Critical commentary and analysis on Hong Kong, China and Taiwan affairs from HKFP’s community of columnists and expert voices.
Chow Hang-tung’s landmark legal victory will let the press do its job properly
Reporting on upcoming committal proceedings in the case of activist Chow Hang-tung “may include the reasons why the prosecution brought the national security law charges and what witnesses and what evidence will be deployed to support them,” writes Philip Dykes.
What can we do to protect Hong Kong from ‘unfounded wrong allegations’?
A recent UN Human Rights Committee report urging Hong Kong to scrap the security law was met with accusations of bias from officials. But the UN’s “pronouncements matter,” writes Philip Dykes. “People take note of them.”
The pursuit of patriotism: Why mandatory study tours of mainland China are a bad idea
“No doubt Hong Kong students will be happy to behold the natural and man-made wonders of the mainland but will the experience generate enthusiasm, attraction… or profound relief that Hong Kong still has some differences,” writes Tim Hamlett.
Hong Kong: When is a colony not a colony?
“Repeating the official narrative that Hong Kong was not a colony undermines the very real need, recognised by the Communist Party, to decolonise Hong Kong,” writes John Burns.
Study sessions on Xi Jinping’s Hong Kong speech – all performance, no action?
“To manage a politically and economically divided Hong Kong, authorities must deliver on people’s expectations and be seen to do so,” writes John Burns. “We don’t need propaganda about Xi’s speech, we need specific and concrete action.”
The Burmese python gets a bad press
The snakes “are actually masters of their predatory trade and they are not indiscriminate hunters,” writes Dr Gary Ades of Kadoorie Farm, and the unfortunate Lemon may just have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Free flags and forbidden fishtails: Hong Kong’s new patriots-only era
The decision to scrap a bill for displaying flags “represents an interesting departure from traditional procedure,” writes Tim Hamlett. “No budget, no Finance Committee, no quibbling. The decision-making flow goes from pro-Beijing columnist to DAB legislator to Chief Executive to the relevant department.”
China’s ‘ecological civilisation’ – a large-scale form of greenwashing?
A policy which at first glance looks like a promising avenue toward environmental protection may instead be cover for something that President Xi has demonstrated is more important than anything else: unbending authoritarian rule, writes Paul G. Harris.
Swine fever: Hong Kong’s peckish porkers prompt a pointless crackdown
The “making of a new law should not be an opportunity to blanket the territory with unwarranted prohibitions,” writes Tim Hamlett. It would cover, or threaten to cover, many activities currently regarded as harmless and perfectly legal.
Is it legal for Hong Kong to make you pay for Covid-19 hotel quarantine?
“A Hong Kong resident returning to Hong Kong is not seeking ‘temporary or permanent residence’. They are returning home… the [International Health Regulations (2005)] states that returning citizens or permanent residents must not be required to pay for involuntary imprisonment on public health grounds,” writes barrister Philip Dykes.
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