Latest news with #pro-Beijing
HKFP
9 hours ago
- Politics
- HKFP
New director of Beijing's top organ in Hong Kong visits neighbourhoods on third day of office
Zhou Ji, the new director of Beijing's top organ in Hong Kong, visited Sham Shui Po and Tsing Yi on his third day in office, saying his new appointment reflected the 'deep trust' placed in him by China's president Xi Jinping. Zhou said in a statement released by the central government's liaison office on Sunday that he hoped to understand Hong Kong's 'community work' and 'people's livelihoods' through his first district visit. The top official went to a women's services centre run by a pro-Beijing group in Sham Shui Po's Fu Cheong Estate. He also visited a community hall in Cheung Hang Estate in Tsing Yi. Zhou, 61, succeeded Zheng Yanxiong as head of the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong, according to a brief statement on Friday. Zhou was formerly the executive deputy director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. His predecessor, Zheng, had headed the liaison office since January 2023, three years after becoming the director of the central government's Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong. Born in China's Hubei province, Zhou graduated from Huazhong University with a master's degree in electronic and communication engineering, according to Chinese media outlets. Zhou rose through local government ranks first in Hubei province and later in Henan province. He said in the Sunday statement that he had seen Hong Kong's transition 'from governance to prosperity' while working as the executive deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau affairs office, adding that the city had 'enhanced district governance.' 'It is a privilege to work at the liaison office, which reflects the deep trust placed in me by General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Central Committee of the Party,' Zhou said in the Chinese statement. 'I fully understand the weight of my responsibilities and will ensure the comprehensive, accurate, and unwavering implementation of the 'One Country, Two Systems' policy and the principle of 'patriots governing Hong Kong,'' he said. Plans to overhaul the District Council elections were unveiled in May 2023 to ensure only 'patriots' were elected, following a pro-democracy landslide at the last polls in 2019. The number of seats chosen democratically by the public were slashed from 452 to 88 – reducing the power of public votes to a fifth. The rest are to be chosen by the city's leader and government-appointed committees. Constituency boundaries were redrawn, the opposition were shut out, voting hours were slashed by an hour, and each local council is to be chaired by a government official, similar to colonial-era arrangements. All candidates undergo national security vetting to ensure patriotism. Meeting with John Lee Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee met with Zhou 'in a cordial and productive atmosphere' on Saturday, welcoming Zhou on his new appointment and expressing gratitude for Beijing's care and support for Hong Kong, according to a government statement. 'Director Zhou Yi has extensive experience in local governance and a broad perspective on policy-making,' the Chinese statement read, adding that Zhou was 'well acquainted' with China's policies on Hong Kong. According to the statement, Zhou led a delegation to visit Hong Kong last year and 'gain better insights into its economic development.'
HKFP
3 days ago
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong's Catholic church declines to say if Tiananmen mass will take place after 3 years of cancellations
Hong Kong's Catholic church has declined to say if it will hold a mass this year to commemorate victims of the Tiananmen crackdown, after scrapping the event in the past three years. When asked if the church would resume the memorial mass on Wednesday – which is June 4, the anniversary of the 1989 crackdown – the communications office said it had held a service last week to pray for the Catholic church in China. The Hong Kong Catholic Social Communication Office said in an email on Friday that May 24 had been designated as the 'World Day of Prayer for the Church in China.' Cardinal Stephen Chow 'presided over a Solemn Mass on 24th May this year… at the Cathedral to devote to 'Mary Help of Christians' and to pray for the Church in China,' the office wrote in an email to HKFP. Last year, the Catholic church gave a similar email reply when asked if it would organise a mass. No mass was eventually held on the anniversary. The Catholic church's Tiananmen mass was part of Hong Kong's tradition of mourning the victims of the 1989 crackdown for more than three decades until it was cancelled for the first time in 2022. It has not resumed since. The church at that time cited concerns about members potentially breaching the national security law, which Beijing imposed in 2020 after the pro-democracy protests and unrest that began the year before. Last year, Cardinal Chow wrote in an open prayer that only through forgiveness would people be able to heal from events that took place '35 years ago in the capital city,' an apparent reference to the 1989 crackdown. Patriotic carnival to return in Victoria Park Public remembrance of the Tiananmen crackdown has become rare since the enactment of Beijing's national security law. In Victoria Park, where Tiananmen vigils took place on the anniversary for three decades, pro-Beijing groups are scheduled to run a patriotic food carnival for the third straight year in the days spanning June 4. The Hometown Market will be held from Sunday to next Thursday, according to the organisers' Facebook page. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Beijing-imposed national security law, tens of thousands of Hongkongers gathered for an annual candlelight vigil on June 4 to mourn the bloody crackdown on student-led protests at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The number of deaths is not known, but it is believed that hundreds, if not thousands, died during the People's Liberation Army's dispersal of protesters that day. Police banned the Tiananmen vigil gathering at Victoria Park for the first time in 2020, citing Covid-19 restrictions, and imposed the ban again in 2021, nearly a year after the national security law came into effect. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organised the vigils, disbanded in September 2021 after several of its members were arrested. No official commemoration has been held since then. But HKFP reporters saw individuals lighting up the torch on their phones or holding LED candles in the vicinity of Victoria Park on June 4 last year, in gestures they said were in remembrance of the Tiananmen crackdown. A heavy police presence was also seen near the park as officers stopped people and conducted searches. In recent years, the Hong Kong government has referred to the Tiananmen anniversary as a 'sensitive date,' while statues and artworks paying tribute to the 1989 crackdown have also been removed from the city's university campuses.
Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
South Korea's presidential election set to reshape policies for key U.S. ally
SEOUL: South Korean liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung is projected to win next week's snap presidential election, a result that could reorient a major U.S. ally on policies ranging from China to nuclear weapons and North Korea. Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who was impeached and removed from office over December's short-lived martial law decree, had gone all-in on supporting Washington, taking a hard line on North Korea, and repairing ties with Japan. Lee, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 election, has long taken a more sceptical view of the U.S. alliance, vowed to engage with North Korea, and was bitterly critical of Yoon's rapprochement with Japan. He made waves on the campaign trail by saying South Korea should keep its distance from any China-Taiwan conflict, later insisting he is not pro-Beijing. Tacking toward the centre in an effort to win moderates, however, Lee has taken to praising the U.S. alliance and said he would continue trilateral cooperation with Japan and the United States, seen in Washington as pivotal to countering China and North Korea. 'The Yoon administration claimed to uphold democratic values in foreign policy while pursuing authoritarian tactics domestically,' Wi Sung-lac, a lawmaker who advises Lee on foreign policy, told Reuters. 'In contrast, if the Democratic Party wins, the incoming government will be prepared to genuinely defend democracy and lead a foreign policy grounded in those values, proven by its long history of struggle for democratic rights in Korea.' Scepticism in Washington Some in Washington wonder if Lee's pivot on a range of issues will last, and how his views might clash with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has slapped South Korea with tariffs, pressed it to pay more for the 28,500 troops stationed there, and upped competition with China. While this pivot has expanded Lee's appeal, 'it also raises concerns about future policy and governing consistency,' Darcie Draudt-Vejares, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote in a report. South Korea frontrunner Lee suggests extending US tariff talks Much has changed in the three years since South Korea's last liberal president, Moon Jae-in, left office, after overseeing a trade and political clash with Tokyo over historical disputes related to Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean peninsula, and an ultimately failed attempt to broker lasting diplomatic deals between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. One Western diplomat, who asked not to be named, said China's assertiveness, doubts about U.S. commitments, and North Korea's new cooperation with Russia means Lee may be unlikely to return to some of his earlier stances. 'Great scepticism remains that Lee would actually stray from his previous advocacy for conciliation with China and North Korea, nationalist antagonism toward Japan, and more independence in its alliance with the United States,' said Bruce Klingner, a former CIA analyst now at Washington's Heritage Foundation. Lee has vowed to cooperate with Japan on security, technology, culture and environment, but he criticised Yoon for giving too many concessions with little in return. 'While Lee may not actively walk back Yoon's reconciliation with Japan… his party will react more strongly to any perceived slight from Japan over history issues,' Klingner said. Yoon and his conservatives raised the prospect of redeploying American nuclear weapons to the peninsula, or even developing their own arsenal to counter the North. But Lee has rejected those calls. Trump relations In an interview with TIME released on Thursday, Lee praised Trump's 'outstanding skills' for negotiation. He also compared himself to the American president, saying both survived assassination attempts and seek to protect the interests of their countries. 'I believe the South Korea-U.S. alliance is the foundation of South Korea's diplomacy,' Lee said at a debate on Tuesday. Still, he listed U.S. protectionism as a challenge and said he would not 'unnecessarily' antagonize China and Russia. He is a savvy politician who will take a calculated approach to dealing with Trump, and given the lack of clarity on a number of Trump's policies on China and other areas, it is not certain that Lee will clash with the American president, said Moon Chung-in, a former foreign policy adviser to the previous liberal administration. 'But if President Trump pushes too many demands, unlike other leaders in South Korea, Lee may not accommodate them all, which could be a source of friction,' Moon said. North Korea is one area where Lee may see eye-to-eye with Trump. It may also be one of the toughest issues to tackle. Lee says he will reopen hotlines with North Korea and seek to engage with Pyongyang to lower tensions. However, Pyongyang has amassed a larger missile arsenal, forged a wide-ranging security pact with Russia, and taken the historic step of officially rejecting eventual unification with the South, labelling Seoul a main enemy. 'It will be very difficult for Lee to reopen the hotlines with North Korea, and the North will not respond to his call for dialogue,' Moon said.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
South Korea's presidential election set to reshape policies for key U.S. ally
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate for South Korea's Democratic Party, poses for photographs as he casts his early vote for the upcoming presidential election with his supporters at a polling station in Seoul, South Korea, May 29, 2025. Yonhap via REUTERS SEOUL - South Korean liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung is projected to win next week's snap presidential election, a result that could reorient a major U.S. ally on policies ranging from China to nuclear weapons and North Korea. Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who was impeached and removed from office over December's short-lived martial law decree, had gone all-in on supporting Washington, taking a hard line on North Korea, and repairing ties with Japan. Lee, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 election, has long taken a more sceptical view of the U.S. alliance, vowed to engage with North Korea, and was bitterly critical of Yoon's rapprochement with Japan. He made waves on the campaign trail by saying South Korea should keep its distance from any China-Taiwan conflict, later insisting he is not pro-Beijing. Tacking toward the centre in an effort to win moderates, however, Lee has taken to praising the U.S. alliance and said he would continue trilateral cooperation with Japan and the United States, seen in Washington as pivotal to countering China and North Korea. "The Yoon administration claimed to uphold democratic values in foreign policy while pursuing authoritarian tactics domestically," Wi Sung-lac, a lawmaker who advises Lee on foreign policy, told Reuters. "In contrast, if the Democratic Party wins, the incoming government will be prepared to genuinely defend democracy and lead a foreign policy grounded in those values, proven by its long history of struggle for democratic rights in Korea." SCEPTICISM IN WASHINGTON Some in Washington wonder if Lee's pivot on a range of issues will last, and how his views might clash with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has slapped South Korea with tariffs, pressed it to pay more for the 28,500 troops stationed there, and upped competition with China. "Great scepticism remains that Lee would actually stray from his previous advocacy for conciliation with China and North Korea, nationalist antagonism toward Japan, and more independence in its alliance with the United States," said Bruce Klingner, a former CIA analyst now at Washington's Heritage Foundation. While this pivot has expanded Lee's appeal, "it also raises concerns about future policy and governing consistency," Darcie Draudt-Vejares, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote in a report. Much has changed in the three years since South Korea's last liberal president, Moon Jae-in, left office, after overseeing a trade and political clash with Tokyo over historical disputes related to Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean peninsula, and an ultimately failed attempt to broker lasting diplomatic deals between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. One Western diplomat, who asked not to be named, said China's assertiveness, doubts about U.S. commitments, and North Korea's new cooperation with Russia means Lee may be unlikely to return to some of his earlier stances. Lee has vowed to cooperate with Japan on security, technology, culture and environment, but he criticised Yoon for giving too many concessions with little in return. "While Lee may not actively walk back Yoon's reconciliation with Japan... his party will react more strongly to any perceived slight from Japan over history issues," Klingner said. Yoon and his conservatives raised the prospect of redeploying American nuclear weapons to the peninsula, or even developing their own arsenal to counter the North. But Lee has rejected those calls. TRUMP RELATIONS In an interview with TIME released on Thursday, Lee praised Trump's "outstanding skills" for negotiation. He also compared himself to the American president, saying both survived assassination attempts and seek to protect the interests of their countries. "I believe the South Korea-U.S. alliance is the foundation of South Korea's diplomacy," Lee said at a debate on Tuesday. Still, he listed U.S. protectionism as a challenge and said he would not "unnecessarily" antagonize China and Russia. He is a savvy politician who will take a calculated approach to dealing with Trump, and given the lack of clarity on a number of Trump's policies on China and other areas, it is not certain that Lee will clash with the American president, said Moon Chung-in, a former foreign policy adviser to the previous liberal administration. "But if President Trump pushes too many demands, unlike other leaders in South Korea, Lee may not accommodate them all, which could be a source of friction," Moon said. North Korea is one area where Lee may see eye-to-eye with Trump. It may also be one of the toughest issues to tackle. Lee says he will reopen hotlines with North Korea and seek to engage with Pyongyang to lower tensions. However, Pyongyang has amassed a larger missile arsenal, forged a wide-ranging security pact with Russia, and taken the historic step of officially rejecting eventual unification with the South, labelling Seoul a main enemy. "It will be very difficult for Lee to reopen the hotlines with North Korea, and the North will not respond to his call for dialogue," Moon said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Analysis-South Korea's presidential election set to reshape policies for key U.S. ally
By Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung is projected to win next week's snap presidential election, a result that could reorient a major U.S. ally on policies ranging from China to nuclear weapons and North Korea. Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who was impeached and removed from office over December's short-lived martial law decree, had gone all-in on supporting Washington, taking a hard line on North Korea, and repairing ties with Japan. Lee, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 election, has long taken a more sceptical view of the U.S. alliance, vowed to engage with North Korea, and was bitterly critical of Yoon's rapprochement with Japan. He made waves on the campaign trail by saying South Korea should keep its distance from any China-Taiwan conflict, later insisting he is not pro-Beijing. Tacking toward the centre in an effort to win moderates, however, Lee has taken to praising the U.S. alliance and said he would continue trilateral cooperation with Japan and the United States, seen in Washington as pivotal to countering China and North Korea. "The Yoon administration claimed to uphold democratic values in foreign policy while pursuing authoritarian tactics domestically," Wi Sung-lac, a lawmaker who advises Lee on foreign policy, told Reuters. "In contrast, if the Democratic Party wins, the incoming government will be prepared to genuinely defend democracy and lead a foreign policy grounded in those values, proven by its long history of struggle for democratic rights in Korea." SCEPTICISM IN WASHINGTON Some in Washington wonder if Lee's pivot on a range of issues will last, and how his views might clash with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has slapped South Korea with tariffs, pressed it to pay more for the 28,500 troops stationed there, and upped competition with China. "Great scepticism remains that Lee would actually stray from his previous advocacy for conciliation with China and North Korea, nationalist antagonism toward Japan, and more independence in its alliance with the United States," said Bruce Klingner, a former CIA analyst now at Washington's Heritage Foundation. While this pivot has expanded Lee's appeal, "it also raises concerns about future policy and governing consistency," Darcie Draudt-Vejares, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote in a report. Much has changed in the three years since South Korea's last liberal president, Moon Jae-in, left office, after overseeing a trade and political clash with Tokyo over historical disputes related to Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean peninsula, and an ultimately failed attempt to broker lasting diplomatic deals between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. One Western diplomat, who asked not to be named, said China's assertiveness, doubts about U.S. commitments, and North Korea's new cooperation with Russia means Lee may be unlikely to return to some of his earlier stances. Lee has vowed to cooperate with Japan on security, technology, culture and environment, but he criticised Yoon for giving too many concessions with little in return. "While Lee may not actively walk back Yoon's reconciliation with Japan... his party will react more strongly to any perceived slight from Japan over history issues," Klingner said. Yoon and his conservatives raised the prospect of redeploying American nuclear weapons to the peninsula, or even developing their own arsenal to counter the North. But Lee has rejected those calls. TRUMP RELATIONS In an interview with TIME released on Thursday, Lee praised Trump's "outstanding skills" for negotiation. He also compared himself to the American president, saying both survived assassination attempts and seek to protect the interests of their countries. "I believe the South Korea-U.S. alliance is the foundation of South Korea's diplomacy," Lee said at a debate on Tuesday. Still, he listed U.S. protectionism as a challenge and said he would not "unnecessarily" antagonize China and Russia. He is a savvy politician who will take a calculated approach to dealing with Trump, and given the lack of clarity on a number of Trump's policies on China and other areas, it is not certain that Lee will clash with the American president, said Moon Chung-in, a former foreign policy adviser to the previous liberal administration. "But if President Trump pushes too many demands, unlike other leaders in South Korea, Lee may not accommodate them all, which could be a source of friction," Moon said. North Korea is one area where Lee may see eye-to-eye with Trump. It may also be one of the toughest issues to tackle. Lee says he will reopen hotlines with North Korea and seek to engage with Pyongyang to lower tensions. However, Pyongyang has amassed a larger missile arsenal, forged a wide-ranging security pact with Russia, and taken the historic step of officially rejecting eventual unification with the South, labelling Seoul a main enemy. "It will be very difficult for Lee to reopen the hotlines with North Korea, and the North will not respond to his call for dialogue," Moon said.
