Latest news with #LauSiu-kai
South China Morning Post
29-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Beijing office posts article critical of splitting ports off in Hutchison deal
A reported plan by Hong Kong's CK Hutchison Holdings to separate two Panama Canal facilities from its controversial port deal would not bring 'any practical significance' as the crux was whether the docks sold would be under Washington's control, an article by pro-Beijing media and reposted by a key Beijing office has argued. Advertisement The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) reposted a second article by Ta Kung Pao critical of the deal on its website on Tuesday, the second in two days. The latest article cited Lau Siu-kai, a consultant with Beijing's semi-official think tank, the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, as saying that splitting up the port sale would not have much practical significance. 'The fundamental issue revolves around whether the ports are subject to the pressure and control from the US government, rather than the transaction details,' he said. 'In the context of an increasingly complex global landscape, every decision made by the Chinese government starts from national interests and security, which is an important safeguard for upholding national sovereignty and development.' Advertisement He added that discriminatory measures against Chinese vessels or companies could be imposed at the two relevant ports under pressure of the US government if the transaction was completed.
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.
