Committee News
CFHK Foundation and Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC) put out a joint statement welcoming Congressional legislation (co-introduced by Senator Rubio and Senator Merkley) to scrutinize the Hong Kong government’s Economic and Trade Offices in the US. The case for the continued existence of these quasi-diplomatic outposts on American soil is problematic given that Hong Kong’s special status under U.S. law was revoked almost three years ago.
Frances Hui, the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator at The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation, along with Carmen Wu, interviewed Finn Lau for a Radio Free Asia feature on his media start-up. This start-up aims to fill the gap in Hong Kong Media, after the fall of Apple Daily, Stand News, and Citizen News. CFHK Foundation’s President, Mark Clifford, was also featured to discuss the importance of keeping the spirit of Hong Kong’s journalism alive throughout the world.
CFHK Foundation’s Mark Sabah reported in CapX about how the Online Safety Bill could allow the UK government to set up a surveillance state. He believes it would put Hong Kongers seeking refuge at risk, and urges that legitimate worries be considered when the bill returns to Parliament.
Mark Sabah spoke with Channels TV about Hong Kong's ongoing national security trial of the Hong Kong 47. He discussed how this trial is an attempt by the CCP to destroy any pro-democracy movement.
CFHK Foundation has hired London-Based Communications Manager Megan Khoo to support our expanding presence in the UK and on the international stage.
Hong Kong
The Washington Post condemned the ongoing trial of the Hong Kong 47, who are facing lengthy jail sentences and even life imprisonment for simply for holding an unofficial election primary, in a hard-hitting editorial. This case reveals the CCP's underlying fear of freedom, as forty-seven democracy activists face large sentences for "subverting the government" after holding a vote.
According to The Guardian, the current trial of the ‘Hong Kong 47’ embodies the death of Hong Kong’s civil society and is an extension of Xi Jinping’s crackdown on their mainland Chinese counterparts, signifying that any threat to the regime will be erased.
Hong Kong Free Press reported that InMedia has uncovered evidence that exposes how the CCP paid people HK$800 to stand in line for the trial of the Hong Kong 47. Reporters saw a group of people handling money at a nearby restaurant after leaving court; arrangements appeared to be coordinated by a man with links to a pro-establishment group.
Beijing has dropped their requirement that Hong Kong's US Consul General must have approval to meet with Hong Kong officials, reported The Independent.
The Wall Street Journal’s Austin Ramzy notes that, unsurprisingly, Chief Executive John Lee's Hello Hong Kong campaign fails to highlight how Hong Kong officials have destroyed Hong Kong's brand, dismantled its rule of law, and eroded its most basic human freedoms.
Hong Kong authorities have added a national security clause into the city-state's land sales, reported Bloomberg. John Lee claims that the added national security clause in Hong Kong's land sales is "the duty of the whole city to protect the country's interests."
According to Bloomberg, Hong Kong authorities are requiring television and radio broadcasters to produce at least 30 minutes of patriotic content per week in accordance with the National Security Law. This is yet another hit to Hong Kong's press freedoms by the hand of the CCP.
UK-China Relations
The Guardian reported that the UK government has paid £2.3bn to the EU to settle a long-standing dispute over British imports from China that were fraudulently underpriced. The case dates back to 2017 when the EU’s anti-fraud office said British authorities had allowed criminals to evade customs duties by making false claims about clothes and shoes imported from China.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has launched a security review following allegations that the CCP's spy balloons passed over British territory, reported The Independent. The UK government should not tolerate Chinese interference in any arena from airspace to universities.
According to The Telegraph, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Minister Andrew Mitchell declared that the UK should not send foreign aid to China, after discovering that the British government sent £50 million to the CCP last year. The UK should not continue to fund a regime that threatens human rights.
The number of applications from China to UK universities has declined for the first time in over a decade, stated The Times. Although this number could bounce back, Education Editor for The Times Nicola Woolcock emphasises the increasing concern regarding UK universities' entanglement with the CCP's malign activities. The Henry Jackson Society and the CFHK Foundation exposed this concern in their Confucius Institutes report.
Xinjiang Governor Erkin Tuniyaz’s visit to the UK and EU has been cancelled after pressure from British Parliamentarians and activists who gathered outside of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, reported Politico. Europe should continue to prevent the CCP's human rights violators from gaining global legitimacy.
The Telegraph reported that over two-thirds of drones used by the UK police are made by a Chinese firm that is blacklisted by US companies. It is unacceptable that UK police forces are using CCP drones that the US has designated as a national security risk.
North America-China Relations
NBC News reported that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are prepared to leverage the new House Select Committee on China, chaired by Congressman Mike Gallagher and ranking member Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, to curb the CCP's threat to US soil.
During a testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman insisted that the US will maintain communication with China to responsibly manage the competition between both countries after the recent balloon rift. She also stated that the US will continue to hold accountable those involved in human rights violations in Tibet and Xinjiang and support the people of Hong Kong.