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Briefings - 335. page

Sofreight: China Planning Tariff-Free Trial in Shanghai Free-Trade Zone

Sofreight, a China-based international freight information platform, recently posted an article in its news section indicating that the Chinese central government has been considering and is now planning to remove all tariffs in the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone. In the midst of a grand trade war with the United States, the Chinese government wants to position itself as the leader of free trade. The plan may be announced within this year at the earliest. According to the draft plan, foreign companies will not pay any tariff for cargo staying in the Zone, with a much-simplified customs process. Currently, normal tariffs still apply to cargo in the Zone with Chinese Customs still administering them. Today, to establish a company registered in the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone, the process takes a few months, though the government claims it takes only five days. If the plan succeeds, it has the potential to be deployed to all of China’s free-trade zones. Neither officials in the Zone nor the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) responded to requests for confirmation or comments.

Source: Sofreight, August 6, 2019
http://www.sofreight.com/news_36710.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

NTDTV: Hong Kong Policemen Were Taped Replacing Uniforms with the Clothing of Protesters

According to NTDTV, during recent protests in Hong Kong, there were groups of gangsters in white or blue clothing attacking the protesters. Also among the protesters, some individuals were shouting and even acted like criminals. It was suspected that Hong Kong policemen or CCP undercover agents played these roles to make the protests seem to be “out of control” or more “chaotic.” Now, the suspicion has some evidence behind it. Some Hong Kong policemen were videotaped while they gathering in or around their police vehicles. They were taped changing out of their uniforms and into white clothing .

On Sunday evening, August 4th, some Hong Kong people took a video and uploaded it to YouTube. The video showed that, in the parking lot of the Ngau Tau Kok District Police Station, a police van marked “AM7113” on the top had the door open. A group of police officers gathered inside and around the police vehicle. On the left side of the van, several police officers took off their uniforms and replaced them with black or white clothing. During this period, several people in black were returning to the other side of the van.  [Editor’s note: At 0:27 two persons in black clothing with white masks walked to the van. One of them entered the van, while another with a cell-phone in his left hand and a flashlight in his right hand walked away. At 2:11, the same man returned to the van again.].

Another video on Twitter was taken at possibly the same location. It displayed at the end of the same police vehicle [AM7113], that several police officers, while at the back side of the vehicle were replacing their white clothing.

In addition to the AM7113 vehicle, there were still many police cars parked on site. The car numbers that could be seen included AM8052, AM8053, and AM8185. According to public information, the license plate numbers of the Hong Kong government vehicles started mostly with AM, while the police car numbers started with AM6, AM7, AM8, AM98 and AM99. AM7113 belongs to the Tseung Kwan O Police Station.

These videos caused a heated discussion on the network. Some netizens suspected that the police mixed into the demonstrators and that their actions gave the police their excuse for arresting demonstrators.

Sources:
1. NTDTV, August 6, 2019
https://www.ntdtv.com/b5/2019/08/06/a102638845.html
2. YouTube, August 4, 2019

3. Twitter, August 4, 2019

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics Social Stability

Overseas Chinese Organizations Leap Forward to Show Loyalty to the Chinese Government

While Beijing has been blaming the U.S. for masterminding the Hong Kong protests and ratcheting up its rhetoric against the movement, the official media also reported that the “international community” has been condemning the “violent protesters.” One article highlights a list of overseas Chinese organizations.

The article is titled, “The overseas Chinese community has expressed a strong voice, intensely condemning the violent behavior of sabotaging Hong Kong and supporting ‘one country, two systems.’” The article mentioned “over 50 representatives of overseas Chinese organizations in the U.K.” “over 10 overseas Chinese organizations in Southern California,” the Council of Newcomer Organizations (CONCO) in Canada, the Overseas Chinese Association in Bangladesh, 14 overseas Chinese organizations in Hungary, the General Association of Chinese Traders and Entrepreneurs In Madagascar, and a number of overseas Chinese organizations in Madrid, Spain.

The letter from “over 10 overseas Chinese organizations in Southern California” said, “Hong Kong matters are China’s internal affair. (We) resolutely oppose any foreign forces inciting the Hong Kong people to be against the SAR government and the central government, arbitrarily criticizing and interfering in China’s internal affairs. (We) hope that Hong Kong compatriots will open their eyes and cherish their hard-earned prosperity and stability and that you work with the Chinese people at home and abroad to contribute to the peaceful reunification of the Motherland and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”

Source: The Paper, August 12, 2019
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_4142615

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Huanqiu Editorial: U.S. Slams Hong Kong Media

An official editorial from a China State media, Huanqiu (Global Times), attempted to rebut a statement that the U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus made on August 8. Ortagus described China as a “thuggish regime” because it disclosed personal details about a U.S. diplomat who met student leaders involved in the Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. Earlier, a China-controlled media, the Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao, published a photograph of a U.S. diplomat, identified as Julie Eadeh of the consulate’s political section, talking to student leaders, including Joshua Wong, in the lobby of a luxury hotel. It also published personal details about her family members.

“However,” said Huanqiu , “the U.S. State Department slammed the Hong Kong media on Thursday, and described the report exposing U.S. diplomat Ms. Eadeh’s past experience in instigating a ‘color revolution’ as ‘disclosing the personal information of U.S. diplomats.’ It attributed the media report to the [Chinese] government, and said that is what a thuggish regime would do.”

Huanqiu continued, “The Hong Kong media have the right to expose the situation of U.S. diplomats who are actively intervening in Hong Kong and to let people know what kind of people they are in order to form a more comprehensive understanding of the situation in Hong Kong. This is the duty of the media and the [Chinese] government has nothing to do with it.”

It concluded, “All this that the internal and external forces created is nothing but a phantom. With the strong support of the [Chinese Communist Party] Central Committee, the vast Hong Kong people who are patriotic and love Hong Kong will have the courage to stand up. The conspiracy will be shattered and the turmoil will be crushed. The time will come when the mob will be brought to justice.”

Source: Huanqiu, August 9, 2019
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2019-08/15274986.html?agt=15422

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics US-China Relations

Chinese Students in Australia Harass Hong Kong Anti-extradition Law Protesters

Australia has recently become a battlefield over the extension of the Anti-Extradition Law protest in Hong Kong. In a number of reported cases Chinese Students have harassed those protesting the extradition law. In Monash University, a small democratic rally was held on August 6. A live video showed a man yelling at the students and pushing people who tried to get involved. Students said that those Chinese nationalists posted the home address of the pro-Hong Kong protesters on Wechat. They also discussed submitting a list of mainland people who support the Hong Kong protests to the Chinese authorities in the mainland. At Queensland University in Brisbane, a group of students held a new demonstration to support relatives and friends in their hometowns. Drew Pavlou, a student who supported the campus demonstration, was warned, asking him to “be careful.” He also received a newsletter claiming to know his whereabouts and threatening to “kill his family.” Similar harassment cases were also reported at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

Source: Central News Agency, August 10, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/201908100147.aspx

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

CAAC to Cathay: Crew Members Who Support Hong Kong Protesters Should Be Banned from Mainland Routes

Starting on Friday August 9, at one of the busiest airports in Asia, the Hong Kong International Airport, a large-scale assemblage of citizens who are against the extradition law have gathered. They have been there for the last three days. During the rally, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued a major aviation safety risk warning to Cathay Pacific Airways, the flag carrier of Hong Kong.

CAAC said that it is concerned that some crew members of Cathay have been charged with rioting because they have participated in violent attacks, but they were not stopped from flying. In addition, CAAC believes that some Cathay employees have maliciously leaked passenger information, posing a serious threat to aviation safety.

CAAC demanded of Cathay Pacific, starting from the early hours on Saturday morning, that all personnel who participated or supported the “illegal” parades and protests and violent attacks and exhibited “excessive” behaviors should be stopped immediately from performing all duties on the mainland flights. Starting in the early morning on Sunday, Cathay Pacific was required submit to the mainland Chinese authority the identity information of all crew members on routes arriving at or flying over mainland China. Beijing would not accept the flight unless approval was given to the crew members.

At the same time, hundreds of Hong Kong citizens have been participating in anti-extradition law rallies at the arrival area of the Hong Kong International Airport. Most people wear black clothes and some wear masks. They have been explaining to travelers what has happened in the past two months in Hong Kong. They have used posters, pictures, songs, slogans, and printed materials. Some people expressed the belief that the event at the airport can help attract international attention.

The BBC reported that, in a statement on Monday afternoon, Hong Kong’s Airport Authority said it was cancelling all flights that were not yet checked in. “More than 160 flights scheduled to leave after 18:00 local time (10:00 GMT) will now not depart.”

Sources:
1. Radio Free Asia , August 9, 2019.
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/gf1-08092019081926.html
2. BBC, August 112, 2019
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49317975

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Central News Agency: Mainland Boycotts Taiwan Golden Horse Rewards

The National Film Board of China recently barred mainland film and film personnel from participating in the 56th Golden Horse Film Festival to be held in Taipei this year. Even though the notice didn’t mention whether Hong Kong is included, four Hong Kong films also announced that they will withdraw their registration, including “Drug 2” starring Andy Lau. In addition, the dates that were announced for the mainland’s Golden Rooster Film Awards happens to be November 19 to 23 which coincide with the days the Golden Horse Film Festival will be held.

Source: Central News Agency, August 9, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/201908090038.aspx Briefing

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Perpetrators Involved in Persecution of Falun Gong in China Shocked and Restrained their Behavior after Learning about the Latest US Visa Vetting Process

Recently, the U.S. State Department implemented a stricter visa vetting process. After the news reached mainland China, many officials, especially those perpetrators involved in the persecution of Falun Gong in China, were shocked. According to Minghui, an overseas Chinese website that is dedicated to reporting first-hand reports from China on the persecution on a daily basis, it issued a notice calling for Falun Gong practitioners to collect information on perpetrators, their family members, and their assets. Since the notice was published, there have been a number of reported cases where the police in China were more restrained in their behavior when treating detained Falun Gong practitioners.

In Helongjiang province, in one of the cities, after Falun Gong practitioners distributed flyers with information on the latest visa vetting policy, four female Falun Gong practitioners were released from the detention center within just 15 days. The guard also asked the practitioners: “I didn’t hit you? Right? Don’t report on me. I still want to send my children overseas.” In Shandong Shouguang City, two practitioners were arrested when they were clarifying the truth on the streets. The material they were passing out included flyers about the new visa vetting process. Practitioners specifically told the police to read the flyer. A few police officers appear to have been aware of what was going on. Both practitioners were released the next day. On two other separate occasions, police changed their attitude immediately after they learned about the visa policy and the practitioners were quickly released to go back home.

Source:
Minghui, August 6 & July 26, 2019
https://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2019/8/6/美国拒发签证新规使中共迫害者恐慌-391133.html
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2019/7/26/%E8%AE%A9%E9%80%9A%E5%91%8A%E5%8F%91%E6%8C%A5%E5%87%BA%E5%BA%94%E6%9C%89%E7%9A%84%E4%BD%9C%E7%94%A8-390553.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics