Cross-party group of MEPs call for action over Hong Kong arrests
Published 3 months ago
The cross-party group of co-chairs of the Hong Kong Watch Group of the European Parliament have united to condemn the arrest of over 50 Hong Kong pan-democrat politicians, activists and lawyers and call on Presidents Michel (Council) and von der Leyen (European Commission), EU High Representative Borrell, as well as EU member states’ governments to take urgent action.
Those arrested had taken part in a primary polling for pro-democracy groups last year, with the aim of standing in the Legislative Council elections, which were later illegitimately postponed. Those arrested have been charged with ‘subversion’ under the controversial Hong Kong National Security Law. The MEPs say this reinforces their view that the law is being used to crack down on all forms of political opposition.
Cross-strait chasm seen in tycoon, media group
By Chen Kuan-Fu 陳冠甫
Two seismic events, one in Taiwan and the other in Hong Kong, have sent shock waves through the respective journalistic communities over the past month.
The event in Taiwan occurred at midnight on Dec. 11, when CTi News ceased broadcasting on cable television after its license renewal application was rejected by the National Communications Commission.
The following day, the channel’s owner, Want Want China Times Media Group founder Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), announced that CTi News would be transformed into a “new media” organization and continue broadcasting around-the-clock on YouTube.
At the time of writing, the YouTube channel had 2.27 million subscribers.
Hongkongs Niedergang und Chinas Vormarsch - Eine letzte Warnung cicero.de - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cicero.de Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
19 December 2020
Author: Vera Yuen, HKU
2020 has been a tough year for Hong Kong’s economy. The city was already in a recession in 2019 due to US–China trade tensions and domestic social unrest. In January, Hong Kong reported its first local COVID-19 case. The government quickly rolled out social distancing measures and travel restrictions, further reducing economic activity. In the first two quarters of 2020, real GDP fell by around 9 per cent year-on-year.
Hong Kong’s government faced the difficult trade-off between curbing the spread of COVID-19 and keeping its economy afloat. In April, the government unveiled a stimulus package to support businesses and individuals. It provided a wage subsidy valued at 50 per cent of monthly salaries, capped at HK$18,000 (US$2322). The package enabled employers to retain their employees and successfully provided relief to hard-hit sectors such as the tourism industry. Tax and loan payment deferrals, as well as principal payment holidays