Crystal Liu, the lead in Disney’s live-action remake, voiced support for police in the city
Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan is facing calls for a boycott after its star voiced support for police in Hong Kong.
Crystal Liu, also known as Liu Yifei, reportedly posted a message on the Chinese social media site Weibo, which translated as: “I also support Hong Kong police. You can beat me up now.” In English, the post added: “What a shame for Hong Kong.”
Continue reading...China’s ambassador to UK also accuses British politicians of ‘colonial mindset’
China has issued its most pointed threat yet to pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, warning that it has “enough solutions and enough power to swiftly quell unrest” should it deem the situation “uncontrollable”.
Speaking to international media in London on Thursday, China’s ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, also accused some British politicians of harbouring a “colonial mindset” in their interventions.
Continue reading...Liu Xiaoming issues stark warning to protesters in Hong Kong, saying Beijing is prepared to 'quell any unrest swiftly' if demonstrations continue. 'Their moves are severe and violent offences, and already show signs of terrorism,' Liu said
Continue reading...Paramilitary police personnel carriers appear to be parked in Shenzhen sports stadium
Satellite photos show what appear to be armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles belonging to the China’s paramilitary People’s Armed police parked in a sports stadium in the city of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, which some have interpreted as Beijing threatening increased force against pro-democracy protesters.
The pictures collected on Monday by Maxar’s WorldView show more than 100 vehicles sitting on and around the soccer stadium at the Shenzhen Bay sports centre just across the harbour from the Asian financial hub that has been rocked by more than two months of near-daily street demonstrations.
Continue reading...Beijing steps up war of words and airport obtains injunction against protesters to prevent further disruption of flights
Flights have resumed in and out of Hong Kong airport after two days of protests by pro-democracy activists as Chinese officials condemned the disruption that paralysed the international hub as “near-terrorist acts”.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled on Tuesday after demonstrators blockaded two terminals in the latest escalation of a 10-week political crisis that has gripped the city.
Continue reading...Mass protests at Hong Kong's international airport descended into chaos as riot police used pepper spray and batons in an attempt to disperse the thousands of demonstrators who had grounded flights for a second consecutive day.
Continue reading...Beijing’s rhetoric escalating alongside video of troop carriers at border, yet experts say deployment a last resort
The messages from Beijing to protesters in Hong Kong are increasingly ominous. First there was propaganda footage of Chinese soldiers garrisoned in Hong Kong drilling for intense urban fighting that looked more like a civil war than search and rescue or crowd control.
Now footage has emerged of armoured paramilitary vehicles massing across the border. Two months into demonstrations sparked by a controversial extradition law, official rhetoric from Beijing has escalated too. Authorities recently denounced protests as “terrorist acts”, promised an “iron fist” response and, perhaps most alarmingly, described the movement as a “colour revolution”.
Continue reading...Move would be to reassure Hong Kong’s people rather than facing down Chinese threats, he says
The UK should give Hong Kong citizens full UK nationality as a means of reassurance amid the current standoff with Beijing, the chair of the influential Commons foreign affairs committee has argued.
Tom Tugendhat said this should have happened to people in the formerly British-ruled territory in 1997, when it was handed back to Chinese control, and that doing so now would reassure Hong Kong’s people that they were supported by the UK.
Continue reading...Hundreds stage a new rally at Hong Kong's airport, a day after a huge demonstration there triggered a shutdown
Continue reading...Hundreds of demonstrators stage new rally a day after shutdown at key transport hub
Hong Kong’s airport authority has suspended flights for a second day as thousands of protesters staged another rally at the busy international travel hub.
Tuesday’s action marked the fifth consecutive day of protests at the airport, as pro-democracy demonstrations in the Chinese territory entered their 10th week, with both sides showing few signs of backing down.
Continue reading...State media outlets videos with a rousing choral soundtrack show armoured troop carriers purportedly driving to Shenzhen, the south-eastern state that borders Hong Kong. Chinese officials have released a series of threatening statements about Hong Kong's protesters, with one claiming 'terrorism' was emerging in the city on Monday after flights were cancelled
Continue reading...Panellists debate whether Australia ‘turning a blind eye’ to China’s rising power
As demonstrators shut down Hong Kong’s airport on Monday in protest against police brutality, Chinese official said “terrorism” was emerging in the city.
Meanwhile, on the ABC’s Q&A program, the “people’s panellist” guest suggested he shared China’s view, prompting one of the more cautious political discussions ever held on the show.
Continue reading...Disruption on Monday stopped flights to UK, US and Australia and will be felt worldwide
The closure of Hong Kong international airport has shone a fresh global spotlight on the city’s protest movement.
The airport was forced to cancel all remaining passenger flights on Monday – more than 100 – after thousands of demonstrators flooded into the main terminal during the afternoon. The disruption will be felt worldwide, with cancellations including long-haul departures to the US, Australia and the UK.
Continue reading...Pro-democracy street protests in Hong Kong stretched into their 10th week with no sign of either side backing down. Clashes with police were particularly serious on Sunday night compared with previous days, as riot officers fired teargas into a railway station to disperse crowds and were captured on film beating protesters with batons as they fled down an escalator in another station. Rights groups and democracy activists have accused police in Hong Kong of using excessive force
Rights groups and democracy activists have accused police in Hong Kong of using excessive force after teargas was fired into an enclosed subway station on Sunday night in Kwai Fong during an intense weekend of clashes. It is unclear how many protesters were in the station but it is rare for officers to fire teargas indoors. Pro-democracy street protests in Hong Kong entered their 10th week on Monday with no sign of either side backing down
Undercover police officers, disguised as protesters, arrested a man in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, on Sunday after another day of violent clashes between rights activists and police. The man, who is bleeding heavily from the face, screams out his name (Chow Ka-lok) and calls for a lawyer.
Continue reading...Police fire teargas and beat demonstrators during fierce clashes across city
Hong Kong has once more descended into violence, with police firing teargas at protesters across the city as mass demonstrations calling for democracy entered their 10th consecutive week.
Clashes with police were particularly intense on Sunday night compared with previous days, as riot police fired teargas into a railway station to disperse crowds and were captured on film beating protesters with batons as they fled down an escalator in another station.
Continue reading...One of China’s best-known actors, Yang Mi, ends contract over controversy
The luxury fashion label Versace and its artistic director, Donatella Versace, apologised to China on Sunday after one of its T-shirts was criticised for identifying the semi-autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau as countries.
Versace said on its Weibo account that it had made a mistake and had stopped selling and destroyed the T-shirts on 24 July.
Continue reading...Riot police fired teargas at protesters in the central bar district of Wan Chai on Sunday evening. There have been ten consecutive weekends of pro-democracy demonstrations in the city
Continue reading...As Hong Kong enters its third month of mass anti-government protests, across the border in China, people are seeing a very different version of events.
On Saturday, as protests entered their tenth weekend and demonstrators and police clashed in Hong Kong, the People’s Daily posted an article on the Chinese WeChat webchat service saying members from “all parts of Hong Kong society” were calling for the “violence to stop”. As peaceful rallies at the Hong Kong airport continued over the weekend, Chinese state media posted videos on Weibo of a tussle between demonstrators and an angry resident yelling: “We just want Hong Kong to be safe”.
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