NEWSLETTER: Banking group HSBC has become the first foreign lender to install a Chinese Communist Party committee in its banking subsidiary in the country.
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Every week, this newsletter will bring you the latest updates and developments concerning freedom in Hong Kong.
To subscribe to our newsletter, click here.
China
This week banking group HSBC has become the first foreign lender to install a Chinese Communist Party committee in its banking subsidiary in the country, reported the Financial Times. A CCP committee is required by Chinese law but not widely enforced on foreign finance groups, meaning that HSBC chose to install one. The committee will serve a dual purpose as a workers’ union and the means by which a party representative will be installed within HSBC’s top ranks.
Chinese officials have asked the United Nations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, to bury a highly anticipated report on human rights violations in Xinjiang, reported Reuters. A letter to international diplomats stated that “the assessment (on Xinjiang), if published, will intensify politicisation and bloc confrontation in the areas of human rights, undermine the credibility of the OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights), and harm the cooperation between OHCHR and member states.”
Hong Kong
US lawmakers who sit on an influential China policy advisory committee have urged President Joe Biden to enact sanctions against prosecutors in Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post reported that a letter dated Wednesdaycalled on the administration to sanction Hong Kong’s Department of Justice and prosecutors involved in political cases for “materially contributing to the failure” of China to meet its treaty obligations.
From September onwards, China will require some companies to pass a security assessment by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) before transferring data outside the Chinese border. The South China Morning Post reported that the new rules could erode Hong Kong’s role as a gateway for international businesses to enter the mainland market.
Prisoners of Conscience
Hong Kong’s highest court overturned the conviction of a protester who was arrested in November 2019 for carrying plastic zip fasteners, with judges warning that the authorities’ interpretation of the law risked creating a “thought crime,” reported Reuters. Spokespeople for the Hong Kong police and the government’s Department of Justice both said they respected the ruling.
Last week, four Hong Kongers were arrested in Hong Kong as they attempted to leave for Taiwan. The Guardianreported that the four men, one of who was shot by the police during the 2019 protests, had been hiding from law enforcement since failing to respond to court summonses. The Hong Kongers tried to seek refuge via the US consulate in Hong Kong in December 2020 but had been rejected.
Press
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee has claimed that he and Hong Kong journalists are in the “same boat,” reported the Hong Kong Free Press. In a speech, Lee stated that journalists have an important responsibility as Hong Kong is at a “key moment” of transiting from stability to prosperity, hoping that the news sector will join him “in presenting the narrative of Hong Kong.”
In Other News
As the UK Conservative party leadership contest reaches its final two candidates, current Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the Chinese Communist Party has praised Sunak for his soft stance on Beijing. The Global Times stated that he was “the one candidate with a pragmatic view of developing balanced ties with China.” Both candidates will now go head-to-head in a summer campaign, with the next leader announced on September 5th.
The UK Government has blocked Manchester University from selling vision-sensing technology to a Chinese firm over national security fears, reported The Times. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng stated that there was “potential that the technology could be used to build defence or technological capabilities which may present a national security risk to the United Kingdom.”
This week banking group HSBC has become the first foreign lender to install a Chinese Communist Party committee in its banking subsidiary in the country, reported the Financial Times. A CCP committee is required by Chinese law but not widely enforced on foreign finance groups, meaning that HSBC chose to install one. The committee will serve a dual purpose as a workers’ union and the means by which a party representative will be installed within HSBC’s top ranks.
Chinese officials have asked the United Nations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, to bury a highly anticipated report on human rights violations in Xinjiang, reported Reuters. A letter to international diplomats stated that “the assessment (on Xinjiang), if published, will intensify politicisation and bloc confrontation in the areas of human rights, undermine the credibility of the OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights), and harm the cooperation between OHCHR and member states.”
Hong Kong
US lawmakers who sit on an influential China policy advisory committee have urged President Joe Biden to enact sanctions against prosecutors in Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post reported that a letter dated Wednesdaycalled on the administration to sanction Hong Kong’s Department of Justice and prosecutors involved in political cases for “materially contributing to the failure” of China to meet its treaty obligations.
From September onwards, China will require some companies to pass a security assessment by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) before transferring data outside the Chinese border. The South China Morning Post reported that the new rules could erode Hong Kong’s role as a gateway for international businesses to enter the mainland market.
Prisoners of Conscience
Hong Kong’s highest court overturned the conviction of a protester who was arrested in November 2019 for carrying plastic zip fasteners, with judges warning that the authorities’ interpretation of the law risked creating a “thought crime,” reported Reuters. Spokespeople for the Hong Kong police and the government’s Department of Justice both said they respected the ruling.
Last week, four Hong Kongers were arrested in Hong Kong as they attempted to leave for Taiwan. The Guardianreported that the four men, one of who was shot by the police during the 2019 protests, had been hiding from law enforcement since failing to respond to court summonses. The Hong Kongers tried to seek refuge via the US consulate in Hong Kong in December 2020 but had been rejected.
Press
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee has claimed that he and Hong Kong journalists are in the “same boat,” reported the Hong Kong Free Press. In a speech, Lee stated that journalists have an important responsibility as Hong Kong is at a “key moment” of transiting from stability to prosperity, hoping that the news sector will join him “in presenting the narrative of Hong Kong.”
In Other News
As the UK Conservative party leadership contest reaches its final two candidates, current Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the Chinese Communist Party has praised Sunak for his soft stance on Beijing. The Global Times stated that he was “the one candidate with a pragmatic view of developing balanced ties with China.” Both candidates will now go head-to-head in a summer campaign, with the next leader announced on September 5th.
The UK Government has blocked Manchester University from selling vision-sensing technology to a Chinese firm over national security fears, reported The Times. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng stated that there was “potential that the technology could be used to build defence or technological capabilities which may present a national security risk to the United Kingdom.”