Hong Kong's District polls landslide stuns China's official media into silence, but how will Beijing respond? | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
No one anticipated the massive election turnout on November 24. The 18 District Councils with their neighbourhood-level constituencies have rarely attracted much interest or attention. Since Hong Kong’s 1997 return to Chinese rule, they have generally been the preserve of well-funded and well-orga...
Opinion: "Consequently, the [District Council] election should be seen as a rebuke, not necessarily directed against Beijing's authority, but against the way Beijing is choosing to exercise it," writes Suzanne Pepper.
Video: Chinese children learn to code amid gov't tech drive | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
By Danni Zhu Wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a red T-shirt, an eight-year-old Chinese boy is logged in for an on coding lesson – as the teacher. Vita has set up a coding tutorial channel on the Chinese video streaming site Bilibili since August and has so far garnered nearly 60,000 foll...
A growing number of children in China who are learning to code even before they enter primary school, fuelled by parents' belief that the skill will be essential given the government's technological drive.
What Hong Kong can learn from Northern Ireland: three steps to avoid 30 years of tragedy | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
By Brian Dooley When Hong Kong’s unrest slides into 2020, we’ll start measuring the protests in years rather than months. Comparisons with the long conflict of the 1968 to 1998 Northern Ireland Troubles are inevitable. In both cases, problems arose when a big power worked out a deal granting sem...
HKFP_Voices: "Hong Kong can avoid the tragedy of Northern Ireland, but if months and years of upheaval aren’t to turn into decades its government needs to act fast to stop the escalation and find a political solution," writes Brian Dooley.
Hongkonger 'missing' after crossing Chinese checkpoint on mega bridge to Macau | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
Hong Kong’s immigration department said Sunday they have received reports a man went missing on a cross-border mega bridge to the gambling hub of Macau that currently hosts a Chinese mainland police checkpoint. The disappearance first emerged on Saturday when the man’s son told local media his f...
Governing without legitimacy: How Beijing can begin to rebuild trust in the Hong Kong authorities | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
Opinion: "We in Hong Kong are witnessing a rare experiment in which our government is attempting to govern without legitimacy. This is the sort of thing we see in war zones or the power vacuums associated with imminent regime change. Yet neither of these conditions apply to Hong Kong," writes John Burns.
Opinion: "As old and tired as the saying is, for Hong Kong to move forward, the government is going to have to give way on the five demands. It is possible to make the first step, but in order to do that, we have to create room and solutions for everyone to manoeuvre. One way - like it or not - would be to grant amnesty for all," writes Yan Sham-Shackleton.
Opinion: "In a better world, the Chinese leadership would recognise that its blueprint for Hong Kong has been a consummate fiasco and send their obedient apparatchik back home to implement a fresh new approach. This move would begin the healing process for a city that has been tearing itself apart for the past six months as anti-government protesters raged in the streets while also seizing and trashing university campuses," writes Kent Ewing.
HKFP_Voices: " It has taken a long time but democracies are finally realising the danger they are running by giving Beijing free rein to gradually take control of their media and thereby extend its influence over public opinion," Cédric Alviani, Reporters Without Borders East Asia and Taipei Bureau Director tells Global Voices.
By Filip Noubel Since Xi Jinping established himself as the undisputed leader of China in 2013, the role of global media in reshaping the image of China has become one of the top priorities for the Chinese government. Today, Beijing’s efforts have managed to attract a number of journalists and med...
China has endured embarrassing food scandals in recent years, but its sturgeon eggs have gained the respect of caviar connoisseurs around the world.
By Ludovic Ehret The caviar on the menu of Michelin-starred restaurants may come from an unexpected place: China. The country has endured embarrassing food scandals in recent years, but its sturgeon eggs have gained the respect of caviar connoisseurs around the world. It has also become pricier for....
