Chinese state media calls Australia a ‘gangster’ as trade war flares

China has accused Australia of being part of an “axis of white supremacy” because of our intelligence alliance with Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Global times, state-run media mouthpiece, said Five Eyes was taking coordinated action against China. And description about Five Eyes in the Global times was “Five Eyes alliance members are all English-speaking. The formation of four states, except the UK, is the result of British colonisation.”

They continued to censure that the Five Eyes countries had been bought together by the US to become the “center of the West” and the bloc had become an organization targeting China and Russia.

Source: News.com.au #Feb26

https://www.news.com.au/news/five-eyes-china-accuses-australia-of-being-part-of-an-axis-of-white-supremacy/news-story/14599f6ca8e6100632b30557c2105a75

#China #ChineseStateMedia #Australia #FiveEyes

#FirstHand #Mar2
Hongkongers Waited Outside Court to Show Support for 47 Pro-Democracy Activists

It was 10pm on March 2, 2021. Dozend of Hongkongers waited outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Court to voice support for the 47 pro-democracy figures who were charged with "conspiracy to state subversion" on Feb 28, 2021 and detained since then apart from appearing in court.

The hearing that took place since March 1 could be the longest in Hong Kong history. It would carry onto the third day, starting again on the afternoon of March 3.

Despite police intimidation, the crowd chanted "release all political prisoners!" and cheered at the remanded pro-democracy activists "we support you, til the end!".

It was reported that the 47 defendents were not allowed to change their clothes nor take a shower for 4 days.

#HumanitarianCrisis #Solidarity #Hongkongers #Court #47Democrats

#MadeinChina #WuhanPneumonia
63-year-old Man Dies After Receiving China-made #Sinovec Jab

Source: InMedia#Mar2 ; Stand News #Mar1

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#MadeinChina #WuhanPneumonia
63-year-old Man Dies After Receiving China-made #Sinovec Jab

On March 2, 2021, media in Hong Kong reported that a 63-year-old died lesd than 2 days after receiving the China-made Sinovec covid-19 vaccine on Feb 26, 2021. The man developed difficulties in breathing on Feb 28. He fell into a coma and passed away on the same day where he admitted himself to the hospital.

The health authorities in Hong Kong did not release any information of the case only two days later. The government issued a press release after receiving plenty of media inquiries. The authorities denied that the death is related to the vaccination and insisted that the China-made vaccine is "safe".

On Feb 26, 2021, the first day of the vaccination scheme, a 72-year-old man in Hong Kong suffered hypertension and heart palpitation after receiving the #Sinovec Jab and is still hospitalised as on Mar 1. An elderly lady also felt unwell for similiar reason.

Read more:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28879

On March 1 alone, four people, aged 39, 45, 48 and 69, were reported sick after vaccination. They exhibited symptons such as dizziness, high blood pressure, fatigue and and were all sent to the hospital.

Source: InMedia#Mar2 ; Stand News #Mar1
https://bit.ly/3bTj51J

#Vaccination #Covid19

#Professionalism
Three #RTHK Senior Management Refuse to Sign Government's Pledge of Political Allegiance By Quiting

According to sources, three senior management members from the Public and Current Affair Department in the public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (#RTHK) have resigned.

They are Doris Wong Lok-ha, director of the Public and Current Affair Department; the executive producers of the program “Hong Kong Stories” Fong Hiu Shan and of the political satire program “Headliner” Liu Wai-ling.

It was said that Liu and Fong had left last month while Wong resigned on March 2, 2021. The three were employed with a civil servant contract. Their resignation is connected to their refusal to sign the pledge of political allegiance demanded by the Hong Kong government.

The day Wong resigned is also the first day of office of the new Director of Broadcasting Li Pak-chuen who was parachuted to the public broadcaster.

Source: Stand News #Mar2
https://bit.ly/3b45QMI

#Dignity #PoliticalAllegiance

#WhiteTerror #Censorship
#University in Hong Kong Cancels #WorldPressPhoto Exhibition with Protest Photos

Source: RTHK; Stand News; AFP #Feb26

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#WhiteTerror #Censorship
#University in Hong Kong Cancels #WorldPressPhoto Exhibition with Protest Photos

The Hong Kong Baptist University (#HKBU) cancelled an exhibition of World Press Photo winners right before its opening, citing "safety and security" fears as the reason.

The exhibition was set to display prize-winning photos of the 2019 Anti-ELAB protests.

The university, however, did not further explain what their safety "fears" were.

World Press Photo is an annual international competition. In the past, its exhibition has difficulties in taking place inside China.

In October 2020, a similar echibition in Macau, was shut down without explanation by authorities.

Source: RTHK; Stand News; AFP #Feb26
https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1577706-20210226.htm

https://bit.ly/2ZQxztV

#Photography

In Hong Kong, 47 out of the 53 democrats from the primary election mass arrest on Jan 6 was sent to court on March 1, 2021 due to Subversion of State Power under the National Security Law.

#NationalSecurityLaw #MassArrest #PrimaryElection #GoHKgraphics

Huawei Launches Internal Investigation as Fake Accounts Manipulate Its Social Media. Twitter: Conclusive Evidence may Lead to Permanent Blocking

Source: Stand News #Jan31

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Huawei Launches Internal Investigation as Fake Accounts Manipulate Its Social Media. Twitter: Conclusive Evidence may Lead to Permanent Blocking

Chinese telecoms company Huawei has been aggressively exploring overseas markets in recent years, but there have also been concerns about its rise and the manipulation of online media. The research firm Graphika found that during Belgium's reconsideration of its 5G policy, Twitter was flooded with fake accounts claiming to support Huawei. The Financial Times also found that Huawei's top executives, who had only used their Twitter accounts to issue press releases, had an unusually large number of followers. Twitter said that it had taken action against thousands of fake fans of Huawei executives' accounts, while Huawei admitted that the company had not done enough to comply with the rules of the social platform.

An international research firm Graphika released A 33-page study on Thursday saying that a new wave of manipulation on social media comes as the Belgian government revisits its 5G network policy and considers restricting "high-risk vendors" such as Huawei from building the country's 5G systems. At first, at least 14 Twitter accounts posing as telecoms experts, writers and academics shared pro-Huawei posts attacking Belgium's new policy. Graphika analyzed as fake photos and followers believed to be robots, despite their personal photos and occupations.

Source: Stand News #Jan31

https://bit.ly/2NZSwzS

#Huawei #Twitter #fakeaccounts #socialmedia #telecom #ChineseTelecom #Belgium #Graphika

Nearly 5,000 Hong Kong citizens sign up for new U.K. visa, report says

According to the source, The Times, about half of the 5,000 applicants received were from Hong Kongers who were already in Britain.

Britain says it is fulfilling a historical and moral commitment to Hong Kong’s people after National Security law was enacted by Beijing.

The UK government forecasted that the new visa could attract more than 300,000 people and their dependents to Britain.

Source: Japan Times #Feb18

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/02/18/asia-pacific/hong-kong-uk-visa-applicants/

#UK #Britain #BNOVisa #HongKong #LifeBoatScheme

Ottawa partners with Huawei to fund university research despite security concern

Source: The Globe and Mail #Fed15

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Ottawa partners with Huawei to fund university research despite security concern

The federal government is teaming up with Huawei to sponsor cutting-edge research in computer science and electrical engineering at Canadian universities, a move that critics say threatens that country’s national security and economic interests.

The National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), a federal agency, collaborates with the Canadian branch of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. to finance studies. Top universities in the US and Britain have shied away from other Huawei research funds due to intellectual property and national security concerns.

Jim Hinton, a prominent Canadian intellectual property lawyer, said the research projects were tapping into Canadian brains and giving Huawei’s parent company in China an internal route to access next-generation technology which would serve China’s national interests.

Source: The Globe and Mail #Fed15

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-ottawa-funds-cutting-edge-huawei-research-at-canadian-universities/

#Canada #Huawei #CanadaUniversities

#MassSurveillance #FacialRecognition
Hong Kong Governmemt Amends Privacy Policy: Airport Passengers’ Personal Data Can be Assessed by Third Party Supplier

Since Jan 2021, a new facial recognition system has been added to every boarding gate (called the "e-security gates") at the Hong Kong International Airport.

This was one of Hong Kong Airport’s 9 billions renovation projects. However, just one day before the deployment of the new system, the Airport Authority Hong Kong amended the privacy policy of the e-security gates.

Compared with the previous version from June 28, 2019 found in the Internet Archive, passengers’ privacy became less protected. Some articles of the “Passengers’ agreement” and one part which mentioned “only anonymous data would be collected” were removed in the new version.

Passengers personal data could also be sent to the third party supplier. The Authority has refused to disclose the identity of the system supplier.

Source: Radio Free Asia #Feb23

#BigData

#Court #PoliceState
Hong Kong #ESports player acquitted from "conspiring to riot" worries the Authorities might lodge an appeal

Source: Apple News #Feb19

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#Court #PoliceState
Hong Kong #ESports player acquitted from "conspiring to riot" worries the Authorities might lodge an appeal

Six Hongkongers were charged with "conspiring to riot" regarding a clash on Oct 1, 2019, which was the PRC's National Day.

On Feb 19, 2021, after more than one year since the accusation was made, all six accused were acquitted in court.

Outside the court, e-sports player Cheung Ho Fai, as one of the six accused, said he felt stressed and negative as the verdict was not announced until the lunar new year, and he only anticipated a fifty-fifty chance of winning.

Even though they were now acquitted, Cheung was still worried that the Department of Justice (#DoJ) might file an appeal.

He also wished that he could suffer the stress for his girlfriend, who was also one of the accused, and believed every boyfriend would have thought the same.

As Cheung stepped out of the court, friends congratulated him and some said “Way to go!” “Now go back to E sports and win a champion!”

Before answering the reporters’ questions, Cheung wiped away the sweat on his face and forehead and said “I’m exhausted! It was so stressful!”.

Cheung initially expected to hear the verdict in about a week or a month since the trial was concluded back in December 2020. It turned out that the verdict was not announced until after the lunar new year. He said he wished the case could have ended earlier “It was such a long wait, it wore me down”.

One of the accused in this case was his girlfriend, So Mei Lei. Cheung said, the Anti-ELAB movement began soon after they met. “We got arrested about two, three months after we started dating”, therefore they did not have any future plans, “the only plan was to get ready for the trials”.

Source: Apple News #Feb19

https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20210219/WYCOLN4KSZHIVHKRFBHUPH3VFA/

#Acquitted #HongKongProtests #AntiElab #RiottingCharges #PoliticalPersecution

#FailedState #StateMachine
Hong Kong Government Set Aside HK$8 billion for National Secutity Expenses

Source: RTHK; Stand News #Feb24

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#FailedState #StateMachine
Hong Kong Government Set Aside HK$8 billion for National Secutity Expenses

On Feb 24, 2021, Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced the Financial Budget for 2021/2022. HK$8 billion will be allocated to "safeguarding national security", without giving further details.

What Chan calldd “special fund”
for national security purposes in Hong Kong reaches one-third of China's annual "national security" expenditure in Xinjiang. Meanwhile, the amount currently budgeted in Hong Kong is excluded from the expenses of the National Security Police.

The Financial Secretary in Hong Kong refused to disclose details of how the authorities arrived at the figure. Chan claimed that he had discussed with the national security authorities.

Meanwhile, the police force is set to receive a 7.7 percent budget raise in the coming financial year, following an increase of 25 percent last year.

Source: RTHK; Stand News #Feb24
www.news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1577245-20210224.htm

https://bit.ly/3aQ7scR

#FinancialBudget #NationalSecurityLaw #TaxpayersMoney #PaulChan