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South China Morning Post
15-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong faces rising ‘soft resistance' threat amid geopolitical rifts: experts
'Soft resistance' has become an important avenue for foreign political intervention amid a tense geopolitical climate, Hong Kong experts and officials have said, with authorities having been urged to not just bolster legal defences against such threats. Advertisement The panel of academics and government officials, moderated by Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, issued the call after the opening ceremony for this year's National Security Education Day on Tuesday. They also said soft resistance included disinformation and ideologies 'targeting the mind', with one expert on the panel warning that such activities would be on the rise as geopolitical tensions grew. 'They cannot accept the new political order, and will do everything they can to find ways to damage Hong Kong's stability and governance, making it a place that continues to threaten national security,' said Lau Siu-kai, who is a consultant with Beijing's semi-official think tank, the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies. ''Hard resistance' has become difficult; hence soft resistance has become an important means of political struggle.' Tuesday's panel was moderated by Chief Secretary Eric Chan, Hong Kong's No 2 official. Photo: Handout He described soft resistance as surreptitious acts such as 'thought infiltration', psychological and ideological warfare, 'colour revolution' and subversion – a contrast to rioting, coups and armed conflicts, which all fell under hard resistance.
South China Morning Post
26-03-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Panama ports deal: eyebrows raised over Hong Kong's Richard Li in Beijing, observers say
The appearance of the younger son of Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing at a high-profile summit in Beijing on the weekend caused a stir in business circles given how the central government had signalled its displeasure over the sale of Panama Canal ports controlled by his family's conglomerate, observers have said. Advertisement Richard Li Tzar-kai was among 93 people who appeared in a group photo with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the China Development Forum on Sunday in Beijing. His father and his elder brother, Victor Li Tzar-kuoi, were absent. Standing in the last row, the younger brother was sporting his usual round, black-framed glasses. He attended in his capacity as founder of Pacific Century Group, a Hong Kong-based private investment conglomerate with interests in technology, media, financial services, infrastructure and property. Lau Siu-kai, a consultant to the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank, said on Tuesday that Beijing recognised that the brothers had been involved in separate business ventures for a long time. Advertisement 'Richard Li is not involved in the sale of piers by Hutchison and he is a tycoon in his own right,' Lau said. 'Besides, Beijing has not issued any official statement against Hutchison or Li Ka-shing.'
South China Morning Post
14-03-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Can Hong Kong's Hutchison ride out storm over Panama ports deal after Beijing attack?
Beijing's veiled attack on Hong Kong's CK Hutchison for selling its Panama Canal ports by posting a blistering newspaper commentary against it is an attempt to pile pressure on the conglomerate to either axe the deal or negotiate better terms that protect the national interest, observers have said. Advertisement But the experts warned on Friday that Hutchison, part of Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing's empire, was now caught in a dilemma and might end up being punished by both the United States and China no matter how it acted now. If it backed out of the deal, it could be seen as caving in to Beijing's pressure and prompt punitive actions from the US. But if it went ahead, Li's business empire might face political repercussions and be labelled unpatriotic even if it sought to show its loyalty by investing in mainland Chinese ports. As things stood, Li, said the analysts, was not always in the good books of the central government. 'It's obvious that Beijing is using an indirect way to express its discontent about the planned deal and hopes Li can mend things by turning the deal in Beijing's favour,' said Lau Siu-kai, a consultant with the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank. 'The planned deal is set to undermine the development of the nation's Belt and Road Initiative and hit China's maritime and shipping building industries as the US will wrest control of many overseas ports which may drastically raise tax on Chinese vessels.' Advertisement The belt and road plan is part of China's vision to grow global trade among friendly nations.
