Geo-Strategic Trend - 124. page

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

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

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

Deutsche Welle Chinese Edition recently reported that newly elected Lithuanian president Gitanas Nauseda strongly opposed introducing Chinese capital into port investments. He was referring to the modernization project of the Port of Klaipeda, citing concerns about national security and environmental protection matters. He called for putting a hold on the deep-water port investment since the people of Lithuania had not yet reached a domestic consensus. The President would rather not be forceful in pushing a project that Chinese investments had backed. He described it as “very dangerous.” In February, Lithuania’s national security agencies warned about Chinese spy activities in their official annual security threat report. Klaipeda Port is the largest port in Lithuania and the only non-freezing port in the Baltic region. The location signifies its importance in China’s One Belt One Road strategy. According to Russian reports, the modernization project requires 800 million Euro, which is a heavy burden for a country with a total GDP of only 45 billion Euro.

Source: DW Chinese, July 30, 2019
http://news.dwnews.com/global/news/2019-07-30/60143312.html

[Editor’s note: Chen Daoxiang, Commander of the PLA’s Garrison in Hong Kong said in June, when he met with David Helvey, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Department of Defense, that the Hong Kong garrison would not interfere in local affairs.]

According to The Paper, “The reception for the 92nd anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese PLA’s garrison in Hong Kong” was held in Hong Kong on the evening of July 31. In his speech, Chen Daoxiang strongly condemned a series of recent incidents of extreme violence in Hong Kong and expressed his attitude with “seven resolutes.”

Chen Daoxiang said that the garrison will resolutely follow the instructions of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission and President Xi, resolutely implement the Basic Law and the Garrison Law, resolutely support the Chief Executive of the Legislative Council, resolutely support the Hong Kong police in law enforcement, resolutely support the Hong Kong SAR Government’s rigorous law enforcement on anti-rioting, resolutely support the actions of the patriotic Hong Kong people to defend the rule of law in Hong Kong, and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and the security of Hong Kong.

A theme film “Remain true to our original aspiration and Protect Hong Kong” was also shown at the reception, including training exercises such as special warfare, anti-terrorism, anti-riot, and flat violence.

[Editor’s note: the three minute long video with both Chinese and English subtitles is available at the Weibo site of the PLA’s Hong Kong garrison, https://www.weibo.com/u/1181382331?is_hot=1]

Source: The Paper, July 25, 2019
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_4057900

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen recently highlighted the situation of mainland China’s all-round infiltration into the island, against the backdrop of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s proposal of “one country, two systems” for Taiwan earlier this year. Tsai told the media that for the sake of national security, the government will push for Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agent legislation.

In May 2019, nearly 70 Taiwanese media attended the 4th Cross-Strait Media People Summit, hosted by China’s Beijing Daily and Taiwan based Want Want China Times Media Group. On July 16th, the Financial Times published a report, alleging Want Want-owned media outlets the China Times and CtiTV were taking orders on a daily basis from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) on how to prepare their news.

A month ago, on June 23, a demonstration was held in Taipei against the “red media.” Thousands of people took to the streets to protest the Want Want group.

A former China Times reporter told BBC Chinese that, since the Want Want Group purchased the China Times, the newspaper has given priority to cross-strait news. For example, if there is a Chinese Communist Party official visiting Taiwan, the reporter may have to give up other pre-scheduled reporting activities and cover the Chinese official instead, even if the story is not newsworthy.

China Times was founded in 1950, originally a newspaper with considerable credibility in Taiwan. In 1986, its daily circulation reached as high as 1.2 million. In November 2008, after the Want Want Group gained ownership of the paper, its style gradually changed toward the position of being pro-Beijing. After 2014, China Times underwent a massive revision. Its new motto became “identifying with China, true love of Taiwan, and unification at last.” In June of 2019, during the 30 year anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, stories of a China Times senior reporter being shot by the People’s Liberation Army in 1989, and a series of related in-depth reports were all removed from its website.

The former reporter believes that it is necessary to expose the relationship between such institutions and foreign forces. Such a relationship should be made public showing whether the content of the media represents a particular group or regime, and readers should be allowed to obtain complete information.

Source: BBC Chinese, July 25, 2019
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-49119237