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☆ Don’t help Russia evade sanctions, Ukraine tells Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged Hong Kong to prevent Russia from using the Asian financial hub to bypass Western sanctions during a visit to the city on Thursday. Kuleba “called on the Hong Kong administration to take measures to prevent Russia and Russian companies from using Hong Kong to circumvent the restrictive measures imposed for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” according to a statement from Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry issued after the minister met with Hong Kong leader John Lee. “These restrictive measures are necessary to weaken Russia’s capacity to wage war and kill people in Ukraine,” it added. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Hong Kong government told CNN on Friday that it “implements and strictly enforces” United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions. However, international companies based in Hong Kong, including Chinese banks, have generally adhered to US sanctions to avoid any risk of being frozen out of the dollar dominated global financial system.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Dmytro Kuleba, “, Hong, John Lee, Hong Kong, Wang Yi, ” Kuleba, Wang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong CNN — Ukraine’s, European Union, Hong, Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs, CNN, ” United Nations Security Council, UN, Assembly, UNSC, EU, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Kyiv, Beijing Locations: China, Hong Kong, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Russian, United Kingdom, Hong, Beijing, Moscow, Western, Guangzhou, Ukrainian

☆ Japanese restaurants say they’re not charging tourists more – they’re just charging locals less
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Tokyo CNN —Kudos to you if you can speak perfect Japanese and order food at a neighborhood sushi bar in Tokyo. But overtourism – fueled by a combination of pent-up post-Covid demands (aka “revenge travel”) and the weak local currency – has recently prompted restaurants in the country to consider the merits of differential pricing. This year, spurred by a weak yen that has fallen to its lowest level against the dollar in decades, the tourists are back - in big numbers. “Some people say, ‘We don’t do this in our country.’ But think about how bad Japanese people’s English skills are. As the less-expensive resident prices are often written in the local language, foreign tourists may not even know they paid more.

Persons: –, ”, Shogo Yonemitsu, ” Yonemitsu, Elisa Chan, Tamatebako, Rinka Tonsho, CNN Yonemitsu, isn’t, That’s, CNN Shuji Miyake, Phoebe Lee Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Mount Fuji, UNESCO, Chinese University of Hong, CNN Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Shibuya, Mount, Hokkaido, Himeji, In Venice, Tokyo’s Tsukiji

☆ The Illicit Flow of Technology to Russia Goes Through This Hong Kong Address
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Aaron Krolik | Paul Mozur | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

From a nondescript seventh-floor office at 135 Bonham Strand near Hong Kong’s financial district, at least four companies are operating with a shadowy mission: facilitating the illicit trade of Western technology to Russia. Shell companies at that address have acquired millions of restricted chips and sensors for military technology companies in Russia, many of which have been placed under sanctions by the U.S. government, according to an examination by The New York Times. The companies have names like Olax Finance and Rikkon Holding. Their office, with a faded 704 number on the door, appears unoccupied. An ad for air-conditioning hung in the crack of the door.

Organizations: Shell, U.S ., New York Times, Olax Finance, Rikkon Locations: Hong, Russia

☆ Hong Kong’s Bouncy ‘Wonders’ Leave Some Wondering, ‘Why?’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-21 | by ( Tiffany May | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With darkness falling along Hong Kong’s waterfront against a backdrop of glimmering skyscrapers, carnival music competed with the whine of ventilation blowers as visitors bounced on the inflatable Stonehenge. The puffy white megalithic replica was part of an installation put up this month for SummerFest, a public outdoor festival that continues for several weeks. The exhibit, “Inflatable Wonders,” has attracted crowds. Some people have also been asking why more local artists aren’t being used for projects like this one. White is a color associated with death in East Asia, and the shapes of the Stonehenge have drawn comparisons to tombstones.

Persons: Joann, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, ”, aren’t Locations: Hong, Easter, East Asia, Hong Kong

☆ Could a Trump-Vance win reshape America’s relationship with China – and Taiwan?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Vance was swift to name China the “biggest threat to our country,” in an interview with Fox News Monday as the RNC got underway. He’s made countering what Washington says is a security threat from China a cornerstone of his foreign policy, even as he’s worked to stabilize communications with Beijing. And Beijing – which is grappling with its own economic woes – may be preparing for more friction if Trump takes office. The substance of Biden’s China policy – in terms of sanctions, tariffs and competition – has not been that different from Trump’s, she noted, and Biden has been keener on strengthening alliances and coalitions to counter China together. “But the style of Biden’s China policy is more predictable and stabilizing.

Persons: Donald Trump, JD Vance, Vance, Joe Biden, “, ”, ” Vance, Trump, China –, That’s, ’ Vance, Sergey Lavrov, Vance doesn’t, Marco Rubio, Xi Jinping, He’s, he’s, ” Brian Wong, Qilai Shen, Biden, They’ve, Cho Jung, ” Cho, Yun Sun, –, keener Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Republican, Republican National Convention, Chinese Communist Party, Foreign, Trump, NATO, Ukraine, Fox News, RNC, University of Hong Kong’s, Contemporary, of, People, Bloomberg, Getty, Communist Party, Bloomberg Businessweek, US, China’s Foreign Ministry, Stimson Center, World Trade Locations: Hong Kong, Ohio, Washington, China, Asia, Beijing, Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, America, Florida, Contemporary China, Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan Strait, Japan, South Korea, US

☆ Selina Cheng: Hong Kong journalist says she was fired by WSJ after taking top post at union under attack by Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —A Wall Street Journal reporter in Hong Kong said she was fired after being elected to lead a press union that has come under attack by Beijing amid a national security crackdown. Selina Cheng, who was elected chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) on June 22, said in a statement posted Wednesday on X that she had been terminated from her job covering China’s car sector earlier in the day. Both Hong Kong officials and Beijing state media have accused it of siding with protesters during the anti-government demonstrations in 2019, a charge the association has denied. But critics have increasingly bemoaned the territory’s shrinking press freedoms since Beijing imposed a national security on Hong Kong after the 2019 protests. “The Wall Street Journal has been and continues to be a fierce and vocal advocate for press freedom in Hong Kong and around the world,” he said.

Persons: Selina Cheng, ” Cheng, “, ”, Hong Kong’s, Cheng, Gordon Fairclough, Emma Tucker, Evan Gershkovich Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong Journalists Association, Hong, CNN, The, CIA Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, London, Singapore, Russia

☆ Asia’s 50 best bars for 2024 revealed
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —Bar Leone – an Italian cocktail spot in central Hong Kong – has been crowned the best bar in Asia. Bar LeoneBefore Bar Leone’s triumph, the top spot was held by another Hong Kong bar, mezcal-forward Coa, which spent a record three years atop the list. The list, which was first put together in 2017, added a new category this year recognizing best bar design. “Sustainability is also how we promote and preserve Korean bar culture.”Emma Sleight, head of content for 50 Best Bars and 50 Best Hotels, told CNN that Asia’s bar scene “is one of the best in the world, it’s incredibly young and dynamic and ever-changing. “Free drinks at Bar Leone for everyone tonight!” he shouted triumphantly, before leaning over to his colleagues and whispering, “The bar is closed tonight, right?”Asia’s 50 Best Bars for 20241.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Bar Leone –, Hong Kong –, “, ”, Lorenzo Antinori, Antinori, ” Lorenzo Antinori, Bar, Jay Khan, Hong Kong’s, –, Khan, ” Khan, Craftroom, Changsha’s, Demie Kim, Kim, Emma, Aubrey, Regis Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Bar, CNN, Rosewood, Bar, Bar Leone, “, BKK Social, Hope, Sesame, Sago, Regis Bar, SG, Analogue Initiative, Employees, House, Chamber, Co Locations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong CNN — Bar Leone, Italian, Asia, Rome, Hong, Kowloon, Bar Leone, Singapore, Busan, Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok, Penrose, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Vesper, Guangzhou, Bar Cham, St, Macao, Offtrack, Pantja, Osaka, Sri Lanka, Vender, Taichung, Taiwan, Manila, Taipei, Barc, Kathmandu, ZLB23, Bengaluru, India, Fura, CMYK, Changsha, China, Hanoi

☆ World’s best airline for 2024 named by Skytrax
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Barry Neild | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

We look forward to more wins in the future.”Close-run contestSaudia was named by Skytrax as winner of the World's Most Improved Airline award. Singapore also won for Best First Class service and Best Airline in Asia. ANA, meanwhile, picked up the accolade for World’s Best Airport Services, as well as Best Airline Staff Service in Asia. Saudia was named World’s Most Improved Airline, beating Taiwan’s Starlux and Iceland’s Play into second and third places. Delta Air Lines was declared the Best Airline in North America, also picking up the award for Best Airline Staff Service for the region.

Persons: weren’t, ”, Edward Plaisted, Badr Mohammed Al, Meer, Saudia, Skytrax, Nicolas Economou, Tan, Tan Pee Teck, Taiwan’s Starlux, Singapore’s Scoot, Tony Fernandes, “, ISMOYO, Vistara, airBaltic Organizations: CNN, Qatar Airways, Hamad International, Dubai, Boeing, Airbus, Singapore Airlines, Dubai’s Emirates, ANA All Nippon Airways, Hong, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Air France, Swiss International Airlines, Singapore, Best, ANA, World’s Best, Services, Best Airline Staff Service, AirAsia, Airline, Airasia, Rai International, Getty, Bangkok Airways, Fiji Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Hainan Airlines, China . Delta Air Lines, Airlines, Emirates, Cathay, Air, Swiss International Air Lines, Korean, British Airways, Iberia, Virgin, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, Saudi, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Garuda, Cathay Pacific Airways, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Transavia, Vueling Airlines, Ryanair, SKY, JetSMART, Aegean Airlines, Azerbaijan Airlines, Rex Airlines, Azul, Royal Air Maroc, Porter Airlines, . Alaska Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Asiana Airlines, China Airlines, Korean Air Locations: Qatar, London’s, Abu Dhabi, Qatar’s, Tan Pee, Asia, Denpasar, Bali, AFP, India, Australia, Pacific, Eastern, China ., North America, Singapore, Air France, Saudi Arabian, Garuda Indonesia, Transavia France

☆ New high-speed sleeper train service connects Hong Kong with Beijing and Shanghai
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( Maggie Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —Interested in capping off your trip to Hong Kong with a long weekend in Beijing or Shanghai? A new high-speed sleeper train service is making that possibility easier than ever. Return trips depart from Beijing and Shanghai at around 8 p.m. and arrive in Hong Kong at 8.47 a.m. and 7.29 a.m. A passenger with a child boards the high-speed sleeper train in Beijing for its inaugural journey to Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station. Jia Tianyong/China News Service/VCG/Getty ImagesHong Kong’s controversial high-speed railwayOpened in 2018, the 26-kilometer Hong Kong high-speed railway is a part of the larger Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL).

Persons: ” John Lee, Hong, Jia Tianyong Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, China News Service, Passengers, China, ”, Hong, Hong Kong Express, Express Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong West Kowloon, Kowloon, Hong, China, cn, China , Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen

☆ Vigilante Hong Kong cabbies went undercover to ensnare illegal Uber drivers. It backfired
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-08 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

They are vigilante taxi drivers taking direct action, having become increasingly frustrated about Hong Kong authorities’ failure to regulate the ride-hailing platform. Noemi Cassanelli/CNNA Uber app is seen on a mobile phone in Hong Kong, China, on May 24, 2024. Patrick Tam, secretary general of the Hong Kong Taxi & Public Light Bus Association, acknowledged the complaints against some unruly taxi drivers, and said he supported the police going after them. “We just want fair treatment.”So far, Hong Kong police have said they had not arrested any Uber drivers ensnared in the amateur sting operations. And CUHK’s Chan said that, after years of ambiguity, Hong Kong is already playing catch-up.

Persons: Ka Chun, “, Uber, Noemi Cassanelli, CNN Uber, ”, Oliver Chan, Hong, John Lee, Lau, tim, ” Jason Chan, Mo, “ Uber, Patrick Tam, CNN Estyn Chung, CUHK’s Chan Organizations: CNN, Hong, Chinese University of Hong, Taxi, Pictures, hackney, CNN Taxis, HK, Hong Kong Taxi, Light Bus Association, Uber Taxi, Uber Locations: Hong Kong, China, Central, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Jordan, Singapore

☆ China claims married couple working for government spied for UK’s MI6
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —China on Monday accused Britain of recruiting a married couple employed by the Chinese central government to spy for its MI6 intelligence service, as the two countries trade allegations of espionage. Those charges in the United Kingdom came after China’s MSS said in January it had detained the head of a foreign consultancy who had allegedly spied for MI6. Under Xi Jinping, China’s most authoritarian leader in decades, the country’s notoriously secretive spy agency has drastically raised its public profile and broadened its remit. In its latest statement Monday, the MSS detailed its allegations against the married couple. According to the MSS, foreign spies are omnipresent and infiltrating everything – from mapping apps to weather stations.

Persons: Hong, Xi, Wang, “, –, Zhou, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Ministry of State Security, Conservative Party, China’s, ”, CNN, Britain’s Foreign, Secret Intelligence Service, CIA Locations: Hong Kong, China, British, United Kingdom, Britain

☆ Wall Street Lands on India, Looking for Profits It Can’t Find in China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Alex Travelli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Mumbai, India’s financial capital, has seen a lot of new faces over the past year. The heads of global banks have been trooping through, visiting its stock exchanges, buying property and hiring new staff. A postpandemic boom has pushed the value of India’s stock market to about $5 trillion, putting it neck and neck with Hong Kong’s. Wall Street can’t ignore India anymore. Mumbai has been India’s commercial hub for eight decades, but it was relatively unfamiliar to global finance until the past two years.

Persons: Hong Kong’s Locations: Mumbai

☆ 14 pro-democracy activists found guilty of subversion in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Jennifer Jett | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court on Thursday found 14 of 16 pro-democracy activists guilty of conspiring to subvert the state in the Chinese territory's single largest case under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing. Of those, 31 pleaded guilty in the hopes of a reduced sentence, while the remaining 16 pleaded not guilty. Hong Kong had had a 100% conviction rate in national security cases, which are prosecuted under rules that diverge from the city's legal norms, including presumption against bail. Almost 300 people have been arrested under the national security law, which came into force in the summer of 2020. The charges stem from an informal primary election held in July 2020 in which more than 600,000 voters selected pro-democracy candidates for a legislative election that was scheduled for that September.

Persons: Lau, Lee Yue, Critics, Eric Yan, Lai, Benny Tai, Claudia Mo, Joshua Wong, Leung Kwok, Raymond Chan, Gwyneth Ho, Hong Kong, Carrie Lam Organizations: Hong, Georgetown Center, Asian Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, Beijing, Hong

On Today’s Episode:Trump Jurors to Review Evidence as They Consider a Verdict in His Trial, by Jesse McKinleyAlito Refuses Calls for Recusal Over Display of Provocative Flags, by Adam LiptakBiden Asks What Trump Would Have Done if Capitol Rioters Were Black, by Nicholas Nehamas and Maya KingHong Kong Convicts Democracy Activists in Largest National Security Trial, by Tiffany MayThe 47 Pro-Democracy Figures in Hong Kong’s Largest National Security Trial, by K.K. Rebecca Lai, David Pierson and Tiffany MayNew Delhi Sweats Through Its Hottest Recorded Day, by Hari Kumar and Mujib Mashal

Persons: Trump, Jesse McKinley Alito, Adam Liptak Biden, Nicholas Nehamas, King, Tiffany May, K.K, Rebecca Lai, David Pierson, Tiffany, Hari Kumar, Mujib Mashal Organizations: Capitol, King Hong Kong Convicts Democracy, Hong Locations: Delhi

☆ Hong Kong to Rule on Democracy Activists in Largest National Security Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Tiffany May | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Hong Kong court will begin issuing verdicts on Thursday in the city’s largest national security trial, as the authorities use sweeping powers imposed by Beijing to quash political dissent in the Chinese territory. Most of the defendants have spent at least the last three years in detention ahead of and during the 118-day trial. On Thursday, judges picked by Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing leader were set to start handing down verdicts on 16 of them who had pleaded not guilty. Those who are convicted will be sentenced later, along with 31 others who had entered guilty pleas. The expected convictions and the sentences to follow would effectively turn the vanguard of the city’s opposition, a hallmark of its once-vibrant political scene, into a generation of political prisoners.

Persons: Benny Tai, Joshua Wong, Hong Kong’s Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing

The Hong Kong and Beijing governments have repeatedly denied the national security law is suppressing freedoms, arguing it has ended chaos and “restored stability” to the city. Since the national security law came into effect in 2020, civil groups have disbanded, and independent media outlets have been shut down. They are the first defendants to be acquitted in a national security law trial in Hong Kong. But that strategy is in doubt after another local national security law enacted earlier this year curtailed access to reduced sentences for guilty pleas. “It’s absolutely clear that the national security law reduced the independence and the autonomy of the judiciary.

Persons: Hong Kong’s, Hong, Gwyneth Ho, Leung Kwok, ”, Lawrence Lau, Lee Yu, –, “, Joshua Wong, Benny Tai, Claudia Mo, Eric Lai, John Burns, Hong Kong Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Beijing, British, Hong, Hong Kong’s Legislative, Georgetown Center, Asian Law, Communist Party, city’s, University of Hong Locations: Hong Kong, Hong, Beijing, Hong Kong’s, China, University of Hong Kong

☆ Hong Kong arrests six for social media posts in first use of new local national security law
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Hong Kong police have made their first arrests under a newly passed local national security law over social media posts deemed “seditious” by authorities. “Those who intend to endanger national security should not have the delusion that they can avoid police investigation by going anonymous online,” the statement added. The arrests marked the first time Hong Kong’s own national security law had been invoked since it was unanimously passed by the city’s opposition-free legislature in March. The legislation introduces 39 new national security crimes, adding to an already powerful national security law that was directly imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020 after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before. The local national security legislation covers a raft of new crimes including treason, espionage, external interference and unlawful handling of state secrets, with the most serious offenses punishable by up to life imprisonment.

Persons: netizens, “, Hong, John Lee, Lee Organizations: CNN, Hong, police Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China

☆ Matthew Trickett: British man accused of spying for Hong Kong’s intelligence services found dead in park
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Sharon Braithwaite | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —A man charged by British police for allegedly spying for Hong Kong’s intelligence services, has been found dead in a park outside of London. Trickett had appeared alongside two other suspects at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on May 13, charged with national security offences. “Trickett was on court bail, awaiting court proceedings, which required him to register at a police station regularly,” the police said. Relations between Hong Kong and its former colonial ruler Britain have soured in recent years following mass pro-democracy protests in the Chinese city in 2019 and 2020. The British government has criticized Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed crackdown on almost all opposition in the years following the protests, while Hong Kong authorities have bristled at Britain providing a safe haven for pro-democracy leaders sought by the Hong Kong police.

Persons: Hong, Matthew Trickett, Trickett, “ Trickett, Trickett’s, John Lee, Hong Kong’s, Louisa Cieciora, Lee, Lucas Lilieholm, Chris Lau, Jerome Taylor Organizations: London CNN, British, London . Police, Thames, ’, The Times, Embassy, Hong, Hong Kong, Police, Hong Kong Economic, Trade Office, Economic, Trade Locations: London, Maidenhead , Berkshire, Sunday, Westminster, Hong Kong, Britain, Hong Kong’s Beijing

☆ Briton Charged With Aiding Hong Kong’s Intelligence Service Is Found Dead
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Megan Specia | More About Megan Specia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A former British marine charged with spying for Hong Kong’s intelligence service has died, according to a police statement released on Tuesday evening. The man, who was named by the Thames Valley Police as Matthew Trickett, was found dead in a park in Maidenhead, a town west of London, on Sunday. Mr. Trickett was one of three men charged last week under Britain’s National Security Act with assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service, and their case was expected to return to court on Friday. In the wake of the charges last week, Britain summoned the Chinese ambassador for a reprimand. Mr. Trickett, 37, who was a British immigration enforcement officer and a former Royal Marine, was also the director of a private security firm, MTR Consultancy.

Persons: Hong, Matthew Trickett, Trickett Organizations: Thames, Police, Britain’s National, Hong, Royal, MTR Consultancy Locations: British, Maidenhead, London, Hong Kong, China, Beijing

☆ Why a Tactic Used by Czars Is Back With a Vengeance
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Amanda Taub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The day before, the police charged three men with aiding the Hong Kong intelligence service and forcing entry into a residential address. I’m not going to speculate on whether the three men are guilty or innocent, as their court case is ongoing. But the arrests have drawn attention to the phenomenon of “transnational repression,” in which autocratic governments surveil, harass or even attack their own citizens abroad. Last month, following a string of attacks on Iranian journalists, Reporters Without Borders proclaimed London a “hot spot” for the phenomenon. Although transnational repression is an old practice, it appears to be gaining prevalence.

Persons: ”, Hong Kong’s, I’m Organizations: Hong, Foreign, U.K, Borders Locations: London, Hong Kong, China, Britain

☆ China teases plan to buy unsold homes to fix property crisis. Markets are loving it
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The index has rallied nearly 30% from its January low, having entered a bull market earlier this month. Longfor Group, the ninth largest homebuilder in China, surged 11%, becoming the top performing stock on the Hang Seng Index. “We think this is a largely symbolic move to show support for the sector with a ‘national team’ for the housing market,” said Citi analysts. “We are cautiously optimistic about the ‘government-led buying on unsold units’ as it’s still being rolled out in more cities, “ said Jeff Zhang, an equity analyst at Morningstar. Nasdaq Golden China Index, which tracks Chinese companies listed on Wall Street, has gained 11% since the start of April.

Persons: ”, “, Jeff Zhang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Longfor, China Holdings, National Development, Reform Commission, ’, Citi, ING Group, Morningstar, homebuyers, Communist Party, Nasdaq Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Hangzhou, Xi’an, Chengdu, Shanghai

☆ YouTube blocks videos of Hong Kong protest song after local court order
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —YouTube has blocked access to a popular protest song in Hong Kong, a week after a court in the city granted a government request to ban the anthem. The ballad contains lyrics that reference the phrase “liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” a protest slogan that was already outlawed in 2020. The Hong Kong government and courts had said the phrase had secessionist and subversive connotations. CNN has reached out to the Hong Kong Department of Justice for comment. Hong Kong was promised key freedoms and autonomy to run its own affairs after it was handed over from British rule to China in 1997.

Persons: We’ll, ”, Hong Kong ”, Jeff Paine, Paul Lam, Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s Organizations: CNN, YouTube, Google, ” CNN, Spotify, Hong, Asia Internet Coalition, Meta, Hong Kong Department of Justice, Hong Kong, “, Volunteers, ”, Hong Kong’s Department of Justice Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, Hong, China

Hong Kong CNN —Hong Kong’s leader responded on Tuesday after three people were charged by British police for allegedly spying on behalf of the city’s intelligence services. Relations between Hong Kong and its former colonial ruler Britain have soured in recent years following mass pro-democracy protests in the Chinese city in 2019 and 2020. The British government has criticized Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed crackdown on almost all opposition in the years following the protests, while Hong Kong authorities have bristled at Britain providing a safe haven for pro-democracy leaders sought by the Hong Kong police. Hong Kong leader Lee noted in his Tuesday news conference that one of the men charged was the office manager of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London but did not directly address a question over whether it was involved in surveillance of Hong Kong dissidents in the UK. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee is speaking at a press conference on April 30, 2024.

Persons: Hong, Chi Leung, Peter, Wai, Matthew Trickett, Chung Biu Yuen, Hong Kong’s, John Lee, ” Lee, Chi Leung Wai, Yui Mok, Jonathan Brady, Yuen, Louisa Cieciora, Lee, Vernon Yuen, ”, Dominic Murphy Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, British, Hong, city’s Metropolitan Police, Hong Kong, Embassy, Westminster Magistrates, Administrative, Police, Hong Kong Economic, Trade Office, . Hong, Economic, Trade, Metropolitan Police, UK National Security, Crown Prosecution Service, Command, Met Police Locations: Hong Kong, Westminster, London, city’s, Britain, Hong Kong’s Beijing, . Hong Kong, England

The day after U.K. police charged three men with assisting Hong Kong’s intelligence service, China’s ambassador to Britain was summoned for an official reprimand by the British foreign ministry in the latest sign of growing tension between London and Beijing. The British government said that it had called the ambassador, Zheng Zeguang, to its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office after the three men appeared in court on Monday. The Foreign Office said in a statement that it had been “unequivocal in setting out that the recent pattern of behavior directed by China against the U.K.” was not acceptable. It cited cyberattacks, alleged espionage and the issuing of bounties for information leading to the prosecution of dissidents who fled Hong Kong after its crackdown on the pro-democracy movement and resettled in Britain. The three men who appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday have been charged with gathering intelligence for Hong Kong, a former British colony which is a special administrative region of China, and of forcing entry into a U.K. residential address.

Persons: Hong, Zheng Zeguang, ”, cyberattacks Organizations: Foreign, Commonwealth, Development, U.K, ’ Locations: Britain, British, London, Beijing, China, Hong Kong, Westminster

☆ China’s Xi Jinping highlights Europe’s divisions ahead of expected Putin visit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chinese state media played up the warm diplomacy, with headlines proclaiming China’s “ironclad” bond with Serbia and “golden friendship” with Hungary. Both are sure to closely watch any summit between Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in China, expected to happen soon. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is welcomed at the airport in Belgrade on May 7 for his two-day state visit. Xi also marketed a shared worldview during his meeting with Orban in Hungary, which is a member of both the EU and NATO. Chinese leader Xi Jinping talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on May 9.

Persons: Xi, Peng Liyuan, Aleksandar Vucic, Viktor Orban, China’s, Vucic, Orban –, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der, Vladimir Putin, Orban, Hungary “, ’ ”, Philippe Le Corre, ”, Putin, Le Corre, Xi Jinping, Dimitrije Goll, Xi’s, Serbia’s Vucic, ” Vucic, Bruno Le Maire, BYD, Liu Dongshu, Vivien Cher Benko, Tamas Matura, Mark Rutte, Olaf Scholz, Matura, Von der, “ Orban, Gabor Scheiring Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Russia, Ukraine, China, Europe …, Asia Society, Center for, Forum, Anadolu, Getty, EU, NATO, ”, Xi, Hong Kong’s City University ., Hungarian, Central, Dutch, Georgetown University Locations: Hong Kong, France, Ukraine, China, Belgrade, Budapest, Paris, Serbian, Hungarian, Serbia, Hungary, Europe, Russia, Russian, ”, Europe … Hungary, Center for China, Beijing, United States, EU, Hong, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, Moscow, Qatar, “ Hungary

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