China's Zero-Covid Price

Empty street in Sanya, Hainan after it was locked down

How much has Covid-19 and the zero-Covid policy damaged China's economy?

Home sales have plunged 28.6 percent, property investment 12.3 percent. 

Crude steel output is down 6.4 percent.

Meanwhile retail sales edged slightly at 2.7 percent, and industrial output at 3.8 percent.

Youth unemployment is at a record high

The worst number of all is youth unemployment jumping to a record 19.9 percent. That means one in every five young person is unemployed.

This is not what any government wants to see, let alone Beijing. There are fewer job prospects for young people because the economy is not moving, because of China's zero-Covid policy, which has resulted in erratic lockdowns.

Over 150,000 people were locked down in Sanya, Hainan, forced to stay in their hotel room for weeks, and being tested constantly. After seeing that, who would want to travel anywhere in China?

And then there was a viral video of people being locked up in an Ikea store in Shanghai because a close contact of an infected person was in there. People were at the exit pushing the door open while security guards on the other side were trying to keep it closed but to no avail -- they pushed their way through and hoofed it out of there. Who wants to go shopping anymore if they could be locked in a store at any time?

Scenes of people pushing their way out of Ikea

Covid-19 has also caused supply disruptions in China's construction industry, but mostly it's banking issues, with developers running out of cash and buyers are now squatting in half finished apartments with no running water and electricity.

Meanwhile everywhere else in the world, people are traveling freely -- Paris and London seem to be the most popular destinations this summer -- and people are out and about shopping and dining. The economy is hampered by retail and hospitality sectors being short staffed, but other than that, life is almost back to normal.

Why is this all happening? Because Beijing wants zero-Covid. It is desperate to show the world that its draconian measures are the way forward in defeating the virus.

Except China.

Most worrying is the almost 20 percent unemployment rate for young people.

Buyers squat in empty, half-finished flats 

They are going to put the blame squarely on Xi Jinping for them not being able to find jobs, and many of them need to work to support families, especially if their parents are retired. 

If Xi Dada wants to garner an image of a supportive and endearing father figure, then he needs to create a lot of jobs very fast to dispel resentment, or worse -- rebellion -- among the next generation.

How Will Australia get Cheng Lei Released?

Cheng has been held in China for two years with no news

t's been two years since CGTN Chinese-born Australian anchor Cheng Lei was detained in Beijing with no word on not only her whereabouts, but also her health and wellbeing.

Her two children in Australia drew pictures for her, writing that they missed her. They have not heard from her for two years, which is a lifetime for them.

Cheng is accused of illegally supplying state secrets overseas. Her family maintains she is innocent. 

Cheng's daughter drew a picture for her

In March, a closed-door trial was held where Australian diplomats were barred from attending.

At the time Australia's ambassador to China Graham Fletcher voiced his concerns about the secrecy of the trial and that Canberra would continue to advocate for her rights and interests.

And then in mid-June, a statement from the Chinese embassy in Washington said that Cheng's colleague Haze Fan who was also arrested on charges of "endangering state security" in July 2021, was released on bail back in January. 

Only announcing this six months later suggested that perhaps Fan was being held under house arrest for several months, but also that she was still under investigation. 

The situation with Cheng seems to be similar to Canada and the two Michaels, Kovrig and Spavor detained for more than two years in a bid to get Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou back.

Fan was released on bail back in January

What do the Chinese want with Australia?

As China showed off its military hardware in the skies and sea around the Taiwan Straits following US Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit last week, the Chinese ambassador to France to issue a chilling warning.

In French he explained that once China took over Taiwan, the people would be "re-educated" -- a word that has been used for Uyghurs in Xinjiang, and currently in Hong Kong.

This threat was reiterated again by the Chinese Ambassador to Australia:

"Once Taiwan is reunited, coming back to the motherland, there might be a process for the people in Taiwan to have a correct understanding of China," he said.

What this means for Australia is that China will take Taiwan back by all possible means, including force if necessary, and what is the nation Down Under going to do about it, also keeping in mind Cheng is being detained.

Is she being used as a political pawn to further China's ambitions with Taiwan? Will Australia stand idly by?

Ardent plea by Cheng's daughter for her to return

If it hasn't already, Australia needs to figure out what its position is, and what it's going to do to get Cheng released.

The veiled threat against democracy is not to be ignored or taken lightly. But at the same time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, China is being crippled economically because of its "zero-Covid" strategy that doesn't seem to be working.

 

Non-HK News Briefs

Rushdie was violently attacked on stage today before a talk

Quick news briefs on things that did not happen in Hong Kong today:

It was horrific to hear the news that as writer Salman Rushdie was about to begin a lecture in front of over 2,500 people in Chautauqua, New York, he was brutally and violently attacked. 

He was rushed to hospital, on a ventilator

He was airlifted to hospital and hours later he had surgery and was on a ventilator. His agent says Rushdie may lose an eye and cannot speak. Security detained the attacker but no news yet on the motive.

The attack was an attack on freedom of expression and speech. It must have been such a shock being in the audience and watching the shocking incident happen within seconds. 

Some witnesses expressed their bewilderment that this was happening where they lived, a place where no one locks their doors.

And then there was the latest developments on former US president Donald Trump and the FBI's raid on Mar-a-Lago in Florida to retrieve documents taken from the White House. 

Trump kept confidential papers from White House

Attorney General Merrick Garland called Trump's bluff and had the warrant unsealed to reveal the list of items that are allegedly found on Trump's Florida property.

It's a really long list of documents, classified and some considered extremely sensitive. 

There is word that the FBI will fingerprint each page to see whose fingerprints are on them...

Meanwhile, the wagons are circling in on Trump -- his company, Trump Organization and his CFO Allen Weisselberg will be in court to face tax fraud charges in October. 

To end on a lighter note, the buzz in Ontario was watching Premier Doug Ford swallow a bee in front of cameras and an audience.

Ford realising he had swallowed a bee

It happened in Dundalk, On, when he was taking questions from reporters when a bee buzzed around him and then flew right into his mouth.

"Holy Christ, I just swallowed a bee," he said, coughing violently.

After taking a sip of water from a bottle, Ford said, "This is going to be played over and over again."

He sure knows the news cycle these days.

But the premier did not seem fine after the bee went down his throat.

"Sorry guys. The little bugger got away in there," he said.

When someone asked if Ford was all right to continue, he replied: "I'm OK, it's buzzing in there."

Now reporters are going to contact apiculturalists what it's like to swallow a bee and if it's OK for your body to have one buzzing in there...

Hong Kong's Population Continues to Drop

Hongkongers will continue to leave in the next 2-3 years

Hong Kong's population continues to drop, as more than 113,000 people left the city in the past 12 months, a record 1.6 percent decrease in the population. It is the second straight annual decline in numbers.

The figure is from the Census and Statistics Department released on Thursday. Hong Kong's population fell to 7,291,600 from 7,413,100 from mid-2021. There were also 61,600 deaths and 35,100 births between mid-2021 and mid-2022, a decrease of 26,500 people.

The graph clearly illustrates the population plunge

Some of those deaths can be attributed to Covid-19 when a spate of elderly people passed away after contracting the virus in seniors' homes.

The decline to 7.29 million people was sharper than last year's 1.2 percent decrease.

Of course the Hong Kong government is trying to explain away the numbers, saying the drop in the population is due to people moving away for school and work, while strict quarantine measures have made it hard for people to come back or move there, and the birth rate has fallen further because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The authorities don't want to own up to the reality of why people are leaving, as someone on Twitter put it succinctly: "If 'one country, two systems' in Hong Kong is such a success, there wouldn't be hoards of middle class in their 30s and 40s giving up what ought to be the start of the most economically lucrative stage of their lives to move to another place to start again or even semi-retire."

People in 30s and 40s leave HK to start over again

Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, a population health expert at the University of Hong Kong, predicts the emigration wave will continue for at least the next two to three years, as many residents are looking for ways to leave.

"The pull and push factors are in one direction, which go against Hong Kong," he said.

He called on the government to address the housing shortage as well as concerns about the city's overall development.

"Some people do not understand the national security law, they are really worried. So the government should explain the law clearly to allay their concerns. This is very important," he said.

Alas will the government heed Yip's advice, when the NSL is deliberately vague to scare people?

China's Nascent #metoo Movement Stumbles

Zhou accepts rejection of her appeal, vows to find evidence

The #metoo movement in China is struggling to gain momentum as the courts have made it hard to prosecute the perpetrators.

Four years ago Zhou Xiaoxuan claimed that popular TV state media host Zhu Jun forcibly kissed and groped her when she was an intern at the station in 2014.

Zhu is a famous state media TV host

Her case was finally heard in December 2020 and drew a large crowd, including foreign reporters who tried to cover the story before being dragged away by police. 

She originally sued Zhu for a public apology and 50,000 yuan (US$7,400) in damages.

However the court ruled the following year there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute Zhu so Zhou appealed and again yesterday that appeal was denied on similar grounds.

"Four years have passed, and the most important thing is that we have raised this question: when a woman encounters sexual harassment in a closed space, is her pain worth paying attention to?" Zhou, also known as Xianzi, said to supporters outside the court.

After the hearing she said: "Victory is not that important to me... I accept this outcome."

Zhou spurred China's #metoo movement

The 29-year-old Zhou said she will focus on gathering more evidence, such as police transcripts of interviews with her parents after she reported the incident -- but was not presented in court -- as well as surveillance footage.

Both may be hard to get now years after the event. But it is important that the landmark case was heard in court for the record. 

Sexual harassment is not uncommon in China, which has a patriarchal culture where men have misogynist views of women. While Mao Zedong may have claimed that "women hold up half the sky", they are not treated as equals in reality. 

Senior female leaders in the upper echelons of government are few and far between, let alone leading companies in the public and private sector.

Despite the growing #metoo movement and a law on sexual harassment passed in 2020, not many women are willing to come forward to take their perpetrators to court. But Zhou hopes she has set the foundation for others to carry the movement forward, saying "... perhaps the next victim that walks into court can receive more trust".

Menacing men standing near the courthouse

Meanwhile Zhu has since sued her for defamation, but Zhou said there hasn't been further developments on the case.

Living in "Rotten-Tail" Buildings

Unfinished, and yet people live in buildings like this

There's a severe housing crisis in China -- millions of people have poured their hard-earned savings into apartments, hoping they can at least live in their biggest purchase, and that their property will appreciate in time.

But now developers have run out of cash to finish the buildings and their clients, the buyers, have run out of patience.

Some have staged protests at developers' or banks' offices, or refused to pay mortgages on their "rotten-tail buildings" -- or they have moved in.

People that McDonnell spoke to in Xi'an

The BBC's Stephen McDonnell went to visit some people who did just that in Xi'an.

It's a nondescript brown building with no windows, no electricity, no running water, and yet up to 200 people live there.

"We used up all our savings to buy our apartments," says one man. "It's been five years and we can't live in them. We can't bear it any longer."

He said it's been financially hard because of the Covid-19 pandemic, making it difficult to make money, and yet there are still car and mortgage payments that must be made.

"I feel helpless, I don't want to live this way, but we've no where to go," says a young man whose two young children, six and eight years old also live there. 

The residents get water in giant jugs from elsewhere, and cook in a communal kitchen. Periodically they can get a bit of electricity from solar panels. 

How will Xi solve this problem, Covid-19 related

One middle-aged woman told McDonnell that they cook whatever they are good at, or whatever they want to eat and share it with others. "We're like one big family," she says with a smile.

McDonnell wanted to ask them more, but then the police showed up and shooed him and his cameraman away.

There are so many more questions -- what do they do for toilets? Showers? How can they live with no windows and what about when winter sets in?

Apparently after McDonnell's visit, the residents were told construction would resume, but they were not convinced...

Businesses Struggle to Stay Alive in Hong Kong

Lin Heung in February 2019, now shuttered

Yesterday Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels which owns The Peninsula hotel chain, released its earnings for the first half of the calendar year.

CNBC listed the hotel's various properties and the percentage of revenue year on year:

Hong Kong         -10%

Shanghai             -48%

Beijing                -21%

Tokyo                 +39%

Bangkok             +262%

Manila                +387%

New York           +320%

Chicago              +70%

Beverley Hills    +76%

Paris                   +455%

It seems everyone has gone to Paris this summer and my social media feed has been flooded with people who have visited the City of Lights as one of the first destinations after over two years of not traveling.

Even New York is impressive with its massive jump in revenue. 

But look at Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. What do they have in common? 

"Dynamic zero Covid".

Lin Heung's hand painted tableware

Over two years after the Covid-19 pandemic, the world has definitely moved on as can be seen in the numbers plain and simple. 

Shanghai had an arduous two-month lockdown and the numbers show it. Hong Kong is just getting by, but not without constantly pitching staycations, set dinner menus and coming up to Mid-Autumn Festival, selling as many of their signature milk custard mooncakes as they can churn out of the oven.

With Hong Kong's announcement yesterday of moving to three days of hotel quarantine and four days of self-monitoring at home, the -10 percent is not going to budge much, if at all. 

Luckily Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels has deep pockets and constantly says it is here for the long term. It can spread its risk as well as its profits to other properties to keep things going.

But single independent businesses have no where else to turn.

Today it was hastily announced that Lin Heung Tea House on Wellington Street in Central will close its doors this evening after almost 100 years in business.

Braised goose webs, mushrooms and cabbage

It was a favourite for tourists who had a "local" experience of having to rinse their own tableware with hot tea, fight other diners for food, and deal with surly waiters. 

To me it's not my idea of dim sum, but visitors thought it was fun and quirky.

But by sundown, the frenzy of the morning had dissipated and dinners were more civilised. 

Locals came to have old school Cantonese dishes, some homestyle like steamed minced pork with salted fish, or crispy chicken, or roasted meats.

For more decadent occasions and more people around the table (pre-Covid), I was lucky to tuck into some classic delicacies like pig lung soup with freshly ground almonds, braised goose webs, and eight treasure duck. Even though we had a dozen people, we couldn't finish it all, choc full of mushrooms, chestnuts, lotus seeds, and rice among the ingredients.

The last time I ate here was late February 2019 when Lin Heung was threatening to close, but then its owners let the staff run the place, but the restaurant was only open for dinner, and then the protests started a few months later, and then a year later the pandemic...

Feast at Lin Heung before almost closed in 2019

Like many other restaurants it didn't have much of a chance to survive, especially without tourists for dim sum, and Lin Heung didn't have any marketing know-how to keep promoting the place.

So the place is now gone for good, following in the footsteps of Happy Cake Shop, Mido Cafe, and Jumbo Floating Restaurant.

Hotel Quarantines Cut... Sort Of

Lee announced shorter quarantine times for travellers to HK

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has announced this morning Hong Kong time that hotel quarantines have been cut to three days and four days home monitoring from August 12. 

Local residents were thrilled to see the length of time stuck in a hotel room for no good reason will be shortened, but moaned that this would not entice visitors to come back anytime soon.

Those returning to Hong Kong from Friday will need to use the new health code, where if they test negative, they will be placed under a yellow code. This means they cannot visit places such as restaurants, bars, concerts and elderly care homes, but that if their rapid antigen test is negative, they can go about taking public transport, even go back to work(!) and shop for food or go to the shopping mall.

If person tests negative at airport, get yellow code

Once people have successfully completed this 3+4 arrangement, then their health code will turn blue. Strange that it's not green... And of course those who are infected with Covid-19 are red.

The several days of PCR tests will also continue...

The long-awaited coloured health code is going to be implemented, somewhat following what has already been implemented in China since near the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

There are fears that this health code will replace the dreaded LeaveHomeSafe app for the rest of Hong Kong's population and is yet another step in having Hong Kong further conform to the mainland. 

As soon as the shortened quarantine was announced, many were rejoicing, making it even more possible for them to travel again for the first time in over two years, but others still questioned the need to be stuck in a hotel room and paying out of pocket when the rest of the world does not have this regulation (except China and Macau).

Hong Kong health experts like Ben Cowling have said many times that the numbers of infected people coming into the city are so low that hospitals would be able to handle the case loads, and so there isn't a need to have hotel quarantines.

Quarantine hotels made money in pandemic

Perhaps three days was chosen as apparently for every 1,000 travellers coming into Hong Kong, 40 test positive for Covid within three days. And also the day you arrive is counted as Day zero, not Day 1.

Lee explained the government recommendations were based on scientific data, which showed travellers' risk level after three days "is no more than the risk level of transmission in society".

"Based on this analysis, we consider that the risk is under control, and balance it against the needs for other activities to take place. This new measure of '3+4' will be in the best interests of Hong Kong," he said.

"I must emphasise that during the fourth day of medical surveillance, there are also PCR checks, so we will know if there are any changes in risks."

In other words, if there are more infections found on the fourth day, hotel quarantines may be extended, but Lee said he would try his best not to roll back on measures.

Nevertheless, his ultimate goal is to reopen to the mainland, and Lee says he is trying to find ways to make it less inconvenient for people. China's current quarantine measures are 7+3.

In the meantime Hong Kong hoteliers must be annoyed at this new announcement, as those who converted their hotels for quarantine ones have raked in a lot of money these past two years. But surely they would want things to go back to normal too...

Isolation Facilities Almost like Staycation

The new isolation units almost -- almost -- like a hotel room

Security minister Chris Tang Ping-keung wants to show he's doing a good job, just over a month into the new administration.

He posted pictures of a new Covid-19 isolation facility next to the Kai Tai cruise terminal for those who have been infected with the virus but cannot isolate at home.

The 3,000 unit facility even has elevators

There are 3,000 new units on four floors which have elevators! And some are adjoining rooms for families! Washrooms in each unit! Oh and there's sea views too! The garden even has a retired government aircraft for decoration.

The place almost sounds like a hotel, but it's not.

"We hope that everyone will enjoy a better experience during their isolation, where they can find a little sweetness in the bitterness," Tang said.

The government is trying to do better after scathing criticism of the isolation units in Tsing Yi that were hastily built by China State Construction Engineering Corporation in seven days.

That resulted in flooding in the area soon after it was in operation, users having to walk on stools to go use a bathroom outside of the unit, and sharing the room with three other strangers.

In this fifth wave, Hong Kong is seeing over 4,000 cases a day and 5,500 units in Penny's Bay are occupied as well as 800 beds in two designated hotels, the occupancy is 80 percent. 

The sea view that Tang mentioned 

But as most cases have mild symptoms and most can isolate at home, why not use these 3,000 units for social housing? There are so many people in wait lists for public housing, and so many homeless -- why not put them there first?

The government seems so hell bent on dealing with Covid-19 that it has forgotten the central government's concerns about housing issues...

 

Patriot Ad

Yung's ad in Oriental Daily severing ties with father-in-law

The talk of the town today is a devoted display of patriotism, so much so that it goes against Confucianist principles of respecting your elders, including your father-in-law.

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Eunice Yung Hoi-yan has severed ties with her pro-democracy father-in-law, Elmer Yuen, but did it very publicly.

In yesterday's Oriental Daily, she published a quarter-page ad announcing the end of her relationship with Yuen, making it very clear in black and white.

"I, Eunice Yung, as a Chinese person with the blood of the great motherland flowing through my veins, on the premise of the righteous cause of the country and according to claims made by the National Security Department that Mr Elmer Yuen allegedly contravened the offence of subversion under the national security law, do hereby declare that I am breaking off in-law relations with Mr Elmer Yuen," the advert said.

Yung's wedding day, Elmer Yuen on far left

He allegedly contravened the offence of subversion though it has not been proven in court nor has he been arrested for it.

But Yung seems to be pre-empting the possibility of being connected to his actions and making this declaration now.

Her father-in-law Yuen is alleged to have, together with ex-lawmaker elected Baggio Leung Chung-hang, and journalist Victor Ho Leung-mau of forming a committee to establish a "Hong Kong parliament". 

While the police claim it will spare no effort in bringing the alleged offenders to justice, it will be hard to as Yuen left Hong Kong several years ago.

And if the newspaper ad didn't get across to a big enough audience, Yung also posted it on her social media and urged people "not to test the law", and cut ties with anyone who may have violated the national security law.

The trio did apparently set up the "Hong Kong Parliament Electoral Organising Committee" in Canada in July this year, with the aim of holding its first election to the parliament in late 2023, according to the group's statement.

"It is the committee's belief that only genuine democratic election could literally [speak up] for the people of Hong Kong," the statement said.

Yuen knew Yung would denounce him one day

Yung's tensions with her in-laws is not new -- it was highlighted again in 2019 when the extradition bill came out which led to clashes between protesters and the police.

Not only does Yung have issues with her father-in-law, but also her sister-in-law Erica Yuen Mi-ming, who was chair of the pro-democratic People Power that is more radical than the other opposition groups before.

In 2020 in an RTHK program, Elmer Yuen said the Communist Party would criticise Eunice if she did not sever ties with him.

"So if she does so one day, I wouldn't blame her. I will take it easy if she denounces me," he said in the show.

He knows how it works.

But what of Yung's husband, Derick Yuen Mi-chang, a scholar and political commentator who describes himself as a centrist? 

Would Yung might be driven to divorce him for political reasons?

Stay tuned!

China Firing Off in Retaliation

At least 11 missiles were fired in the waters around Taiwan

Following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, China brought out its hardware and started conducting live fire drills around the island.

At least 11 missiles landed in the north, south and east of Taiwan. China is lucky it did not land anywhere else. Meanwhile military vehicles were seen in Xiamen carrying lots of missiles.

China having live fire drills for the next few days

It was a show of force to demonstrate China would follow through with its threat that it plans to take Taiwan, what it considers a "renegade province", back sometime in the future. 

What it has really disrupted is shipments coming out of Taiwan -- that are for China. While there are sanctions against such things as citrus fruits, seafood like scallops and mackerel, and sand -- used to make cement.

It did not sanction things like microchips that China needs for technology...

So perhaps Hong Kong will be the beneficiary of a lot of Taiwanese pineapples? Or maybe not since the Hong Kong government has parroted similar condemnations of Pelosi's visit as Beijing.

There was also a record number of cyberattacks on Taiwan, and it is quite obvious where they came from. But it seems the Taiwanese took this all in stride, familiar with these dangerous tactics for years.

Nevertheless, it's worth noting that China is wasting its energy and military might by firing off these missiles and such. It's the equivalent of a child throwing itself on the floor banging its fists and feet. Not a pretty sight. All this firing of missiles really damage the environment more than anything else. Hardly seems like there are any benefits from firing them into the water.

Pelosi is in Japan and met PM Fumio Kishida

But at the same time other nations in the Pacific Rim should look at what China is doing to Taiwan and think, if and when China invades Taiwan, what are we going to do in response?

This is just the dress rehearsal...

Lee's Popularity Starts on Low Point

Lee is tied for having the worst popularity rating as CE

Lucky for John Lee Ka-chiu that he was not voted in by the people. 

That's because the latest opinion polls have him ranked as one of the least popular Hong Kong leaders of all time.

Leung (above) and Lee both have 53.8 marks

In a Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute survey of 1,003 people between July 4-7, Lee had a popularity rating of 53.8 marks, while 12 percent of respondents gave him a rating of zero.

Guess that's what pulled his rating down?

He actually tied with Leung Chun-ying, who was chief executive from 2012 to 2017.

Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was rated at 63.6 marks, but at the end of her term her popularity plunged to 36 marks.

Ouch.

Interestingly the polling had 45 percent of respondents who were confident in Lee, compared to 39 percent who had "no confidence".

Lam's popularity fell to 36 marks by end of June

The research institute pointed out in an Instagram post that with previous chief executives, "Pori had already conducted relevant popularity surveys. However, there was only one candidate in this year's election, and there was no extensive interaction between citizens and the candidate before he took office, Pori hence did not conduct any popularity surveys on the Chief-Executive-Elect. It was a loss in the field of public opinion research."

Indeed, not that Lee would have backed out of the one-man race if he knew his popularity ratings would be so low... 

Pelosi's Taiwan Trip, HK Media Victory on NSL

Pelosi received a medal of honour from Tsai this morning

As expected the raging threats did not stop US Speaker Nancy Pelosi from arriving in Taiwan, meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen and even receiving a medal of honour for standing firm in safeguarding freedom, democracy and human rights.

PLA have surrounded the island doing live drills

Nevertheless, China is retaliating by holding live military drills surrounding Taiwan, more than it did in 1996. The live-fire drills will apparently continue until Thursday, though it is not clear how much longer Pelosi will be in Taiwan.

And as usual the Taiwanese people are cool as cucumbers, unmoved by the latest fiasco, but for the most part pleased to see such public support for their country.

Meanwhile a very important ruling happened yesterday in Hong Kong with regards to national security law cases.

In a landmark ruling, reporting restrictions regarding the transfer of criminal cases to the High Court must be lifted if the defendant makes such a request.

This came about after lawyer and activist Chow Hang-tung challenged a magistrate's decision to retain reporting restrictions on national security law cases.

Chow was arrested for her part in the June 4 vigil

On Tuesday, High Court Judge Alex Lee said that magistrates had no say in whether to lift reporting restrictions on committal hearings if the accused had applied to do so.

Chow is facing charges of inciting and taking part in illegal assembly of the 2020 June 4 candlelight vigil, and for organising the vigil the following year, as she is the then vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.

She along with the group's other leaders, Albert Ho Chun-yan, and Lee Cheuk-yan were charged with incitement to subversion under the national security law.

She filed the judicial review in May after Principal Magistrate Peter Law's decision in April to reject her request to lift reporting restrictions.

This ruling is significant in terms of press freedom, but also in helping people understand what happens in the court proceedings for a national security law case. It also gives some transparency and accountability with regards to the judicial system.

High Court Judge Lee allows reporting NSL cases

The government will not be pleased, especially Beijing. But hey -- if they want people to know more about the national security law, watching the cases through reports from the media -- gives people a better idea of what it's all about. 

China Issues Threats Ahead of Pelosi in Taiwan

Pelosi met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee in first stop

While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not announce she would visit Taiwan during her Asian tour, it looks very likely she will be touching down Tuesday evening, then meet President Tsai Ing-wen in the morning, and afterwards address parliament.

Naturally China is enraged like a tiger pacing in its cage and spewing threats in speeches and social media through its network of diplomats.

Pelosi expected to meet President Tsai 

Beijing has threatened to fire missiles into the Taiwan Strait, send military planes into Taiwan's air defense zone, or stage large-scale naval or air activities that cross traditional lines.

"We would like to tell the United States once again that China is standing by, the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never sit idly by, and China will take resolute response and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Zhao Lijian, a Foreign Ministry spokesman during a media briefing. "As for what measures, if she dares to go, then let's wait and see."

Well... with Pelosi's visit pretty much confirmed, the ball seems to be in Beijing's court. 

With all the bellicose threats, China has metaphorically painted itself into a corner unless it really does follow through on its words.

There are other reasons to consider why Beijing is so upset over Pelosi's possible visit.

Shanghai completely deserted during lockdown

The domestic situation in China with the zero-Covid policy has irritated and frustrated residents all over the country with the extreme lockdowns, non-stop testing, food shortages and pets beaten and killed if they are infected. 

Shutting down cities like Shanghai for 80 days has cause the country's economy to come to a screeching halt, and tens of thousands of people have lost jobs, while the rich and expats are trying to leave the country. 

There's also an alleged bank scam in Henan province, where account holders were protesting in front of the bank to be able to withdraw money since mid April. It has caused a crisis in confidence in state-owned banks and is still not resolved.

So one can imagine why some sabre rattling against Pelosi would make for a nice distraction from domestic woes.

Henan bank scam led to hundreds protesting

But will the average laobaixing care when they are more concerned about not catching Covid, having enough to eat, or be able to get their money?

Daily necessities are more pressing than geopolitical issues.

On the flip side, the Taiwanese don't seem to care much about the verbal threats from the People's Republic either.

They seem used to these kinds of war of words and are just carrying on with their daily lives, again Covid is more of a priority than Pelosi's visit.

On social media people are suggesting what she should do while in Taipei, including tucking into beef noodles and drinking bubble tea...

Drink, But Don't Eat at Rugby Sevens

Rugby Sevens 2022 will be a lot different than pre-pandemic

Two weeks ago at a talk at the Foreign Correspondents' Club about the future of Covid-19, University of Hong Kong epidemiologist Ben Cowling was asked if he thought the government's proposal to hold the Rugby Sevens tournament in November would go ahead.

He felt that with time ticking and no comprehensive plan in place as to how the event would be run and take social-distancing precautions and quarantines into account, it would probably not happen.

Cowling (left) thought rugby would not go ahead

It seemed all bets were off.

But suddenly the government announced a few days ago that the popular Rugby Sevens would go ahead -- mostly for the expat crowd. Players would be in a closed loop in terms of staying in one quarantine hotel, but... what about the people in the stands at Hong Kong Stadium?

The authorities have now come up with a plan which is: people can drink in the stands, but they can't eat.

Have government officials even attended a Rugby Sevens event before? I never did but I know that it entails people dressing up in silly costumes, hanging out there all day in the hot sun, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, and eating crap fast food.

However, the Commissioner for Sport Yeung Tak-keung told RTHK that drinking is allowed, but not eating, only in so-called "eating outlets", without elaborating further.

"For eating, you need to take off your mask, and we want to reduce and minimise the mask-off activities at the spectator stands," Yeung said.

So people can drink, but not eat, says government

"We want them spectators to observe the rules themselves, and also, the Rugby Union will send people around to remind people to put their masks back on after drinking."

Tell drunk people to put their masks back on? 

Good luck with that.

The feedback on Twitter was amusing, ranging from how clueless the government is, to how it seems to want to encourage rugby fans at the event to be 10 times drunker without food in their stomachs. 

Maybe the government wants to rethink its Rugby Sevens arrangement? It's still not too late to cancel for the sake of "dynamic Covid-zero"!