Sina Delenda Est

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Calls China’s Communist Party ‘Central Threat of Our Times’
By Marc Santora

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, in London on Wednesday with the British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab.

LONDON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared the Chinese Communist Party “the central threat of our times” on Thursday, even as he sought to talk up the prospects of a United States trade deal with Britain, which rebuffed American pressure to ban a Chinese company from future telecommunications infrastructure.
The scathing criticism of the Chinese government was the strongest language Mr. Pompeo has used as the Trump administration seeks to convince American allies of the risks posed by using equipment from Huawei, a Chinese technology giant.
At the same time, Mr. Pompeo sought to reassure British officials that even though the two countries saw the issue differently, it would not undermine the strong bond between them.
Mr. Pompeo’s reassurances come at a delicate moment for the British government as it begins the process of forging new stand-alone trade deals after it formally leaves the European Union on Friday.
Speaking at an appearance with the British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, Mr. Pompeo referred derisively to a 2016 warning from President Barack Obama that Brexit would place Britain at the “back of the queue” in any trade negotiations.
“We intend to put the United Kingdom at the front of the line,” Mr. Pompeo said.
Still, while Britain’s security and economy depend on a close relationship with Washington, China is a significant investor in the country and a growing buyer of British goods.
That was reflected in Britain’s decision this week to allow Huawei to play a limited role in its systems for the next generation of high-speed mobile internet, known as 5G.
With Washington pressing governments across Europe and elsewhere to ban Huawei equipment from new 5G networks, leaders have had to walk a fine line, trying not to antagonize either economic giant while not falling behind in the race to build the next generation of information technology.

Huawei’s main U.K. offices in Reading, west of London.

Mr. Pompeo said that the concerns of the United States were not about any one company, but rather, the Chinese system.
“When you allow the information of your citizens or the national security information of your citizens to transit a network that the Chinese Communist Party has a legal mandate to obtain, it creates risk,” he said.
“While we still have to be enormously vigilant about terror, there are still challenges all across the world, the Chinese Communist Party presents the central threat of our times,” he said.
While Mr. Pompeo was particularly blunt in his criticism of the Chinese government on Thursday, it was in keeping with his warnings to European leaders as he has sought to persuade them to keep Huawei out of their new networks.
“China has inroads too on this continent that demand our attention,” he told reporters in June during a trip to The Hague, in the Netherlands. 

“China wants to be the dominant economic and military power of the world, spreading its authoritarian vision for society and its corrupt practices worldwide.”
Mr. Pompeo said he was disappointed by the British decision, but said the two countries would work through the issue and reaffirmed Britain’s vital role in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance with the United States.
Still, he cautioned it could still affect the way information was shared.
“We will never permit American national security information to go across a network we do not have trust and confidence in,” he said.
Mr. Pompeo also mentions Iran regularly as a threat, but not using language as strong as what he applied to China today.
London was Mr. Pompeo’s first stop on a five-nation tour that includes Ukraine, where he will become the first United States cabinet member to visit the country since Trump’s July phone call with the newly elected Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
That call, during which Trump urged Mr. Zelensky to look into issues related to the 2016 election in the United States and to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son, Hunter Biden, provoked a whistle-blower complaint and led to Trump’s impeachment and his trial in the Senate.
Mr. Pompeo’s trip was originally scheduled to take place just after the new year, but was delayed because of concerns about escalating tensions with Iran.
In addition to the United Kingdom and Ukraine, Mr. Pompeo is scheduled to make stops in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Mr. Pompeo left the United States trailed by controversy after the State Department barred National Public Radio’s diplomatic correspondent from the trip. 

It came after a dust-up with a veteran reporter from the organization, Mary Louise Kelly, who questioned him about the Trump administration’s firing of the United States ambassador to Ukraine.
In an extraordinary statement, Mr. Pompeo lashed out at Ms. Kelly, and said the news media was “unhinged.”
And the decision by Britain to allow Huawei to provide some of the equipment in its 5G network, coming just days before Mr. Pompeo arrived, was a bitter disappointment.British officials sought to convince the Americans that in limiting the role of Huawei, they would keep their critical infrastructure safe.
Without naming Huawei, the British guidelines noted the dangers posed by “high-risk” vendors and said they would be limited to parts of the country’s wireless infrastructure, such as antennas and base stations, that were not seen as critical to the integrity of the entire system.
Mr. Pompeo said that while the Trump administration disagreed with that assessment, the issue would not undermine the deep bond shared between the two countries.
“The truth is it is your best friends you call up and say ‘What the heck are you doing?’” he said.
Mr. Pompeo then went on to Downing Street for a meeting with Britain’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, which he summed up as “fantastic.”

Chinese State Terrorism

Former British consulate worker tells of torture by China over Hong Kong

By Simon Denyer 

A protester holds a poster at a rally in August supporting Simon Cheng, a British Consulate employee who was detained while returning from a trip to China.

HONG KONG — A former employee of the British Consulate in Hong Kong said Wednesday that he was repeatedly tortured by Chinese secret police over 15 days in August and was accused of inciting pro-democracy protests in the territory on behalf of the British government.
Simon Cheng, 29, in his first public account of his treatment published on Facebook, described being handcuffed and shackled, blindfolded and hooded, deprived of sleep, made to sit absolutely still or hung in an uncomfortable spread-eagle position for hours on end, and constantly threatened during incessant interrogations.
British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said his government was shocked and appalled by the “brutal and disgraceful treatment” that Cheng said he was subjected to after being detained during a business trip to Shenzhen in mainland China in August, and said it had summoned the Chinese ambassador in London to protest.
But China said its ambassador would never accept Britain’s “false allegations.”
Cheng’s detention reflects the growing bitterness between China and the West over the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, but his treatment also reflects Beijing’s increasing willingness to flout diplomatic norms as it becomes more assertive in projecting its power worldwide.
Meanwhile in Hong Kong, police and protesters braced for a final showdown at a university in Hong Kong on Wednesday as a small group of anti-government demonstrators continued to hold out against a police encirclement.

Cheng’s account was released just a day after the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation aimed at protecting human rights in Hong Kong and threatening sanctions against officials who have violated human rights there.
Cheng said he was arrested at the border between Hong Kong and mainland China, accused of inciting the protests. 

He was then shackled to a steel “tiger chair” unable to move his arms or legs, and threatened with indefinite criminal detention, while being denied access to a lawyer and not allowed to contact relatives.
He was later transferred to the secret police, when he was handcuffed, shackled, blindfolded and hooded.
“I was hung (handcuffed and shackled) on a steep X-Cross doing a spread-eagled pose for hours after hours,” he wrote. 

“I was forced to keep my hands up, so blood cannot be pumped up my arms. It felt extremely painful.”
Cheng said they forced him to do “stress test” exercises for hours on end, beat him with what felt like a sharpened baton if he did not do so, including on his “vulnerable and shivering body parts,” such as his knee.
His treatment left him seriously bruised on his ankles, thighs, wrists and knees, he said.
“Sometimes, they instructed me to stand still (handcuffed, shackled, blindfolded, and hooded) for hours after hours,” Cheng wrote. 

“I was not allowed to move and fall asleep, and if I did, then I would be punished by being forced to sing the Chinese national anthem, which they said can ‘wake me up.’ This was the nonphysical torture — sleep deprivation — they used against me.”
Cheng said the British Consulate had asked him to collect information about the protests in Hong Kong, to evaluate travel alerts and ascertain whether British citizens were involved. 

That work involved joining messaging and discussion groups and establishing contacts with protesters.
However, that appeared to have drawn the attention of China’s surveillance state. 

Cheng was accused of being a British spy and an enemy of the Chinese state, and told to confess that the British government was instigating the protests in Hong Kong by donating money, materials and equipment.
Cheng said that he had a massage in Shenzhen “for relaxation” after finishing work there and that China accused him of soliciting prostitution. 

He said he was ultimately forced to record a video confession admitting to this offense, as well as a separate confession for “betraying the motherland.”
Britain’s Raab described Cheng as a “valued member” of the consulate’s team. 

“We were shocked and appalled by the mistreatment he suffered while in Chinese detention, which amounts to torture,” he said in a statement.
Since being released, Cheng has negotiated his exit from the British Foreign Service and is applying for asylum in an undisclosed location.

Police detained protesters and students who tried to flee the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus late Tuesday. 

A diplomatic showdown was also brewing between China and the United States over the Senate bill passed Monday.
The bill would require the secretary of state to certify annually whether Hong Kong is sufficiently autonomous from China to justify its special trading status.
Failure to do so would effectively deal a massive blow to Hong Kong’s status as a global financial and trading hub, and the American Chamber of Commerce warned of possible “unintended, counterproductive” consequences that could undermine the territory’s unique place in the world.
Protesters camp out in a gymnasium at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov. 20. 

To become law, the measure must be combined with a separate bill passed by the House, and then President Trump must sign it.

Live Assassination

Hong Kong police accused of being 'trigger-happy and nuts' as crowds protest shooting of teen

By Greg Norman


A Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker is accusing the semi-autonomous region’s police of being “trigger-happy and nuts” after an officer shot a teenage protester at close range in the chest during demonstrations this week.
The blistering criticism comes as hundreds of people and classmates of 18-year-old Tsang Chi-kin rallied outside his school Wednesday, chanting anti-police slogans and demanding accountability.

An officer fired at Tsang Tuesday after the teen struck him with a metal rod – making Tsang the first known victim of police gunfire since the protests began in June, the Associated Press reports.
"The Hong Kong police have gone trigger-happy and nuts," pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo said Wednesday.
"The sensible police response should have been to use a police baton or pepper spray, etc., to fight back,” Mo added, after viewing a video of the incident. 

“It wasn't exactly an extreme situation and the use of a live bullet simply cannot be justified."

Hundreds of students at a Hong Kong college staged a strike Wednesday to condemn the police shooting of a teenager during pro-democracy protests that marred China's National Day. 

Tsang is currently hospitalized and his condition was described by the government as stable on Wednesday.
Sitting crossed-legged, some of his supporters Wednesday held an arm across their chest below their left shoulder — the location of the teenager's gunshot wound. 

One held a hand-written message condemning "thug police."
Schoolmates told the Associated Press that Tsang loves basketball and was passionate about the pro-democracy cause. 

A student who wore a Guy Fawkes mask and declined to be named because of fear of retribution told the Associated Press that Tsang was "like a big brother" to him and other junior students.
"During the protests, we would feel safe if he is around because he was always the first to charge forward and would protect us when we were in danger," the student said.
"I vividly remember him saying that he would rather die than be arrested. What an awful twist of fate that it was he, of all people, who was shot by the police."

Anti-government protesters march at Central district in Hong Kong on Wednesday. 

Hong Kong is a former British colony that's been part of China since 1997 and which Beijing says benefits from autonomy, crediting a "one country, two systems" approach.
The structure allows the city certain democratic rights that are not afforded to people on the mainland — but, in recent years, some in Hong Kong have accused the Communist Party-ruled central government of slowly stripping their freedoms.
Hong Kong police, who have defended the officer's use of force against Tsang as "reasonable and lawful,” says the teenager has been arrested despite being hospitalized and that authorities will decide later whether to press charges.
Police Commissioner Stephen Lo said late Tuesday that the officer had feared for his life and made "a split-second" decision to fire a single shot at close range.
Chinese state media also defended the officer’s actions, with the Xinhua News Agency publishing a commentary early Wednesday calling them “totally legal, legitimate and appropriate,” according to the South China Morning Post.

Yet the warning appeared to fall flat Wednesday as hundreds of black-clad demonstrators also protested at a luxury mall in Kowloon district. 

Elsewhere, more than 1,000 office workers skipped their lunch to join an impromptu march in the city's business district against the police shooting.
British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab criticized the shooting as "disproportionate" and U.S. lawmakers also joined in the condemnation.

Meanwhile, an Indonesian journalist who was shot in the face with a police projectile on Sunday has been left blinded in one eye, her lawyer told the Hong Kong Free Press.
“Doctors treating Ms Veby Mega Indah have today informed her that regrettably the injury she received as a result of being shot by police, will result in permanent blindness in her right eye,” Michael Vidler was quoted as saying. 

“She was informed that the pupil of her eye was ruptured by the force of the impact. The exact percentage of permanent impairment can only be assessed after surgery.”

Police terrorism

As a protester is shot in the street, this is how Britain could make good on its obligations to the Hong Kong people
By Johnny Patterson

This week has seen a dramatic escalation of police violence in Hong Kong. 

While Britain remains endlessly distracted by Brexit, the rest of the world was watching its former colony as a teenage pro-democracy protestor was shot by Hong Kong police.
Confrontations flashed throughout the city just as the 70th anniversary of Communist China sent fireworks sparkling into the Beijing sky. 

During one of these confrontations, a sixth-form student was shot from point blank range with a live bullet and left in a critical condition.
Police brutality is being normalised in Hong Kong. 

A recent Amnesty International report confirms “an alarming pattern of the Hong Kong Police Force deploying reckless and indiscriminate tactics” in their arrests, as well as beating and torturing people in detention. 

The police have consistently responded to a minority of violent protestors disproportionately: targeting protestors indiscriminately, and sometimes even civilians taking no part in the protests.
The press now appears to be an acceptable target. 

A journalist for an Indonesian-language publication was recently shot with a rubber bullet, despite being clearly identifiable as a member of the press. 

The Foreign Correspondent’s Club reported that over the weekend, journalists were hit by tear gas canisters and rubber bullets, targeted with pepper spray, verbally threatened by the police, and blocked from documenting the arrests of protestors. 

Buzzfeed’s Rosalind Adams live-tweeted herself being hit with batons while trying to film one arrest.
“Police terrorism”, as it is dubbed by many Hong Kongers, has been on the frontpages of the newspapers on an almost daily basis for months. 

The result has been a total collapse of public trust in both the government and the police force.

Hong Kong protesters "day of grief" on communist China anniversary



Any lasting solution to the political crisis will need bold actions for reconciliation to be taken by the Hong Kong government and their counterparts in Beijing. 

But there is little sign of this.
The Hong Kong government have refused to agree to what look like moderate and reasonable demands from protestors – including calls for the police force to face an independent inquiry into their actions. 

Instead it has doubled-down and given the police licence to act with impunity.
And so, in the meantime, we must stand with the people of Hong Kong.
The UK has a special duty to the people of Hong Kong. 

Not only are Hong Kongers at the forefront of the global battle for freedom and democracy, but we have a historical duty to stand with them.
When the UK handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997, the arrangement was made on the basis that the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong would remain unchanged until 2047. 

The handover agreement, the Sino-British Joint Declaration, writes into international law a moral and legal obligation for the UK to stand up for the freedoms of the people of Hong Kong.

The integrity of this agreement is gravely threatened by the events of recent weeks. 

Dominic Raab issued a statement condemning the “disproportionate” use of force by the police force yesterday, but we must prove that our support for Hong Kong is more than just empty words.
Here are three ways we can do this. 

First, the government should consider adopting legislation which will ensure that there are consequences if the Hong Kong government continues to trample on people’s freedoms. 

Magnitsky sanctions, targeted at the individual violators of human rights, could be applied to officials who are deemed to be responsible for breaches of the Joint Declaration.

Second, post-Brexit, any trade agreement with Hong Kong or China must include a Hong Kong human rights clause. 

Trade law is more strongly enforceable than other types of international law, and so it is critical that we do not betray our commitment to Hong Kong in any future negotiations.

Finally, many parliamentarians have signalled their support for various campaigns which would provide an insurance policy by extending the rights applicable to holders of British National (Overseas) passports.
Unlike in other British colonies, Hong Kong citizens were not allowed to maintain their British citizenship after the handover. 

Instead they were fobbed off with second tier “BNO” passports which the late-Lord Ashdown claimed were a scandal rivalling Windrush. 

Even soldiers who had served in the British army were not given the right to retain their British citizenship.
It would be easy for the government to expand the rights held by BNO passports, and the Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Tugendhat has argued that this would provide many Hong Kongers with the “confidence to stay in Hong Kong”, knowing that they have a possible way out.
During the handover negotiations, prime minister John Major declared that “Hong Kong will never walk alone”. 

At this pivotal hour in Hong Kong’s history, we must not forget our unique ties to the people of Hong Kong. 

We must stand with them in their fight for freedom. 

They must not walk alone.

Chinazism

UK won't look the other way when Hong Kong protesters beaten: Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab
Reuters

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab speaks during the Conservative Party in Manchester, Britain, September 29, 2019.

MANCHESTER, England -- Britain will not ignore the treatment of protesters in Hong Kong when they are beaten indiscriminately, foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Sunday.
Sunday saw some of the most widespread and violent clashes in more than three months of anti-government unrest, with protesters angry about what they see as creeping Chinese interference in Hong Kong.
“We won’t look the other way, when the people of Hong Kong are beaten indiscriminately on commuter trains for exercising the right to peaceful protest,” Raab told the governing Conservative Party’s annual conference.