The fall of a Hong Kong leader
Politics & Current Affairs
Top politics and current affairs news for February 22, 2017. Part of the daily The China Projectย news roundup "Chinese lab to study Ebola and other dangerous pathogens."
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โNever have I seen a man fallen from so high,โ judge says as he sentences Donald Tsang to 20 monthsโ jail for misconductย / SCMP
Hong Kongโs former chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen ๆพ่ซๆ was sentenced to 30 months in jail for failing to disclose conflicts of interest. Tsangโs administration approved broadcast licenses for a company at the same time as he was negotiating over a penthouse apartment owned by a major shareholder of that company. The judge cut the jail term down to 20 months in recognition of Tsangโs public service. In the wake of the conviction, the South China Morning Postย reportsย that there is fresh scrutiny on the business dealings of Hong Kongโs current chief executive, CY Leung ๆขๆฏ่ฑ. ย -
Discipline investigations target universities and the Cyberspace Administration of Chinaย / Peopleโs Daily (in Chinese)
State media today prominently reported on a new round of disciplinary and anti-corruption investigations planned for 2017. The announcements repeatedly use a phrase that means something like โdarkness hiding under a lampโ to refer to Party and state organizations that are supposed to be upholding Party norms but are, in fact, engaged in nefarious activities. There is also a focus on ideological purity. For a list of organizations that will be investigated, see hereย (in Chinese). Most are well-known universities, including Peking University and Tsinghua, but the โLeading Small Groupโ of the Cyberspace Administration of China, headed by Xi Jinping, is also targeted.
- China reports more severe form of bird flu, threat to poultry: WHOย / Reuters
- Three killed, 21 injured after disposal of explosives goes wrong in northern Chinaย / SCMP
- More than 30,000 police gather in support of Hong Kong officers jailed for beating up Occupy protester Ken Tsangย / SCMP
- How the Communist Party guided China to successย / NYT (paywall)
- China finishing South China Sea buildings that could house missiles โ U.S. officialsย / Reuters
