#OpinionArticle #SimonLau

Simon Lau's explosive talk, Luo Huining's bright sword: Article 23 pushed forward before September's election, Sino-American hot war after Wuhan pneumonia.

(18 Apr) Luo Huining, the Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong, made a speech on video a few days ago pushing for the enactment of Basic Law Article 23. He focused his criticism on Hong Kong's national security mechanisms and hinted at the Central Government's unyielding attitude.

According to Simon Lau's analysis, "The Central Government knows that after the LegCo election, maintaining national security with LegCo will only become more difficult. Carrie Lam has already done one piece of dirty work; she cannot possibly do another one. While she is finishing her term and stepping down, the September election occurs. As such, it is an opportune moment to enact Article 23. I predict that this is the CCP's game plan."

//They are using the same trick this time, thinking that citizens will not care about political issues after the disaster [epidemic]. Previously, Junius Ho called for a petition to enact Article 23. This must have been a direct order from the CCP and not from Luo.//

//When dealing with the rest of the world, Hong Kong is relied on as just a pretty face to attract investments. But if they are burning alongside the rest of the world, the Central Government does not mind sacrificing Hong Kong.//

Full translation:
https://telegra.ph/Simon-Laus-explosive-talk-Luo-Huinings-bright-sword-Article-23-pushed-forward-before-Septembers-election-Sino-American-hot-war-a-04-28

Source: Next Magazine
https://bit.ly/2VI6UOH

#OneCountryTwoSystems #CCP #Taiwan #FreedomOfPress #US #ExpellJournalists #Article23 #ColdWar #HotWar #DenisKwok

Composition of the Legislative Council explained

#LegCo

The United Nations human rights office says it is "closely following" the arrest of pro-democracy figures in #HongKong, reminding the city of its obligations under international law.

Source: Hong Kong Free Press
https://www.facebook.com/800660560021071/posts/2940030916084014/

#UN

#Research
HKU estimates 232,000 infected in Wuhan in mid-February, 2.8 times the reported total for China

There are more than a million cases of Wuhan coronavirus in Europe and the United States and yet the epidemic has not even peaked. In stark contrast, mainland China, the country where the outbreak started, has only about 82,000 cases, leading the public to question the true scale of the outbreak. The Hong Kong University School of Public Health's WHO Collaborating Centre for Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases has found that had mainland China broadened its case definition criteria earlier; and screened all those with respiratory symptoms, who have been to Wuhan and surrounds, or who have been in contact with suspected cases; it is estimated that by 20 February, the number of patients with Wuhan pneumonia would have reached 232,000, about 2.8 times the current reported total cases in the mainland.

//The study further pointed out that the mainland officially announced 1 January as the date of disease onset for 114 patients. However had the mainland adopted the fifth edition of the criteria at that point in time, 11,000 patients would have been identified with onset on 1 January, an increase of 96 times.//

Full translation:
https://telegra.ph/HKU-estimates-232000-infected-in-Wuhan-in-mid-February-28-times-the-reported-total-for-China-04-28

Sources: Apple Daily HK ; The Lancet, April 2020

#Coronavirus #Wuhan #China #Infected #Data

#Newspaper

The Jiang Zemin’s universe and P4 lab: making big pharmaceutical businesses out of the COVID-19 pandemic

(21 Apr) Jiang Zemin’s son is Jiang Mianheng. Chen Zhu is a partner of Jiang Mianheng. Both of them are former Vice Presidents of the China Academy of Science (CAS) and responsible for the design, funding and construction of the P4 Lab. Chen Zhu is now president of the Red Cross Society in China. The current director of the P4 Lab is Yuan Zhiming. Mr. Yuan is a partner with Jiang Zemin’s grandson, Jiang Zhicheng, in Wuxi AppTec. Wuxi AppTec’s subsidiary company: Fosun Pharma has an exclusive partnership with Gilead in listed pharmaceutical businesses in China. Gilead owns the patent rights for Remdesivir to cure COVID-19. However, P4 lab pushed ahead of the registration of patent ‘rights’ for Remdesivir on 21st January, even before Gilead, when the latter meant to ‘give’ CCP a clinical trial of Remdesivir free. In response to this, Gilead announced publicly on 8th Feb that they had ‘no right’ to intervene in how China’s researchers' registration the ‘trademark’ of Remdesivir. They were ‘working hard’ to push feasible production. The cost and price of the drug were not discussed.

Full translation:
https://telegra.ph/The-Jiang-Zemin-Galaxy-and-P4-lab-making-big-pharmaceutical-businesses-out-of-the-COVID-19-pandemic-04-28

Sources: Gateway Pundit, The Sydney Morning Herald, Science Net and Epoch Times

#Pandemic #Redemsivir #WuhanP4lab #Gilead #JiangZemin #JiangMianheng #SunLijun #JiangZhicheng #MengJianzhu

#Newspaper

Sweden Closes Its Last Remaining ‘Confucius Institute’ amid Strained Relations with China

//Sweden has closed the last remaining Confucius Institute in the country as relations with China deteriorate further amid the coronavirus pandemic

//The Chinese government in 2004 launched Confucius institutes at various foreign universities, with the stated goal of promoting Chinese language and culture. However, U.S. officials have stated that the institutes are a propaganda tool meant to enhance China’s “soft power.”

//Sweden-China relations had already soured before the coronavirus pandemic. In November 2019 China arrested Swedish publisher Gui Minhai for printing texts critical of Communist Party premier Xi Jinping.

Full Article: National Review, (23-Apr)

#Sweden #ConfuciusInstitute #CCP #ChinesePropaganda

Sweden plans to stop foreign investment that harm the country’s security interests

Image: Internet

Further reading:
Exclusive: India foreign investment rules aimed at China to include Hong Kong
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/1991

#Sweden #Investment #Security #China

#Newspaper

Canada says 1 million masks purchased from China unusable

//The Canadian government said Friday that one million KN95 masks imported from China did not meet its strict standards and so could not be distributed to frontline health workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

//The relationship between Ottawa and Beijing has been on the rocks ever since the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, an executive at Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, in December 2018 in Vancouver.

//In early April, Canada received deliveries of more than 10 million masks and announced total orders for more than 60 million more N95 masks.

Full article: Free Malaysia Today, (25 Apr)

Further reading:
Finland's Emergency Supply Agency Head Quits Over Face Mask Purchase
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/19573

#Canada #Coronavirus #Masks #KN95 #ChinaLiedPeopleDied #Unusable #MadeInChina

#Newspaper

Spain seeks refund for defective coronavirus tests, after replacement kits also prove faulty

//The Spanish government is trying to get back the money it paid for 640,000 antigen coronavirus tests that it purchased via a Spanish distributor from a Chinese company called Bioeasy.

// As happened the first time around, these tests do not have the sensitivity required to detect the virus, meaning that there is a high chance that they won’t detect the coronavirus in a person who has been infected.

//On seeing that they weren’t sufficiently sensitive, the government decided to cancel the entire order.

//The company suggested replacing the order with antigen kits, which were also rapid but that required a machine to read the result. The Chinese company was going to include these machines free of charge to compensate for the problems.

//The Spanish government has now rejected the use of antigen tests, in which great hopes had been placed just a few weeks ago. This kind of test is now not even being used in the latest diagnostic protocols for the Covid-19 disease.

//The latter kits detect antibodies, and as such do not detect the disease in the early stages of infection. These are the ones that are being used in order to increase the number of diagnostic tests being carried out, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Full Article: El Pais, (21-Apr)

Further reading:
Spanish official cries reading names of health workers killed by coronavirus
https://youtu.be/lMu-jCazJzE

#Spain #China #Coronavirus #TestKits #AntigenTest #WHO #Defective #MadeInChina

#Newspaper

China's coronavirus aid to Syria fits inside just two cardboard boxes

//Coronavirus aid delivery from China arrived in Damascus on Wednesday after an outbreak of the disease in Syria which many fear will have a devastating impact on the country's struggling healthcare sector.

//China's ambassador to Damascus said the delivery was the first batch of medical assistance to Syria and more supplies will follow soon. But the photo of the aid delivery left many Syrians severely disappointed with their long-time ally.

//China delivered medical supplies to Syria in the fight against #COVID19, and yes those two boxes were the supplies. Mask diplomacy doesn't (properly) apply to Syria

//Although Syria has only reported 33 cases and two deaths from coronavirus, experts believe the disease is much more widespread in the country.

Full article: The New Arab, (16-Apr)

#Syria #Coronavirus #Pandemic #MaskDiplomacy #China

#DailyUpdate #Apr29 #COVID19

COVID-19 Updates (29/4)

At the time of writing, 3,154,442 cases of the coronavirus had been confirmed with 218,795 deaths. US, Spain, Italy, and France continue to be the worst affected countries by the pandemic.

China reports 22 new cases of coronavirus where 21 of them were imported.

108 UK health and social care workers have died from coronavirus.

Russian PM says "impossible to give an exact date" for reopening borders or lifting Covid-19 restrictions.

Germany advises against international travel until at least June 14.

Potential vaccine being tested in Germany will start US tests "shortly" and could "supply millions" by end of the year.

Beijing to lower coronavirus emergency response from highest level.

Military disinfecting Portuguese classrooms as schools prepare to open on May 18.

Hong Kong airport brings in cleaning robots and disinfection booth.

China will hold major annual political gathering on May 22 after 2-month delay as virus outbreak eases.

Greece plans to welcome tourists this summer.

Rare inflammatory syndrome seen in US child with COVID-19.

Study in China indicates men may be more likely to die from coronavirus than women.

30,000 reusable masks sent to pregnant women in Japan may be defective.

Angry mob attacks police at the cremation of suspected coronavirus patients in northern India.

Sailors will start to return to virus-stricken US Navy aircraft carrier.

Australian PM says country has not reached success despite low coronavirus case numbers.

2 major US airlines will provide masks for passengers beginning in early May.

Hungry protesters are back on the streets in Lebanon.

Canada says its epidemic growth rate is slower than in most countries but death rate continues to spike.

Source: CNN, Worldometer

Joshua Wong: Beijing is paving the path to disqualify all 70 LegCo councillors if 35 or more are Pro-Democrats

• Beijing’s interference in Legislative Council will only worsen

• Even if pro-democrats achieve a majority in LegCo, Beijing will find ways to dissolve it

• HongKongers must be ready to fight for the survival of Hong Kong’s special status to ensure the survival of LegCo

https://telegra.ph/Beijing-is-paving-the-path-to-disqualify-all-70-LegCo-councillors-if-35-or-more-are-Pro-Democrats-04-29

#LegCo #JoshuaWong #Beijing

#831PrinceEdward #Remembrance

毋忘·孤魂慼民

或許沒有必要再次談論，
那晚到底有沒有人死了，
每一個人心中自有答案，
但是鏡頭前的每幕景象，
無法消失在香港人眼內。

傳媒記者被警方拒諸門外，
應該披露的真相石沉大海，
急救員拍打鐵閘苦苦哀求，
應該救助的傷者接觸不到。

曾經有朋友對我說：
「生日也只是一年一次，
為甚麼要每個月也來？」

我低頭沉思一會回答：
「因為他們不會再有生日，
他們只是幸好不是我的朋友。」

圖：Leung Yik Ho

==========

The Reason We Are Here

Perhaps there's no need to talk about it again.
Did anyone die that night?
Everyone has their own answers,
But everything that has been recorded on the camera，
Will not escape the sight of Hong Kong people.

Reporters were shut out by the police,
The truth was hidden, just like a stone sunken to the seabed.
Medics banged on iron gates and begged to be allowed,
The injured awaiting rescue were out of reach.

A friend once said to me,
"We celebrate birthdays only once a year,
Why are we here every month?”

I lowered my head to ponder for a moment and answered,
"Because they won't have their birthdays anymore,
It’s a relief that they're not my friends.”

Photo: Leung Yik Ho

#NetizensVoice

0 infection today, achieved by the HK people, not the government.

(20 Apr) It was frontline medical workers' strike that, although stopping short of full border closure, forced mandatory quarantine.

It was multiple Yellow [pro-democracy] shops, district councillors, and non-governmental organizations that gathered medical protection supplies and shared them with the public.

It was the medical personnel in isolation wards who risked their lives fighting against the disease.

It was the HK people withholding their desire to go out who maintained proper social distancing.

It was the 1755 cases of infection and 299 deaths from SARS in 2003 that remind us today to stay vigilant.

It was the HK people's collective distrust of China that allowed proper defences despite being next to epidemic hot spots. As we focus on anti-epidemic defences, do not neglect our burdens under political suppression, police brutality and ruin of the rule of law.

Hong Kong is not Taiwan. We have no democratically elected government for leadership. We have no centralised method to distribute or sell anti-epidemic supplies. We have no big data analysis to track those placed in isolation or inventory supplies real-time. We have no official that can utter a single reassuring sentence.

Blow after blow, we remain standing no matter when, where or what.

Source: RWBB
https://bit.ly/2WbUeym

#SelfHelp #FailedState #Coronavirus #Epidemic #HongKongers #Taiwan #HongKongSpirit

#Newspaper

International news: “Coronavirus Attack” game from Steam

(26 Apr) A few days ago, a game called "Coronavirus Attack" was launched on Steam, the game features a virus that causes people to become selfish zombies. The virus have spread throughout the country. Many carriers have fled, in order to control the outbreak, a lab produced a coronavirus to destroy the zombies.

The Easter eggs in the game include the secret number "198964", "Taiwan is not China", "Free Hong Kong", and other achievements. The game is also priced at 64 yuan, so it attracted many Chinese players to leave negative comments about how the game is humiliating China, insults to Taiwan and Hong Kong citizens and other reviews.

Yesterday, some Chinese players found they are unable to search the game on Steam. At first, they thought their protest finally made Valve Inc take the initiative to take “Coronavirus Attack” off the shelves.

Surprisingly, Steam blocked any Chinese IP from accessing the game’s webpage and netizens outside China can still play.

The Chinese players were infuriated as they think Valve Inc is protecting racist views and they called for resistance.

However, interestingly, a few weeks earlier, Steam marked Taiwan as a country, which caused many Chinese netizens to be dissatisfied and called for a boycott, but it caused another group of players to rebound because they were worried that there would be no games to play in the future, resulting in arguments between the two groups on the Internet.

Source: Facebook (台灣也有一個騰訊)
https://bit.ly/2W2xIIe

#Game #Steam #CoronavirusAttack #Taiwan #HongKong

#NetizensVoice

China’s global propaganda campaign has broken another record.

(25 Apr)The Chinese Embassy in Manila released a propaganda music video, glorifying the CCP’s rescue. The video has successfully received 1,100 likes and 96,000 dislikes, which is a testament to how good the CCP is in the eyes of the Filipinos.

The name of the song is “One Sea”, yet the CCP is still trying to claim sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea.

Source: RWBB
https://bit.ly/2KNTKsQ

#CCP #ChinesePropaganda #Philippines

China under Xi: Reformation or Regression?

It is no secret that China was left in shambles by the failures brought about by the Cultural Revolution. These failures were a direct result Mao Zedong’s selfish efforts to remain at the helm, exhausting every method possible, hence, driving the nation into a disaster.

When Deng Xiaoping took over, he adopted a "collective leadership", introduced age limits for holders of Party and State offices, and oversaw the separation of Party and State, which allowed for a balance between the General Secretary of the Communist Party and the Premier of the State Council.

Collective leadership then became the leitmotif for the following thirty years. It served the Communist Party of China (CPC) well, allowing it to ride out of the political storm of 1989. It also helped to maintain a balance in the post-Deng period after 1997, between the factions of the two General Secretaries — Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao.

In this period China’s GDP quadrupled and its global stature grew proportionately.

Xi Jinping has steadily gathered power since becoming party head in November 2012 and has morphed himself into the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. In addition, Xi Jinping's thoughts have been elevated to bring it on par with Mao’s philosophy.

However, Xi's "reform" is not totally popular. Two petitions have emerged out of China in recent weeks — Ren Zhiqiang’s essay, "My Reading of February 23", and Xu Zhangrun’s essay "Viral Alarm: When Fury Overcomes Fear".

It is believed that both petitioners, like their predecessors, will find themselves ill-fated.

The contents of Ren's and Xu's petitions are broadly similar. They hold Xi Jinping personally responsible for the devastation caused inside and outside of China, due to the of the poor handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. They also mentioned that this is part of a quest for him to further establish himself to be the “core” of China, resulting in the systematic consolidation of all authority, civilian, military and party, the removal of constitutional provisions that limit the term of any leader who desires to be the President, the re-merger of the functions of Party and State by arrogating authority that should vest in the Premier of the State Council especially on the economy, the control over all policy through self-appointed Groups instead of Party Committees, and the endless political purges in the name of an anti-corruption campaign that has silenced Xi’s political challengers.

It is noted that CCP’s legitimacy rests on economic performance. Thus, Xi must swiftly tackle the coronavirus epidemic while simultaneously revive China’s shellshocked economy.

The outcome could be a testimony to the legitimacy of Xi's departure from Deng's remarkable reform.

Source:
https://theprint.in/opinion/in-china-two-subjects-questioned-emperor-xi-and-they-disappeared-from-public-view/405044/

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/02/24/xi-jinping-coronavirus-china-covid-19-quarantine/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fang_Lizhi

http://www.bjreview.com.cn/90th/2011-04/26/content_357494_5.htm

https://time.com/5778994/coronavirus-china-country-future/

#Newspaper

China’s Second-Quarter Rebound Already Losing Steam, Data Show

//China had historic contraction in first quarter due to virus

//While March data showed a pickup from the slump in the first two months of the year, the earliest indicators for this month show domestic demand as still very weak and companies remaining cautious

//The global shutdown has caused clients and orders to disappear, according to a survey of sales managers by World Economics

//The central bank and government have stepped up support for financial markets in the past month...but the stock market has lost momentum

//Recovery from depends on domestic and global demand rebounding

Full Article: Bloomberg News (25-Apr)

#coronavirus #globalshutdown #recessioninchina #firstquarter #ecomony

#Newspaper

Video: Guinea Rounds Up and arrests Chinese Citizens until all its Citizens safely Return from china.

//According to a video making rounds on social media, the Guinean government has arrested Chinese citizens risiding in the country until all its citizens safely return from china.

//This is a first of its kind from an African country given the ongoing racial attacks and harassment of Africans in china by the Chinese people.

//The Chineses government has denied these allegations despite videos showing the same.

//The current racial profilling against Africans should be a wake-up call for Africans and their leaders to come together and form a formidable force that will confront their challenges.

//African leaders unquenchable appetite to Chinese loans is their undoing. They have literally sold their soul and that of their citizens.

//Failure of African governments to make decisive response regarding attacks of Africans can lead to ordinary citizens taking matters into their own hands.

Full article: Kenyan Report, (18-Apr)

Further reading:
African Are Discriminated Against in China
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/19496

#China #Africans #Guinean #Racism

#PrinceEdward831
8th Mensiversary of 831 Terror, Police Disrupt Remembrance Activities

On Aug 31, 2019, Hong Kong police were seen using excessive force in dispersing, attacking and arresting train passengers and pro-democracy protesters returning home after a protest demonstration on the same day at Prince Edward subway station.

At around mid-night, riot police locked down the entire station, during which the media was shoved away and medics being rejected to attend to the injured. It was rumoured that civilians passed away that evening due to police brutality. An altar was since then set up in remembrance of the deceased.

It was a painful night for many Hongkongers. On the last day of every month, civilians commemorate the deceased outside the station, which is perhaps a way to sooth the painful scar in their hearts.

April 30 marks 8 months after the attack. Civilians started laying white flowers at 3pm but were stopped by riot police at 5pm.

Source: Stand News #Apr30