China's Further Opaqueness

Last year was the last time the Premier would speak to media

The liang hui or Two Sessions has kicked off in Beijing and already there is a big bombshell of an announcement -- the Premier will no longer host a press conference at the end of the National People's Congress.

It used to be at the closing of the NPC that the Premier would field questions from both domestic and foreign journalists once a year. Even though the questions would be vetted ahead of time, it was still an opportunity to not only ask but also hear what he had to say about a wide range of topics that wasn't too scripted.

For 30 years premiers answered questions

But alas, this press conference is no more and Premier Li Qiang will not be taking any questions.

It was a tradition that was held since 1993, but apparently now there will be more briefings by other government ministers on the economy, diplomacy and people's livelihoods. 

Some China watchers see this as a further erosion of the role of the country's number 2 leader and shifting more to leader Xi Jinping. 

Many remember then premier Wen Jiabao in 2012 talking about the Cultural Revolution in a veiled reference to Bo Xilai, the charismatic party boss of Chongqing who tried to demonstrate how "red" he was in his devotion to patriotism by reviving Mao-era songs and promoting "red culture". 

In 2012 Wen gave Bo a dressing down

At the time Wen said that Bo "should learn from his experience in Chongqing", which was an unusual reprimand. Soon after the NPC Bo was removed from his position in Chongqing and was later removed from the Central Committee and Politburo. He was put on trial for corruption, bribery and abuse of power, and was convicted. He is currently languishing in jail. 

In other news, remember Zhang Xiaoming? He used to head the liaison office in Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office for several years, including during the 2019 protests. But in February 2020 he was demoted. Then two days before the start of the Two Sessions, it was announced he would be leaving the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office; the move was described as a "normal leadership reshuffle".

Lots of changes with not much explanations... 

Hong Kong's Loss is Singapore's Gain

Hong Kong's reputation as an international city is waning

US lawmakers are proposing sanctions against Hong Kong officials, but this may result in those involved in national security trials be tried across the border in China.

Tam Yiu-chung, the former sole Hong Kong member to the National People's Congress Standing Committee said on Tuesday that the bill might "force" the government to transfer cases to the mainland to avoid foreign interference.

Singapore is gaining more multinational firms

Currently US congressional members have proposed sanctions against 49 city officials, judges and prosecutors.

Hong Kong deputies to the NPC have issued a joint statement, saying the American politicians' "despicable and shameful act would be in vain."

The political posturing may gain brownie points, but economically it is yet another sign for companies to think twice about staying or setting up in Hong Kong.

A recent article in the Straits Times in Singapore reveals that many multinational companies have moved to the Lion City. It says the number of global companies with headquarters in Hong Kong have fallen around 8.4 percent since 2019, but the number of staff employed by these firms have dropped by 30 percent in the same period. 

That's because these companies have moved most of their operations to Singapore, like logistics giant DHL. It made the move after experiencing Hong Kong's stringent restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic that practically shut down the city for three years.

Firms in HK fell, along with employees

"During the pandemic, we learnt that we can't put all our eggs in one basket... If a location gets shut down, we can't fulfil our jobs. So, through our multi-hub strategy, we are able to have alternatives," said Christopher Ong, managing director of DHL Express Singapore.

Another company that moved is British American Tobacco, National Australia Bank, MNC Westpac Banking Corporation, and Royal Bank of Canada. 

Along with the companies, some employees along with their families have quietly moved to Singapore too.

Nevertheless, while multinationals have left or decreased their presence in Hong Kong, mainland firms have moved in, increasing by over 30 percent in the past four years. By the end of 2022, the number of Chinese companies regionally headquartered in Hong Kong had surpassed that of American companies with regional hubs in the city for the first time in at least 30 years.

Why this massive shift?

"Singapore controls its own destiny [while] Hong Kong's destiny will be shaped by Beijing, with all the benefits, opportunities and challenges that that implies," said Curtis Chin, inaugural Asia Fellow of the Milken Institute, and former US ambassador to the Asian Development Bank.

Women's March Cancelled at Last Minute

The association had planned to hold a march on Sunday

One of the first approved protest marches in Hong Kong in three years since the pandemic was supposed to take place on Sunday at 11am but was cancelled at the last minute.

The Hong Kong Women Workers' Association was planning to hold a march to promote labour rights, women's rights and gender equality ahead of International Women's Day on March 8.

The group fights for women's rights and equality

The group was able to get approval from the police after they conducted a risk assessment, that included asking the association to comply with the national security law, and that the march "would not be contrary to the interests of national security."

However, the association decided to cancel the protest "after balancing the interests of all parties," said Cheng Wai-kin, acting senior superintendent of the police on Saturday.

He claimed the police found "many people, including violent groups" would take part in the march. 

When the media pressed Cheng for more information he replied: "We won't have any further comments on any participants or any further factors about tomorrow's event."

And so because the association had cancelled the march, then the "letter of no objection" issued by the police was voided, so that meant any gathering there today would be considered an unauthorised assembly.

Cheng claimed "violent groups" would join in

How thoughtful of the authorities to make things so clear.

Was the march cancelled because it is held during the "Two Sessions" or the meeting of the National People's Congress in Beijing right now? 

The police won't say.

Perhaps the optics of women protesting in Hong Kong when they should be holding up half the sky didn't look good...

Where Did Mainland Visitors Go?

Around 11K mainland visitors come daily to Hong Kong

It is day eight of the Lunar New Year and the windfall of Chinese tourists flooding Hong Kong did not happen.

There had been reports before the Year of the Rabbit began that some 1 million people applied for visas to travel to Hong Kong and Macau.

Shops did not see flood of tourists as expected

Perhaps the majority of them decided to stay closer to home instead?

So far 64,000 people visited Macau on average everyday during the Lunar New Year, of which 37,800 were from China. In contrast, during the same period, only 23,000 people visited Hong Kong daily, and only 11,000 of them were from the mainland.

Newspaper editorials like the one in the Hong Kong Standard are complaining that it took Hong Kong much longer than Macau to settle a deal with Guangdong to drop PCR tests, and the daily cap of visitors coming in either increased or scrapped entirely.

Hong Kong's outgoing deputy at the National People's Congress Standing Committee, Tam Yiu-chung, says he expects Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to announce the removal of the PCR test mandate for those traveling between Hong Kong and the mainland tomorrow.

Macau seeing way more mainlanders than HK

If that happens, that could help salvage the last few days of the Lunar New Year, or looking long-term,  hopefully entice more people to come back to the city.

New Museum Attempts to Evoke Patriotism

Lee officially opens a museum dedicated to Chinese resistance

The patriotism drum is beating louder in Hong Kong these days.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is leading the way by opening yet another museum, this time marking the Chinese resistance against the Japanese invasion in the lead-up to World War II.

The Hong Kong Sha Tau Kok Anti-War Memorial Hall was hailed by Lee as "a base for patriotic education".

The museum is in the Luo ancestral home

Shivers are running down people's backs reading this.

The museum is located at the Luo family ancestral home, because this was the base used by resistance fighters.

On social media Lee hailed the museum as "a base for patriotic education, which will facilitate national education, deepen citizens' understanding of Chinese history and enhance their recognition for the country".

At the opening ceremony, he said people displayed their love for the country when they defended its soil decades ago, "encouraging the people of China to fight for a great renaissance of the Chinese race".

Apparently this is a well-worn phrase used by mainland officials to refer to China's modern development.

But it is only natural for people to defend their country when it is under attack. One contemporary example is Ukraine fighting against the Russians now. Romanticising war as a bid to revive the Chinese race is melodramatic...

Lee says museum is "a base for patriotic education"

Nevertheless, the Chief Executive added the Hong Kong government "attaches great importance to the history marking the victory of the resistance and will let the public understand its role and all the stories during the war," he said.

What victory is he talking about?

In the Battle of Hong Kong, the allied forces of the British, Canadians and Indians tried to prevent the Japanese invasion, but the city fell on December 25, 1941. How is that a victory? 

Only when the Americans dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945 respectively, did the occupation end.

But perhaps this is how one whitewashes history and insists on this victorious narrative complete with a physical building as proof. In 2014 the National People's Congress declared September 3 as "Victory Day".

When researching this museum, it should be noted only mainland Chinese state media mentioned its opening...

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.

Vote for the Only Candidate

Lee reveals his softer side during an election rally yesterday

Yesterday the sole candidate running for chief executive, John Lee Ka-chiu, made a last push for votes at a highly choreographed rally at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Sort of modelled on the US presidential elections, several people came up on stage to endorse Lee, including his campaign director Tam Yiu-chung, the sole Hong Kong representative of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and former chief executive Leung Chun-ying, who is the chief convenor of the Election Committee with his peer, Tung Chee-hwa.

Leung made a pitch to endorse Lee

Interesting Leung made a pitch for Lee when Leung himself had expressed interest in becoming CE again. But perhaps this was the instruction from above, to play nice and support the only person running...

Meanwhile journalists were totally baffled by the slogan for Lee's rally: We and Us A New Chapter Together.

"We and Us"? 

In Chinese it literally says "Me and We", but that's also grammatically weird too, and besides his copywriting team has made many mistakes throughout his entire campaign that is basically a slam dunk.

Finally the man of the hour (if elected), arrived on stage. The emcee even asked people to turn on the lights on their phones and wave them in the air as if Lee were a rockstar about to sing a ballad.

He talked about his humble beginnings, living in Sham Shui Po, and how his family was poor, but his father managed to scrape together enough money to buy a television set. 

"We and Us"? What does that mean exactly?

After dinner they gathered around the TV and opened the wooden door, but closed the iron gate to allow the breeze in, and neighbours would stand nearby to watch the TV behind them. Lee said they later turned up the volume so they could listen and then eventually invited neighbours to come in to watch TV with them.

Then he quickly went over his four or five items on his election platform, including housing, security for stability, and develop the economy among them, and then that was it.

So this is the man Beijing wants to lead Hong Kong, from one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the city to becoming one of the highest paid leaders in the world at over HK$400,000 (US$51,000) a month -- apparently in cash.

What a rags-to-riches story.

He told about when he was robbed by older classmates once and was punched in the chest for not having any money to offer them, and felt angry he didn't dare speak up and decided to become a law enforcer instead, entering the police force at the age of 19. 

That's the reason why the almost 1,500 people on the Election Committee should vote for him.

Do they have any other choice?