (#CCP) leader #XiJinping visited Hong Kong on the 25th aaniversary of the transfer of soveignty of Hong Kong. He was received by officials of the Hong Kong SAR and the so-called "citizens representatives". Meanwhile, roads were blocked around "important locations", and a massive number of police were deployed. July 1 also marks two year since Beijing's enforcement of the #NationalSecurityLaw in Hong Kong.

This is very different from even the British royal visits to Hong Kong before 1997, as shown in the RFA video.

Source: #RFA #Jun30

#Handover #PoliceState
Across 19 countries, more people see the U.S. than China favorably – but more see China’s influence growing

//In 19 countries surveyed by Pew Research Center this spring, people see the United States and President #JoeBiden more favorably than China and its president, Xi Jinping. But when it comes to perceptions of each country’s relative influence in the world, much larger shares in most nations see China’s influence growing than say the same of the U.S.

The five key findings comparing international attitudes toward the two countries are:

1. The U.S. is generally seen more positively than China.

2. Views of Biden remain much more positive than views of #XiJinPing.

3. A median of 66% across 19 countries say China’s influence on the world stage is getting stronger, while just 32% say the same about the U.S. 

4. In many countries, younger people tend to feel more positively about China than older people. 

5. People on the right of the ideological spectrum are more likely than those on the left to view the U.S. favorably, but there are no strong ideological patterns in views of China.//

Read the full report:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/06/29/across-19-countries-more-people-see-the-u-s-than-china-favorably-but-more-see-chinas-influence-growing/

Source: Pew Research Center #Jun29

#Research #Survey #PewResearch #US #China
#UN rights committee seeks assurances hearing participants from Hong Kong won’t be targeted under security law

//The #UnitedNations #HumanRightsCommittee on Thursday began reviewing Hong Kong’s rights record for the first time since Beijing imposed its #nationalsecuritylaw, amid questions about whether groups making submissions to the meeting could fall foul of the legislation.

Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs #ErickTsang and several other top officials attended the meeting in Geneva via video link. In his opening speech, which lasted just under 20 minutes, Tsang said the government had done much to protect #humanrights in Hong Kong.

He also cited Chinese leader #XiJinping as saying the One Country, Two Systems policy has been working well, adding it was recognised by 1.4 billion Chinese people and the international community...

The UN Committee members, however, were not convinced the security law offered sufficient protections for people’s rights and freedoms.

“I note, honourable secretary, your comment about the events that precipitated this law, but I must observe that it was done overnight, without consultation, and bypassing the local legislature,” the committee’s vice chair Christopher Arif Bulkan said.

Another vice chair, Shuichi Furuya from Japan, expressed concern at the overarching nature and broad scope of the legislation. He said the committee had received reports about organisations overseas being requested by Hong Kong authorities to remove content that may be in violation of it....

The meeting of the committee of 18 international experts will continue on Friday and next Tuesday, while a closing session will take place on July 22, 2022.//

Read the full article:
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/07/07/un-committee-starts-first-review-of-hong-kong-human-rights-since-security-law/

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Jul7

#NSL #FailedState #UnitedNations
Zero-Covid: How Xi's flagship policy is spoiling his party

The idea was to have China in stable and tip-top shape when thousands of delegates gather in Beijing to usher in a historic third term in power for Xi Jinping.

However, the coronavirus is not playing nicely.

In recent weeks, tens of millions of people have again been confined to their homes in lockdowns across 60 towns and cities and this is bringing political pressure on the man who has become the most powerful Chinese figure since the first Communist-era leader Mao Zedong.

The government's ongoing "Dynamic zero-Covid" strategy is inextricably linked to Mr Xi. Its success is his success. Its failure? Well, it would be a brave person who tried to pin it on him.

Source: BBC News #Oct07

#China #Covid19 #ZeroCovid #XiJinping

https://t.co/xhgjq0TUKX
US Terminates HKETO to Get Rid of China's Propaganda in the US

With the implementation of #NationalSecueityLaw (#NSL) in 2020, the US has announced that they no longer recognise Hong Kong's autonomy; One-Country-Two-Systems is also dead.

On 15 Dec, Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Chris Smith requested the US to re-assess the privilege and status of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (#HKETO) under the HKETO Certification Acts. They believe HKETO has become Hong Kong's propaganda and urge the US to completely remove them from the country.

Chris Smith described that China's dictator, #XiJinping, suppressed civil and political rights in Hong Kong with NSL, destroying the #BasicLaw and #SinoBritishJointDeclaration. He pointed out that the #USCongress had once published Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in 2020 to decline Hong Kong's autonomy. Therefore, US Law should reflect the fact. At the moment, HKETO is only China's propaganda with no reason for its existence inside the US border.

The HKETO Certificate Act requests the US President to prove whether their Offices can continue having the current privilege within 30 days after it has been passed. If the President opposes their existence, the government must revoke the offices' benefits, and they must cease operation in 6 months. Even if the President agrees on the privilege, Congress can still disapprove.

Executive Director of Hong Kong Democracy Council (#HKDC), Anna Kwok, mentioned the 3 locations of the HKETO offices in the US in Washington, New York and San Francisco on her Facebook Page. HKDC and other HongKonger organisations in the US found out the HKETO promoting "Hong Kong is back" earlier. They present a false picture of peace and prosperity, claiming Hong Kong as a free and democratic place.

#China #US #OneCountryTwoSystems #MarcoRubio #ChrisSmith #AnnaKwok

Source: Commons #Dec16

http://cmmns.co/ejN8w