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Post by Admin on Aug 21, 2019 19:01:48 GMT
US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned China that carrying out a Tiananmen Square-style crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters would harm trade talks between the two countries.
"I think it'd be very hard to deal if they do violence, I mean, if it's another Tiananmen Square," Trump told reporters in New Jersey. "I think it's a very hard thing to do if there's violence."
The months-long trade dispute between the US and China has been blamed for setting world financial markets on edge amid signs of a possible global economic slowdown.
Phone calls between both countries' deputies are planned for the next 10 days, and if those are successful, negotiations between more senior officials could resume, Trump's chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow said on Sunday.
Hong Kong has meanwhile been rocked by more than two months of protests and on Sunday saw a crowd that organizers said numbered some 1.7 million people march peacefully in the city despite rising unrest and stark warnings from Beijing.
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Post by Admin on Sept 4, 2019 22:08:03 GMT
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Wednesday the government would formally withdraw the controversial extradition bill that sparked months of protests. Withdrawing the bill sits atop the list of protesters’ demands. But most greeted the news with the sentiment: “too little, too late.” The demonstrations that have taken over Hong Kong on a weekly basis since June are therefore unlikely to stop, and this concession from the government may do little to ease tensions in the autonomous city. Lam made the announcement in a televised addressed on Wednesday, following massive student strikes this week and the 14th weekend of protest, which was met with violence as police and protesters clashed.
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Post by Admin on Sept 6, 2019 17:38:44 GMT
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday that the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents should be protected, adding that a solution to the Chinese city’s political crisis can only be garnered through dialogue while violence should be avoided. ngela Merkel was welcomed by Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing on Friday amid calls for the German Chancellor to take a stronger line on China's human rights record. Accompanied by a group of German business leaders, the visit is her 12th to the country since she took power in November 2005. Hong Kong has also been a hotbed of anti-government protests for months. In a letter to Merkel ahead of her visit, prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong also wrote to her to ask for help. He asked her to "express concern over our dire situation and put forward our demands to the Chinese government during your stay."
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Post by Admin on Oct 4, 2019 19:45:11 GMT
Thousands have taken part in unplanned protests in Hong Kong after the territory's government announced a face mask ban, which came into effect at midnight (16:00 GMT). Chief executive Carrie Lam invoked a colonial-era emergency law in a bid to quell months of anti-government unrest. The ban comes after an escalation of violence during protests on 1 October, when an officer shot a demonstrator. Reports on Friday said a 14-year-old had been shot in the leg. He is reportedly being treated at Tuen Mun hospital and is in a serious condition.
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Post by Admin on Nov 20, 2019 21:28:43 GMT
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill Tuesday aimed at supporting protesters in Hong Kong and warning China against a violent suppression of the demonstrations -- drawing a rebuke from Beijing. The US Senate on November 19, 2019, passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which will now be aligned with a similar measure approved by the lower House of Representatives before it goes to President Donald Trump for his signature. But even before the measure gets the green light, China has promised to retaliate with “forceful measures” if Trump signs the bill. The South China Morning Post’s John Carter and Finbarr Bermingham discuss what impact the law would have on US-China relations as well as Hong Kong’s economy.
China reiterated Wednesday a threat to impose unspecified retaliation if the bill became law and urged the U.S. to stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs. Ma Zhaoxu, vice minister of foreign affairs in Beijing, later summoned William Klein, a U.S. embassy official, and raised strong objections about the bill. Separately, Hong Kong’s government expressed “extreme regret” and the legislation would negatively impact relations with the U.S.
A demonstrator prepares to throw a petrol bomb towards riot police during a protest in Hong Kong on Nov. 18. The vote marks a challenge to the government in Beijing just as the U.S. and China, the world’s largest economies, seek to close a preliminary agreement to end their trade war. The Senate measure would require the State Department to certify annually whether Hong Kong remains sufficiently autonomous from Beijing to justify special trade privileges, as well as protect U.S. citizens from rendition to China through measures including sanctions on mainland officials.
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