More Posts

Politics & Current Affairs

A tipping point in Hong Kong?

The situation in Hong Kong is as volatile as it has ever been, as every day of the past week has brought fresh, violent clashes between protesters and police. This is the first time that the upheaval has not slowed during a single weekday. Two significant police actions ensured this: A second protester was shot by police with live bullets on November 11, as we covered last week. Police laid siege to university campuses, which had previously been treated as safe havens.

The China Project

Politics & Current Affairs

What do the Hong Kong protesters want?

Hong Kong is now paralyzed on a near-daily basis by violent clashes between anti-government protesters and police. How did we get here, and what is it, exactly, that the protesters want?

Lucas Niewenhuis

Politics & Current Affairs

Trump likes tariffs — can a China deal be signed?

“I have not agreed to anything,” President Trump told reporters last Friday, crushing the latest round of trade talks optimism, and turning the dial on the Trade War News Cycle to somewhere in between “No progress is made” and “Administration is tough on trade with China.” It does not sound like a deal is even close. Get ready for the Trade War News Cycle to make a few more loops around before the end of the year.

The editors

Politics & Current Affairs

Hong Kong’s Monday of mayhem

For most of the 24 weeks of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, the city has seethed on weekends but returned to something resembling normalcy on weekdays. Only twice have there been significant exceptions to that — a general strike on Wednesday, June 12, and further strikes and an occupation of the airport for days in early August. Today was the third exception, as a protester was shot and critically injured by what appeared to be a traffic cop at about 7:15 a.m., according to the Hong Kong Free Press. Later in the day, a man was “set alight following a heated argument” with demonstrators, and was admitted to a nearby hospital with severe burns, AFP reports.

The editors

Politics & Current Affairs

Beijing will not let Hong Kong decide its own future

The city’s November 24 district council elections, Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong (黃之鋒 Huáng Zhīfēng) was disqualified from running last week, for his support for "self-determination." The bottom line is that Beijing, and the Hong Kong government that it oversees, will not allow the people of Hong Kong to decide their own future.

The editors