Intelligence
Hong Kong
5 reports in this category.
Trump’s signing of Hong Kong legislation puts a trade deal with China in danger
Trump signs legislation backing protesters in Hong Kong US President Donald Trump has signed into law congressional legislation backing protesters in Hong Kong, sparking a furious response from the Chinese government. The legislation, approved unanimously by the Senate – the US’s upper house – and by all but one member of the House of Representatives – the lower house – last week, requires Hong Kong’s special trade status with the US to be reviewed annually by the State Department, and also threatens sanctions for human rights violations. Congress passed a second bill, which Trump also signed, banning the export to the Hong Kong police of crowd-control munitions, such as tear gas, pepper spray, rubber-coated bullets and stun guns. Hong Kong has been in turmoil for months after protests were sparked by a bill that would have permitted extradition to mainland China. Since then, the protests have transformed into broader anti-government demonstrations. The protests, along with Trump’s decision to sign those measures, come as China and the U.S. try to work out a trade deal. Both sides have slapped tariffs on billions of dollars worth of their goods since last year. This decision is something of a break from Trump’s earlier balanced position towards the Hong Kong protests, with light-worded support for the Hong Kong protesters, but also showing understanding to the Chinese government. Subscribe to read the full article We wish we didn't have to do this, but only paid subscribers can read the full article, Unlike other publishers, we are not the beneficiaries of State funds and are entirely dependent on our supporters to keep KJ Vids functioning. Please subscribe to read the rest of the article. The First 1,000 subscribers will receive a 50% lifetime discount to our content. - Access over 500 videos explaining global politics - Full access to all articles - Vote on future video topics - Secure Questions for Video Q&As Sign Up - https://www.kjreports.com/product/lifetimediscount/
29 Nov 2019
Is Germany ignoring the Hong Kong protests because it needs China’s cooperation?
US-China trade war crippling German economy Germany’s economy is suffering badly from the ongoing trade war between the US and China and this is one of the main reason for its upcoming trade talks with China. Merkel on Thursday starts a three-day trip to China, a major trade partner of the biggest EU economy, with a large business delegation in tow. It is expected the EU power state is nowhere near making a recovery, and that recession is now a very real and dangerous prospect. Thomas Gitzel, chief economist of the Liechtenstein VP Bank said: “The misery in the manufacturing sector continues.” Carsten Brzeski, chief economist of the direct bank ING Germany added the “development significantly increases the probability of a recession for the German economy”. The annual decline of Germany is expected to be four percent at the end of the financial year of 2018/2019. The news comes after the German economy shrank by 0.1 percent in the second quarter, gross domestic product figures revealed today sending Germany halfway towards recession as Angela Merkel faces economic contraction. Germany’s trade talks with China will be crucial in at least attempting to reverse this trend, as China as an economic giant, has the weight to do so if a positive trade agreement is found. Subscribe to read the full article We wish we didn't have to do this, but only paid subscribers can read the full article, Unlike other publishers, we are not the beneficiaries of State funds and are entirely dependent on our supporters to keep KJ Vids functioning. Please subscribe to read the rest of the article. The First 1,000 subscribers will receive a 50% lifetime discount to our content. - Access over 500 videos explaining global politics - Full access to all articles - Vote on future video topics - Secure Questions for Video Q&As Sign Up - https://www.kjreports.com/product/lifetimediscount/
6 Sept 2019
Is Hong Kong on the brink of a revolution? 5 Geopolitical Effects You Need to Know
1. Background Protests have been ongoing on the streets of Hong Kong for weeks due to an extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be sent to Mainland China to stand trial in court. The proposed law has been suspended by Carrie Lam, the city’s chief executive, but the demonstrators are demanding its full withdrawal. The motives behind the protests have also extended well beyond the extradition bill to become an outlet for a series of grievances: anger at a broken political system, a lack of economic opportunities; and growing distrust of mainland China, a country it is technically part of under a “one country, two systems” model. This is a system that has drawn criticism from the Hong Kong public since its start in 1997. 2. China’s dilemma with Hong Kong As Hong Kong descends into a state of unrest with protests that seem to have no end, China is in a dilemma as to how to respond. China has tried to suppress these protests online, as last Monday, Twitter accused China of a “coordinated state-backed” operation “specifically attempting to sow political discord in Hong Kong.” The site barred advertising by China’s state media and dropped nearly a thousand accounts, some of which operated under the kind of fake, folksy personae used by Russian agents in the U.S. election in 2016. But this has only added fuel to the fire, as protests have continued and returned to violence, as will be shown in point 4. China will have to re-evaluate its stance. Subscribe to unlock the other 3 Points We wish we didn't have to do this, but only paid subscribers can read the full article, Unlike other publishers, we are not the beneficiaries of State funds and are entirely dependent on our supporters to keep KJ Vids functioning. Please subscribe to read the rest of the article. By investing in KJ Vids, you are investing in yourself Our content succinctly contextualises the key geopolitical trends you need to know in order to make sense of world events. We can assure you that a regular dose of our content will be as healthy as fruit and vegetables for your mind. Subscribe for only £10 a month.
27 Aug 2019
Is the Hong Kong Unrest Worsening the US-China Trade War? 5 Geopolitical Effects You Need to Know
1. China threatens retaliation to the US linking Hong Kong to trade talks The developing unrest in Hong Kong and tensions with China, has appeared to cause a worsening state of the US-China trade war. China has promised to retaliate against the United States if Washington imposes additional tariffs on its products on September 1. A brief statement released by the State Council’s customs tariff commission on Thursday said China would have no alternative but to take countermeasures. It said the threat to impose 10 per cent tariffs on US$300 billion of Chinese imports which appeared to link the outlook for trade talks with China to a resolution of the Hong Kong protests, ran against the consensus reached by US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping when they met in Japan in late June. Trump’s move has therefore only worsened the situation and distanced the possibility of an end to the trade war. 2. Trump’s arrogance rules out sights of end to trade war It appears US President Donald Trump does not want to hear China’s side of the story, as said that the US-China trade deal has to be a deal on their terms. Meanwhile, the 10-year US Treasury bond yield, which slumped to its lowest level since September 2016 by losing nearly 4%, is now up 0.1% on the day. It is most probable that those terms will be beneficial to the US and not to China, hence China not accepting them, and the trade war raging on. Trump will have to compromise if we are to see any end to this trade war. Subscribe to unlock the other 3 Points We wish we didn't have to do this, but only paid subscribers can read the full article, Unlike other publishers, we are not the beneficiaries of State funds and are entirely dependent on our supporters to keep KJ Vids functioning. Please subscribe to read the rest of the article. 3. Trade war damaging the US economy 4. Overall damage of trade war 5. China provides light in tunnel By investing in KJ Vids, you are investing in yourself Our content succinctly contextualises the key geopolitical trends you need to know in order to make sense of world events. We can assure you that a regular dose of our content will be as healthy as fruit and vegetables for your mind. Subscribe for only £10 a month.
15 Aug 2019
Hong Kong Protests: 5 Geopolitical Effects You Need to Know
1. Aim of the recent protests Protests have been ongoing on the streets of Hong Kong for weeks due to an extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be sent to Mainland China to stand trial in court. The proposed law has been suspended by Carrie Lam, the city’s chief executive, but the demonstrators are demanding its full withdrawal. The motives behind the protests have also extended well beyond the extradition bill to become an outlet for a series of grievances: anger at a broken political system, a lack of economic opportunities; and growing distrust of mainland China, a country it is technically part of under a “one country, two systems” model. This is a system that has drawn criticism from the Hong Kong public since its start in 1997. 2. China’s response to the unrest Mainland Chinese officials in charge of Hong Kong affairs are reportedly working on a comprehensive strategy to solve the city’s political crisis that will be presented to the top leadership for deliberation soon, but has made it clear that resorting to military force is not on the table. Meanwhile, China’s most-watched daily television news programme has aired a series of damning reports about the anti-government protesters in Hong Kong and blamed “external forces” for helping to disrupt order in the city. State broadcaster CCTV’s prime-time evening news programme Xinwen Lianbo began the run on Saturday with a report promoting the “Protect Hong Kong” rally organised by Beijing supporters at Tamar Park in the Admiralty district of Hong Kong. Despite China’s claims that military force is not on the table, riot police have consistently used tear gas as well as rubber bullets against protesters signalling a response with violence. 3. US and UK told not to interfere China’s state-owned Xinhua News Agency has told politicians in Western countries not to meddle in the affairs of Hong Kong, which has been rocked by weeks of continuous mass demonstrations since June over the now-delayed plan to introduce an extradition order. In an editorial on Friday (July 26), the Chinese news agency said: “The government and the people of China will not allow any foreign government, organisation or individual to interfere in Hong Kong affairs.” This is a sign that China is worried about the recent political unrest, and fears the west could take advantage of the situation.
27 Jul 2019