UBC Under Fire for Renting Space to HK Govt

UBC Robson Square campus recently rented to HKTEO

It was recently reported that the University of British Columbia rented out a room to the Hong Kong Trade Economic Office for a recruitment exam, much to the horror of activists in Vancouver.

On December 7, the HKTEO rented a room at the UBC Robson Square campus to conduct a recruitment exam, and in it were questions regarding the national security law. It is not clear what jobs were being recruited.

The sign says: "Common Recruitment Examination and Basic Law and National Security Law Test Joint Recruitment Examination".

Recruitment exam related to NSL and Basic Law

An organisation called Chinese Canadian Concern Group on the Chinese Communist Party's Human Rights Violations wrote a letter to UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Dr Benoit-Antoine Bacon on December 22 expressing their disapproval of renting the room to the HKTEO.

"Successful candidates for this examination are required to swear allegiance to the Hong Kong, and by extension Chinese governments," said the letter.

"Allowing this recruitment activity on UBC's campus raises serious national security concerns for Canada, especially in the context of potential conflicts between the two governments. Such actions could pave the way for the infiltration of foreign authoritarian influence into our society."

New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan also criticised UBC for renting the space to the HKTEO; while she said the university can rent their space to anyone, it should have some ethical standards when doing so.

Meanwhile UBC acknowledged people's concerns, but said the exam didn't violate any of its rules, and that it rents space out to many groups, but doesn't mean it endorses their views.

Kwan says UBC must have ethical standards

Kwan says the response is "completely inadequate".

"It's just basically saying, well, it doesn't matter. We're blind to all of these issues," she said. 

"As a global institution, which is what UBC is, you would think that they would have a little bit more thought than to say, 'We will just follow the regulations of basic rental requirements.' That's not good enough."

She said the Chinese government is trying to recruit people to work in Hong Kong and China, and the applicants must demonstrate their understanding of the national security law.

"UBC of course can rent their space to anybody. However, from my perspective, I think that you should be looking at some ethical standards that should apply," she said. 

"In the very minimum, one would think that any organisation, any institution that's going to rent out a space to a government that is a regular, persistent, violent human rights violators, that they would apply some standard to it."

Security Minister Looks Ahead to Jimmy Lai Trial

Lai has been remanded in custody for almost three years

When Jimmy Lai Chee-ying's trial finally gets underway on December 18, the Apple Daily media tycoon will have been remanded in custody for almost three years. 

In this case he is charged with sedition and conspiracy to collude with foreign forces when he allegedly called for international sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese authorities, and inciting public hatred during the 2019 protests.

Tang claims HK government will be smeared

Interesting that Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung says the upcoming open hearing will reveal the extent of the "bad" crimes Lai had allegedly committed.

"When. you look at all the details as disclosed, you will see how bad they are. Let's wait and see [for] yourself," Tang told a Hong Kong media outlet.

Whatever happened to government officials declining to comment because the case was in the courts?

Tang also warned that the case would draw international attention and that foreign politicians may target local efforts to outlaw more national security offences under Article 23 of the Basic Law that the government aims to enact next year.

"I'm sure they will make use of this as another excuse to smear our government and to smear our country... It's a must. It's anticipated," he said.

Tang like Lam (above) has lots of cash

As if to further illustrate his point, Tang added that because of sanctions, he was unable to have a bank account, much like former chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.

Due to this "inconvenience", he said he had to adapt to using cash all the time.

"Because I have no bank account, right? So all my auto-pay had been paralysed," Tang said. "But I would say, compared with the national interest, this small inconvenience is nothing. Actually, I feel proud to have a chance to serve my country and serve my Hong Kong."

His patriotism knows no bounds...

HK Reveals Homophobic Colours Ahead of Gay Games

The Gay Games have finally opened in Hong Kong

After being postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic and difficulty in securing venues because of Hong Kong government bureaucracy, the Gay Games have finally kicked off, but still not without controversy.

In the days leading up to the Games opening on November 5, some pro-Beijing legislators who were anti-LGBTQ, called for the event to be cancelled on national security grounds, and that politician Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee should resign because she would officiate the opening.

Seven lawmakers against the Games

One of them, the bombastic Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, even sent a letter to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, saying the Gay Games promotes same-sex marriage in Hong Kong, and this must be stopped.

There was no response.

"We object to any Western ideology that sugar-coated its agenda in the name of diversity and inclusivity for a sports event, attempting to subvert national security," he said in a press conference with six other homophobic lawmakers.

Ho said the event was a "criminal activity" that spread the ideology of gay rights, subverting traditional Chinese family values.

Others like Equal Opportunities Commission Josiah Chok Kin-ming called for the authorities to investigate whether the Games' source of funding came from foreign organisations and amounted to collusion with external forces prohibited under the national security law.

Ip hit back, calling their claims "ridiculous" and confirmed she would officiate the opening.

Ip officiated the opening of the Games

"If there is firm evidence that the Gay Games are in breach of national security laws, the police would have taken action," said Ip, who was a former security chief. 

"I suspect the timing of the attacks are politically motivated, to smear my district council [election] candidates, one of whom has been harassed on-street because of my support for the Gay Games."

Not just one has been harassed, Paul Lui Yau-tak, but all 29 of the New People's Party candidates running in the upcoming District Council election on December 10.

Interestingly, while Ip supports the Gay Games, she does not support same-sex marriage in Hong Kong as a 2013 Final Appeal ruling says the definition of marriage under the Basic Law did not include same-sex unions. 

Meanwhile Games co-chair Lisa Lam said the event had never deviated from the principle of promoting diversity and unity, and demonstrated to the world that Hong Kong was an inclusive city open for business.

"Everyone is entitled to have their own opinions," she said. "They can say what they want."

Just a polite way of saying, can we just have our Games and be done with it already?

It's so complicated, but basically, what a mess. 

Hong Kong No Longer World's Freest Economy

The mighty has fallen -- HK loses its freest economy title

Hong Kong is no longer the city with the freest economy of 165 in the world -- it is now Singapore. 

That's according to the Fraser Institute, a public policy research organisation based in Vancouver. It had ranked Hong Kong as the freest economy "since the first time comprehensive data became available in 1970", but now it has been demoted.

Singapore gains top spot in institute's ranking

The Fraser Institute cites China and its interference in the city's affairs as the reason for Hong Kong's second spot, though the government denies this.

It went on the defensive, rejecting several of the institute's conclusions, and insisted it had been "fully, faithfully and resolutely implementing the principles of the 'one country, two systems'," with "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" and a high level of autonomy based on the Basic Law.

But the institute warned the city's ranking could deteriorate even more.

"This is the first year Hong Kong has not ranked number one on the index since its inception, and the expectation is that its score will only fall further as the Chinese Communist Party continues to suppress freedom of all sorts," said Fred McMahon, the holder of a research chair in economic freedom and a resident fellow with the Fraser Institute.

The report examined regulation, openness to international trade, the size of government, the legal system, and property rights of the 165 places.

Implementation of NSL caused HK ranking drop

Other criteria the institute looked at were new regulatory barriers to entry, limits on the employment of foreign labour and rising business costs as reasons to lower the scores for Hong Kong in its regulatory freedom component.

The survey also claimed the city allowed "increased military interference" in its rule of law and diminished confidence in its courts and judicial system, which had caused a decline in its legal system and erosion of property rights.

However, a government spokesman says the think tank's judgment of the regulatory environment are "factually wrong", and that Hong Kong continued to strive as an international financial hub.

He also said the city's judicial system was robust, as it is enshrined in the Basic Law. 

"Equality before the law is a fundamental principle observed in Hong Kong. The allegation against the independence and impartiality of our judiciary is totally groundless and unsupported by objective evidence," he insisted.

Survey says HK's legal system has declined

The spokesman also said the institute was biased in its opinion about the implementation of the national security law...

In case you were wondering, Switzerland ranked third, followed by New Zealand, and the United States in fifth place. Venezuela was in last place.

Beijing Demands More Info of Locals Working in Consulates

Beijing asks for more information from consulates in Hong Kong

Beijing is stepping up its reach in Hong Kong, this time asking for detailed information of all local staff who work in consulates in the city.

They must provide names, job titles, residential addresses, ID or passport numbers, as well as a copy of all identification documents. The consulates, including the office of the European Union have until October 18 to provide all this information, and if a new employee is hired, they have 15 days to prepare the paperwork for Beijing.

The US consulate in Central

According to the Basic Law, Beijing is responsible for Hong Kong's foreign affairs, which explains the ability to request this information.

Twice last year, the Commissioner's Office had another curious request -- asking consulates about the properties they used in the city -- including the floor plans, according to the Financial Times.

In addition in July, Beijing warned that consular staff could not visit detainees who had dual citizenship, while in 2018, China asked consulates general in Hong Kong and Macau that were based in Hong Kong not to use "Macau" in their names and vice-versa. And if they were setting up election ballot boxes for their expatriate citizens, the consulates had to make a "formal note of application" beforehand.

Ironically, last July Liu Guangyuan, Beijing's deputy director of the liaison office in Hong Kong, urged consulates to "present the vibrant and promising Hong Kong to the world in a more objective way."

Liu asked consulates to present a vibrant HK

Hard to do when you're asked to jump through numerous bureaucratic hoops that seem more for surveillance than for building good will...

Spending 25 Percent Lesson Time on Patriotism

Children will spend more class time on patriotic education

Hong Kong parents who have taken their children out of the local school system to be educated overseas must be breathing a sigh of relief they did the right thing.

That's because the Education Bureau has asked (not directed) primary schools to spend up to one-quarter of the study time towards patriotism and national security during the six years of primary education.

Topics to be covered include "the understanding of Chinese culture, the constitution, Basic Law and national security education".

Authorities also recommended organising "cross-disciplinary" exchange visits to mainland China.

This is the first change in the curriculum in eight years. A bureau spokesman said there was a need to update the primary curriculum guide to "enhance student learning", and noted the ones for kindergarten and secondary school had been updated in 2017.

There are seven learning goals, but the first and main one is to "understand our country and the Chinese culture, and cultivate a sense of belonging and national identity towards our country through national education and national security education".

In order to teach all this information, schools are to set side up to 25 percent of the 4,752 hours of lesson time during the six primary school years for organising activities to brush up their understanding of the constitution, the Basic Law and national security.

That time will be cut into lesson time for learning the Chinese and English languages, as well as mathematics.

As a parent this must be infuriating to know that precious class time is being squandered on national education, training young children to parrot Communist ideas and beliefs.

Perhaps there will be a continued spike in students leaving the city later this year?

The Truth is Out There

Last look at Jumbo before it capsized in the South China Sea

Just when we thought Jumbo Floating Restaurant had sunk 1,000 metres in the South China Sea on its way to Cambodia, there was word yesterday that the vessel capsized, but hadn't sunk.

It is apparently still afloat near the Xisha (Paracel) Islands.

You'd think the owner of the massive vessel, Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises, owned by Melco Group, which is majority owned by Stanley Ho's son Lawrence, would want to see exactly what state the floating restaurant is in.

Jumbo in its former brilliant glory

There are no photographs or video of it to prove that it has capsized and not sunk so it's still really fishy.

People joked on Twitter that if Apple Daily was still around, they would have already sent a helicopter there to take photographs and video of the capsized restaurant.

But alas, Hongkongers are deprived of knowing what really happened to Jumbo Floating Restaurant...

This mystery continues along with if President Xi Jinping is physically coming to Hong Kong or an impersonator would show up.

Meanwhile Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, a former Hong Kong delegate to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, is saying 50 years of no change is will continue unchanged under the "one country, two systems" framework.

So the 2019 protests against the extradition bill, which lasted for months that set the wheels in motion for the implementation of the national security law, and led to the exodus of over 100,000 people and counting didn't happen?

Fan claims 50 years no change will continue

"The so-called '50 years unchanged' is not only written in the Basic Law, but in fact, if you look at the comments of previous state leaders. Fifty years is really not a deadline, it's the initial stage," she told reporters.

"In future [50 years unchanged] will surely continue, unless the one country, two systems [principle] is not done well. But right now, the [principle] can be implemented well."

Gaslighting at its best.

And then there's former chief executive Leung Chun-ying who likes to provoke with interesting statements.

His latest? 

That Hong Kong is not a "show flat" for western-style democracy for China.

Leung doesn't seem to know his HK history

"Our place isn't a 'political show flat' for the country to demonstrate how so-called western-style democracy operates," Leung said. "No. Our country knows very well about these things. On political issues, many taxi drivers on the mainland know more about Hong Kong lawmakers."

What? Where does he even get this idea that taxi drivers in China are more knowledgable and what does this have to do with Hong Kong not being a "show flat" for western-style democracy for China?

So while Leung thinks he's created a clever catch-phrase, it's not even correct. Hong Kong didn't have democracy, but it did have lots of freedoms before 1997.

Perhaps he's been reading those updated textbooks that claim Hong Kong was never a British colony?

Rewriting Hong Kong's History

Two million people came out to protest on June 16, 2019

The Hong Kong government has moved quickly to rewrite the city's history in textbooks.

The newly revamped liberal studies textbook now says that Hong Kong was never a British colony because the Chinese government didn't recognise unequal treaties that ceded the city to Britain.

It also says the United Nations removed Hong Kong from a list of colonies in 1972 after China made the demand.

Textbooks claim HK was not a British colony

In addition the textbooks have adopted the government's version of the 2019 protests, saying they were a threat to national security and that external forces were behind the unrest.

Veteran Chinese history teacher Chan Chi-wa explained most local textbooks in the 1990s and before mentioned Hong Kong as a "British colony", and later on it was described as Britain exercised colonial rule over Hong Kong in 1997. 

Sounds like the same thing, but more wordy, no?

Chan said last year at a briefing by education officials stated clearly that Hong Kong was not a colony, and this concept needed to be taught to students. He also noted only the Chinese perspective was presented in the revamped textbooks.

When it came to describing the 2019 protests, one textbook claimed protesters had openly challenged the central government by asking foreign forces to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, and impose sanctions on the city.

Another textbook liberally mentions national security more than 400 times, saying legislation was imposed out of "urgency" due to violent activities in Hong Kong in 2019. The textbook said the central authorities believed foreign forces were involved in the unrest and that the city's government could not handle them on its own.

People like Maria Tam are mentioned in textbook

As if that wasn't enough, the textbook highlights key pro-Beijing politicians, including Basic Law Committee vice-chairwoman Maria Tam Wai-chu, Lau Siu-kai of the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank, and Professor Priscilla Lau Pui-king, a former Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress.

Yet another textbook claimed the 2019 protests disrupted social order, disrupted law-abiding awareness of some people and serious endangered national security. 

A teacher of liberal studies for 10 years who spoke on condition of anonymity said they already expected the textbooks to entirely quote official information on how the national security law came to be imposed.

"Discussing the issue with different perspectives and critical thinking only happens in liberal studies, but not this subject," the veteran educator said, adding the guidelines did not require them to teach details like police performance during the protests.

Meanwhile Scientia Secondary School principal Wong Ching-yung said textbooks should not go into details of the unrest as people would have different views...

Liberal Studies aims to instil nationalism 

Isn't that part of the point of education? To be able to freely and openly discuss different points of view to promote a pluralistic society and teach students tolerance and diversity?

But when it comes to history, it seems the government already has the upper hand in trying to whitewash history. But as it is only the third anniversary of the June 16 protests, where 2 million people came out on the streets against the extradition bill, memories and emotions are still raw -- young and old participated.

It will take several generations to try to completely change the narrative.

China Reserves Right to Tweak One Country, Two Systems

"One country, two systems" was agreed upon in 1984

With the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong handover fast approaching, a senior Chinese official is now saying that "One country, two systems" will need to be fine tuned.

Shen Chunyao is Beijing's top advisor on the Basic Law, and says this principle needs to be improved, but that Hong Kong's constitution won't change after 2047, when the 50-year mark is reached.

He said people should focus on the correct implementation of "one country, two systems", and understanding China's constitution and the basic law so that people's rights are protected as well as Hong Kong's prosperity.

Shen says the principle can be tweaked

"Fifty years is only a symbolic expression. This would not change even after 50 years. The first 50 years is: we cannot change, then after 50 years that would be that we need not change, as long as we believe in "one country, two systems". Its life, its vitality would be fully expressed," Shen said.

He also said "one country, two systems" would need to be improved or fine tuned to ensure Hong Kong moves steadily ahead.

"We should not adopt a straitjacket approach. We shouldn't think that once it's set nothing can be changed, because if we just simplistically say that we will resist on this without being able to improve it with time, then we will not be able to fully develop its potential."

When the Joint Declaration was signed in 1984 by then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and then Premier Zhao Ziyang, that agreement was set in stone. At the time leader Deng Xiaoping said Hong Kong would have 50 years of no change.

But now even before the halfway point Hong Kong has changed dramatically, with the strong opposition to the extradition bill that led to the protests and the punishment in the form of the national security law.

That coupled with the pandemic for over two years has crippled the city economically and thousands are sacrificing their good jobs and lives in the city and moving elsewhere to enjoy freedoms and rights that have disappeared in Hong Kong. And with that the city's vitality in terms of economic growth and prosperity has evaporated too, all in the name of security and dynamic zero Covid.

Protesters voiced opposition to extradition bill

So how can Shen say that "one country, two systems" will not change? This principle has already been thrown out the window and Hong Kong is fast becoming another mainland Chinese city.

The government has made no effort to entice residents to stay or generated jobs for them to take -- instead it has left the city and its residents floundering, dealing with the threat of violating the national security law, and social-distancing requirements, some of which have become absurd, like still demanding returning residents and visitors quarantine for seven days, and only four people can gather in public compared to eight to a table in a restaurant.

But logic doesn't exist much in Hong Kong these days. It's all about political rhetoric and Shen's message is a head scratcher that ensures living in a parallel universe. It's the only way to explain the contradictions.