July 2019

Han Kuo-yu Confirmed as the KMT’s Presidential Candidate, But Fractures Remain Visible in the Party

Han Kuo-yu was confirmed as the KMT’s presidential candidate on Sunday at the party’s National Congress, although an unusual development was the simultaneous announcement that a KMT president would not simultaneously serve as the chair of the party going forward. Indeed, this seems to be a sign of continued fractures within the party...

China Announces Ban on Individual Tours to Taiwan, Conducts Drills on Border with Hong Kong

Reports of unusual actions by the Chinese government aimed at affecting Hong Kong and Taiwan have emerged in the last day. First, the Chinese government announced that individual tours to Taiwan from 47 cities across China will come to a halt starting on August 1st. Second, reports have emerged of Chinese troops amassing on the border between Hong Kong and China, leading to fears that this could be an early sign of a PLA crackdown on Hong Kong. A report by the SCMP later stated that these were police by 190,000 Chinese police officers to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, not military drills, but the development has raised fears nonetheless...

Protests Erupt Outside of Hong Kong Police Stations in Response to Sunday’s Arrests

Clashes between demonstrators and police took place outside of police stations in Kwai Chung, Sai Wan Ho, and Tin Shui Wai in Hong Kong last night, with demonstrators protesting the arrest of dozens of demonstrators the preceding night. The demonstrations were not called for in advance yet took place at the same time in three separate locations in Hong Kong, a sign of the escalating situation in the wake of four consecutive days of protest...

After Three Days of Protests, Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Holds Press Conference

Protests again took place in Hong Kong on Sunday, with thousands attending a march from to Chater Garden to the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Park in Sheung Wan. The march took place as the third day of a series of consecutive demonstrations in Hong Kong, following last Friday’s demonstration in Hong Kong International Airport and Saturday’s demonstration in Yuen Long...

Attacks on Demonstrators by Police After Rally Against Triad Violence in Yuen Long

Attacks by police on demonstrators took place in Yuen Long in Hong Kong yesterday, with police using tear gas and firing rubber bullets and sponge grenades at demonstrators. The demonstration was against the attacks on protestors by individuals thought to be triad members that had taken place in Yuen Long last week, these attacks coming on the heels of police violence against protesters. The demonstration was also against suspected police collusion with triads in the attacks....

The Chinese Government Claiming That America Is Behind Demonstrations in Hong Kong Is Nothing New

A recent development in the demonstrations against the extradition bill in Hong Kong has been the Chinese government calling on America to stop politically interfering by inciting the protests. The CCP has long alleged “foreign interference” as responsible for the outbreak of various forms of resistance against its rule...

US Medical Institute Becomes a Political Tool for China to Bully Taiwan

A group of scholars from China and the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, a Seattle-based US research center, recently published a paper in The Lancet. However, the paper, which is titled, “Mortality, morbidity, and risk factors in China and its provinces, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017”, has serious scientific and ethical problems in order to serve its political purpose: to echo Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “China Dream” that “Taiwan is part of China”...

Is Threatening to Mobilize the PLA in Hong Kong More Than Just a Threat?

The Chinese Ministry of Defense’s chief spokesperson, senior colonel Wu Qian, stated in comments earlier today that the People’s Liberation Army could be deployed in Hong Kong to put down demonstrations against the Beijing-backed extradition bill at the request of the Hong Kong government. What does this mean for protests, going forward?...