Surangel Whipps (R) became Palau's president last year after defeating an opponent who favoured closer ties with Beijing
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat has “left behind big shoes to fill” at the Ministry of Finance (MOF), said Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday (23 April).
Russia on Friday began withdrawing troops that had been running drills near the borders of Ukraine, the defence ministry said, following weeks of heightened tensions between Moscow and the West over the buildup.
The Chinese public is crowing on social media after French fashion brand Chanel lost a trademark dispute to telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies this week.The dispute was over an application filed by Huawei to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to register a trademark for a brand for computer hardware featuring two vertical interlocking semi-circles, similar to the iconic Chanel logo.After examining the visual, phonetic, and conceptual aspects of the logos, the General Court of the European Union said found that, while they shared some similarities, their “visual differences are significant”, according to a press release issued on Wednesday. On Chinese social media, supporters of Huawei called Chanel “pengci” – a Chinese slang meaning to intentionally pose as a victim to receive compensation. The phrase was coined when people in China deliberately fell in front of moving cars to pretend they were hit to extort medical fees and payment from drivers.“It’s classic pengci. They are not similar at all. You can not look at one logo and think of the other,” said one online user.They also claimed that Chanel was trying to tarnish Huawei’s international reputation.“Chanel’s sign is horizontal, Huawei’s is vertical, that’s such an obvious difference, even my three-year-old niece knows,” someone said on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like service. “If you want to pick a fight with Huawei, just say so!”“Does Chanel not want the Chinese market anymore? It’s a piece of cake for us to drive you out. We’ll give you a warning for this time,” another said. In China, public support for Huawei has hinged on nationalistic sentiment and pride in the company being a homegrown brand with global reach.During the saga of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei became a patriotic symbol of China’s unfair treatment on the global stage. Meng is the daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei and chief financial officer of the company. She is under house arrest in Canada and is fighting an extradition request by the US.Huawei also became the most high-profile corporation caught in the US-China trade war after the Trump administration targeted the company with a series of restrictions, including cutting off its ability to access chips made with US technology.These high-profile geopolitical events have, in turn, helped the brand increase its popularity in the domestic market. Huawei’s 2020 revenue grew by 3.8 per cent compared to 2019.Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. The trademark dispute with Chanel dates back to September 2017, when Huawei filed the application.In December that year, Chanel filed a notice of opposition claiming Huawei’s mark “bore similarities to its own mark registered for perfumes, cosmetics, costume jewellery, leather goods and clothes”.In 2019, the EUIPO rejected Chanel’s application, declaring Huawei’s mark was not similar to Chanel and that Chanel’s mark had a reputation and the public was not likely to be confused about it.The luxury brand then challenged the ruling at the Luxembourg-based General Court, which upheld the previous decision this week.“In particular, Chanel’s marks have more rounded curves, thicker lines and a horizontal orientation, whereas the orientation of the Huawei mark is vertical,” the court statement said.The ruling can be appealed to the EU Court of Justice. It is unclear at the moment whether Chanel will take a further step. More from South China Morning Post:A new Huawei Mate V foldable phone might be on the wayUS-China tech war: Huawei pushes licensing of 5G mobile technology amid struggles with Washington’s trade sanctionsHSBC takes to WeChat social network to deny ‘framing’ Huawei in US investigations as it comes under attack in Chinese mediaChanel loses EU trademark court fight with Huawei over logoThe real reason Louis Vuitton and Chanel are raising their prices? Brands aren’t just weathering the pandemic – luxury goods only get more desirable when they’re less accessibleThis article Mocking jubilation on Chinese social media as Chanel loses trademark dispute to Huawei first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
Indonesia's desperate search for a missing submarine and its 53 crew was focused on a signal from an unidentified object Friday, with just hours to go before the stricken vessel's oxygen reserves ran out.
Hospitals in India launched desperate appeals for oxygen on Friday as the nation's Covid crisis spiralled, while Japan issued a state of emergency in some areas just three months before the Olympics are due to open.
Relations between China and Australia have become fraught over the past year after Canberra pushed for an international probe into the origin of the coronavirus without diplomatic consultations beforehand, and Beijing eventually responded with a number of trade blocks on wine, barley, cotton, copper, coal, sugar and lobsters. We look at the issues in this series. Smaller export products victimised in a year-long conflict between China and Australia will struggle to find new markets in the short term, while economically codependent trade in commodities such as iron ore will be spared disruptions, analysts say. As frayed relations pass the one-year mark, Australian exporters of goods including barley, wine and coal see new trading opportunities in countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Mexico, but these markets will not be able to absorb excess trade immediately, research firm IBISWorld said. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Using barley as an example, Matthew Reeves, a senior industry analyst at IBISWorld, said finding replacement export markets is not always a simple task. “The Australian barley industry’s progress since China introduced the tariffs last year reveals the resilience of Australian exporters, who have pursued diversification strategies. However, shifts to new export markets can take months to achieve, and will do little to ease disruption in the short-term,” he said. What’s happened over the past year, and what’s the outlook? China imposed total anti-dumping duties of 80.5 per cent on Australian barley last May after an 18-month investigation that started before the conflict escalated, rendering the grain uncompetitive in China. Barley was not the only casualty of tensions between the two countries, which escalated when Canberra pushed last April for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic without consulting Beijing. On Wednesday, tensions stepped up a notch when the Australian government tore up Victoria state’s non-binding Belt and Road Initiative agreements with China, along with two older agreements with Iran and Syria under new foreign relations law. While Canberra says the law was not aimed at China, it was enacted soon after a political furore over Victoria’s actions. Since then, China has also imposed unofficial bans on coal, log timber, lobsters and wine. Anti-dumping duties were levied on cheap Australian wine late last year and formalised last month, effectively pricing it out of the Chinese market. IBISWorld identified Vietnam, India, Mexico and Indonesia as potential new export markets, citing shared trade pacts like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) – of which Mexico, Vietnam and Australia are signatories – as springboards for more trade. Tariff reductions as a result of the CPTPP will bolster Australia’s economic relationship with these countries, Reeves said. Australia is also cultivating bilateral trade deals with India and Indonesia that have growing economies and can soak up exports like coal and food products such as meat, dairy and grains. Vietnam will also have an appetite for food, minerals, and metals, IBISWorld said. Last November, as the unofficial Chinese ban hit Australian lobsters, Australian agriculture minister David Littleproud espoused the virtues of Vietnam as a possible lobster export market. Early this year, tariffs for seafood exports to Vietnam dropped to around 8 per cent and they will be completely eliminated by 2022 as a result of the CPTPP. “And we’ve given you [exporters] other free trade agreements in which to sell your product. And in fact, lobsters, before the free trade agreement came in place, 93 per cent of our lobster market went to Vietnam, and Vietnam still remains a very strong and close friend of Australia,” Littleproud said as he asked exporters to remain calm following the ban. But replacing China with Vietnam as a lobster market will have its challenges. Export numbers from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that in 2019 China imported over A$800 million (US$618.5 million) of live and processed crustaceans, including lobsters, while Vietnam imported next to nothing. In comparison, before the China-Australia free trade agreement was signed in 2015, China imported A$32 million worth of the product while Vietnam imported about A$700 million. While smaller exporters will have challenges finding new markets, Australian iron ore miners have little to be concerned about, ratings agency Fitch Ratings said. In a new analysis on Thursday, Fitch said economically codependent trade such as iron ore is likely to be spared from the bilateral conflict. Iron ore is Australia’s largest export to China and critical for the nation’s “industrial policy apparatus”, Fitch said. “We do not expect China will cease iron ore purchases. Iron ore plays a critical role in China’s industrial development, as the main ingredient in steelmaking. Its importance has only risen over the past year, as China’s fiscal policy response to the coronavirus shock includes a large infrastructure programme,” Fitch Ratings’ Jeremy Zook, Andrew Fennell and Kathleen Chen said in a note. We would expect China to exclude iron ore from potential punitive trade measures on Australian goods, given Australia’s outsize role in the global iron ore trade Fitch “We would expect China to exclude iron ore from potential punitive trade measures on Australian goods, given Australia’s outsize role in the global iron ore trade and a limited number of alternative suppliers.” But if there are more punitive measures towards Australia’s exports, they would be levied against smaller export sectors that did not have an impact on China’s near-term growth prospects, the analysts said. Overall, the trade actions in the past year have not had a material impact on Australia’s economy due in part to the continued strong exports of iron ore to China. As a result, Fitch says Australia’s sovereign credit rating is unlikely to be affected by the trade tensions with China, at least for now. “Trade actions have been damaging for affected industries at a micro level, but these industries do not comprise a significant portion of overall exports, apart from coal,” Fitch analysts said. More from South China Morning Post:China-Australia relations: wine traders eye spirits to ‘survive’ crippling disruptionsChina-Australia relations: lobster exporters look to ‘reboot’ in alternative markets after years of relying on Chinese demandChina-Australia relations: wine piling up keeping Sydney exporter awake at night ahead of peak seasonChina tells Australia to ‘reflect on its own deeds’ as it imposes new import bansChina-Australia relations: Canberra ‘should know’ how to improve relationship, Beijing saysThis article China-Australia relations: iron ore miners to escape Beijing’s ‘punitive trade measures’ as small exporters scramble for new markets first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
Lawrence Wong has been appointed Singapore's new Finance Minister, taking over from former PM-designate Heng Swee Keat, by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a Cabinet reshuffle barely a year since his team took office.
A Singaporean woman who wanted to buy items from outside the barricade of Geylang Serai market during Phase 2 of the COVID-19 reopening was spotted by a safe distancing ambassador (SDA).
An outspoken Hong Kong church leader known for his public criticism of the national security law and the ill-fated extradition bill that triggered the 2019 anti-government protests has resigned from his post and moved to Britain. Reverend Lo Hing-choi, who was reelected president of the city’s 80,000-strong Baptist Convention last year and was due to finish his term at the end of this month, said his abrupt departure on Tuesday was prompted by the erosion of Hong Kong’s unique freedoms. “The biggest – or the only – reason behind it is the changes in Hong Kong and its shrinking freedom. The government policies have deviated from the principles and basis of reasonableness and fairness,” he wrote in a piece published in the Christian Times on Wednesday night.Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. “Hong Kong currently is not just being torn apart, but there is a dislocation created by those in power.” Hong Kong churches and the national security law: pastors censor sermons, online posts amid fears The Baptist Convention of Hong Kong under Lo’s leadership had openly urged the government in 2019 to withdraw its extradition bill, which would have allowed the rendition of criminal suspects to mainland China. The legislation was eventually scrapped, but not before it sparked months of often violent protests. Last June, he also published an article slamming the Beijing-imposed national security law, saying it would officially mark the end of the “one country, two systems” framework, deprive Hongkongers of their right to free speech and destroy the city’s judicial system. Lo said his friends and peers had been urging him to get prepared to leave since the imposition of the security law, and especially after he was called out by pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao in July and September. “I did not take it seriously at first as I thought I’m just a small potato whom no one cares about,” he wrote. “But then when I saw how the authorities went after moderate figures who have contributed to society one after another and locked them all up, I have a clearer picture of my future.” Lo, who will soon turn 70, admitted it was not easy for him to leave behind Hong Kong and his church for Britain, saying he was grappling with the guilt of being a “deserter”. He said he made up his mind to leave this week after he managed to secure a seat on a flight for his pet, and because he feared that if he did not leave immediately, a rebound of Covid-19 cases would leave him trapped in the city for a long time. In an interview with the Post last year, Lo said he had taken down all his online criticism of the national security law hours before it came into effect, as he did not want his opinions to cause trouble for the Baptist Church. He also said he intended to keep a low profile. Hong Kong union accused of violating security law by screening documentary In a message posted on its website, the Baptist Convention confirmed Lo had resigned on Tuesday for personal reasons and expressed gratitude to the pastor for his contributions since taking charge of the organisation in 2018. He would be temporarily replaced by Reverend Lam Hoi-sing until the end of this month, it said. A number of outspoken church leaders have left the city in the wake of the national security law. Among them were evangelical pastors Wong Siu-yung and Yeung Kin-keung, who signed a joint “Gospel Declaration” calling on followers to point out wrongdoing by the authorities and to resist any totalitarian regime. The pair later announced they were going into self-imposed exile after being accused by pro-Beijing newspapers of inciting secession and subversion under the sweeping security law. More from South China Morning Post:London making it easier for Hongkongers to apply for visas through BN(O) schemeOpposition-leaning Hong Kong union that screened protest documentary accused of violating national security law by pro-Beijing politicianHong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai slapped with extra national security law charge, also accused of perverting course of justice over fugitive’s escape to TaiwanThis article Outspoken Hong Kong pastor and head of Baptist Convention leaves city over national security law fears first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
Taiwan has vowed to safeguard its own security as it sought to play down remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga that there was no possibility of committing Japanese forces to help defend the island. “It is an unshirkable duty for us to safeguard our own national security, and Taiwan will shoulder the responsibility by itself to protect its people’s homes and defend the country,” Joanne Ou, spokeswoman for Taiwan’s foreign ministry, said on Thursday. Suga on Tuesday told the Diet, Japan’s legislature, that a reference to Taiwan in a joint statement released after his meeting with US President Joe Biden last Friday “does not presuppose military involvement at all”. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. He was responding to a question from an opposition politician about the possibility of Japan joining the United States in sending forces to help Taiwan in the event of an attack by Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the democratic island and vows to bring it into its fold by force if necessary. In the joint statement, the US and Japan underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encouraged a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. That was the only reference to Taiwan in the statement, which covered a host of regional and global issues as well as mutual defence and bilateral cooperation. The reference was the first since Tokyo switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1972, and was reported prominently by the Japanese media as a sign of Japan taking a hawkish stance towards Beijing. It triggered strong protest from Beijing, which warned Japan and the US to stay out of what it considers “internal affairs” involving Taiwan. On Thursday, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a separate statement that the US-Japan defence alliance was the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, and that the reference in the joint statement reflected the two countries’ strong consensus over security in the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific. Did Japan ignore alternatives to dumping contaminated Fukushima water? It noted that Suga had previously told the Diet that Japan’s position was to have the cross-strait dispute resolved by peaceful means. “We welcome concerns from international society on cross-strait peace and stability … and it is our own responsibility to safeguard our national security,” the statement said. Taiwan would continue to communicate and cooperate closely with the US, Japan and other like-minded countries in upholding cross-strait stability and maintaining security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, it said. More from South China Morning Post:Can Japan afford Suga’s military spending promise to Biden?Biden, Suga call for ‘peace and stability across Taiwan Strait’‘Uncomfortable signal to China’: Japan’s Suga raises Hong Kong, South China Sea, Xinjiang in phone call with India’s ModiThis article Taiwan vows to defend itself after Yoshihide Suga qualifies Japan’s stance first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
The foreign ministers of China and Germany have underscored the need for Brussels to engage rather than isolate Beijing as sanctions over alleged labour abuses in Xinjiang cast a shadow over a landmark investment agreement with the EU. The call for cooperation came during a video conference on Wednesday between German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Wang said China and Germany should ensure the stability of global industrial and supply chains and resist decoupling, according to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry.Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. “China does not approve of division based on ideology and engaging in new collective confrontations. It is even more opposed to engaging in ‘small cliques’, advocating a ‘new cold war’, and even arbitrarily imposing unilateral sanctions based on false information,” Wang was quoted as saying. “China and Germany should jointly be defenders of multilateralism and contributors to global development.” Before the meeting, Maas stressed the need for strong communication with Beijing. “In the European Union, we have been describing China as a partner, competitor and systemic rival at the same time,” he said. “Decoupling is the wrong way to go.” The meeting comes just weeks after China was hit by a round of coordinated sanctions from the United States, the EU, Britain and Canada over reports of forced labour in the far western Chinese region of Xinjiang, accusations that Beijing rejects. Those reports prompted calls from some European lawmakers to scrap the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, which China and the European Union reached in December but have still to ratify. At the time, Beijing described the agreement as a showcase of China-Europe cooperation. Prospects for engagement between the EU and China are also clouded by the departure of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been a leading advocate of better relations with Beijing and will step down this year. In the last two weeks, Merkel has spoken twice to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Official government readouts from Germany and China indicate that the agenda did not include possible sanctions on German officials or issues such as Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Taiwan or Huawei – Europe’s biggest talking points on China. On Wednesday, Wang said ties between China and Germany remained stable, benefiting both China and Europe, and the two countries should embark on a fresh round of high-level exchanges as soon as possible. “China and Germany must always grasp the important principles and valuable experience of mutual respect,” he was quoted as saying. Wang said China and Germany should cooperate on 5G technology, clean energy, public health and digital economy. “We hope Germany can be opened to China, and remove the export restrictions on high technology to China, creating a fair, open and non-discriminatory operation environment to Chinese businesses in Germany,” he said.This article China-Germany relations: engage, don’t isolate, foreign ministers urge European Union first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
Singapore’s private property prices increased 3.3% in the first three months, higher than the preliminary estimate of 2.9%, the Urban Redevelopment Authority said.
A Canadian judge on Wednesday adjourned Chinese Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's extradition hearing until August, giving her team time to review newly obtained documents from investment bank HSBC they say are key to her defense.
Veteran primary school teacher Eva* will be leaving Hong Kong with her husband and child by summer to start a new life in Britain. Changes in the city’s education scene since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong last June prompted the family’s decision to move. “My husband and I originally planned to send our child overseas while we continued working in Hong Kong, or maybe I would retire early and accompany our child there,” said Eva, whose child is in primary school. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. She lamented that teachers now had limited autonomy in the classroom and that some educators were practising more self-censorship following guidelines issued by the authorities. Schools and universities have been told to promote national security education among their students in keeping with the new law, which bans acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, and carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Eva, who was born and raised in Hong Kong, said many of her friends had been planning to leave over the past few months, and some had already gone, along with their families. “There are so many uncertainties ahead … but I feel that I can always find another job,” said Eva, who is in her 40s and has taught general studies for more than 10 years. “Many parents like us are more worried about what kind of education our children will receive in future,” she added. The Education Bureau issued wide-ranging guidelines on national security education to schools in early February, covering aspects ranging from management issues to teaching and pupils’ behaviour, with children as young as six years old expected to be able to name the offences under the law. Teachers have been told to call police in “grave or emergency” situations, such as students chanting or displaying slogans or forming human chains on campus, acts of youthful defiance that were common during the anti-government protests of 2019. Hong Kong university head suggests security law courses could be mandatory Since the security law came into effect, two teachers have been stripped of their lifetime registration, with one accused of touching on Hong Kong independence in a class worksheet on freedom of speech. Schools, meanwhile, have been told to review their libraries and remove titles that might violate the law. Last month, education officials announced that liberal studies – a senior secondary subject that pro-Beijing politicians have blamed for radicalising youth – would be renamed “citizenship and social development”, with a new syllabus focusing on national security, identity, lawfulness and patriotism. In recent months, Beijing has laid out its vision for Hong Kong’s schools, highlighting the need for patriotic education for young people, removing “toxic” teaching materials and implementing the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong” for educators. At the university level, fears that the national security law would lead to self-censorship and affect academic freedom had already come to pass, according to some students and teachers. Some institutions have begun looking into making national security a mandatory subject for all students. Hong Kong schools told to do more to promote national security education In February, Chinese University effectively severed ties with its student union over concerns that its electoral platform possibly breached the national security law. On Monday, Communist Party mouthpiece the People’s Daily lashed out at the University of Hong Kong’s student union following its criticisms of the security law, calling it “a malignant tumour” that should be removed. Earlier this month, local pro-Beijing media attacked Polytechnic University’s student union, accusing it of “beautifying” the 2019 protests by setting up street counters to promote an exhibition showcasing photographs from the months of social unrest. On April 15, Hong Kong schools marked their first National Security Education Day since the law’s passage, with many holding flag-raising ceremonies and some kindergartens teaching pupils as young as three about the legislation. School heads have until August to tell education authorities what they have done on national security education and describe future plans, which Eva described as a rushed campaign that had put more pressure on teachers and schools, while the guidelines themselves were overly strict. “Many guidelines have been introduced abruptly, and there is simply no way for schools to get around them,” she said. Guidelines from the bureau include inserting elements of national security education into various other subjects, such as Chinese language, general studies and civic education at the primary level, and biology, physics, history, geography and economics at the secondary level. For example, the bureau said, older primary pupils could learn to appreciate the importance of national security by understanding campus security, as well as being taught about historical events and the geography of mainland China. Hong Kong schools mark first National Security Education Day since law imposed Despite all the advice from the bureau, Eva said many teachers were still uncertain about the boundaries resulting from the security law and what they should look out for. “We wonder what can be taught and what is banned, and how far and deep we can go in approaching a topic,” she said. “We also don’t know what pupils will tell their parents about what they’ve learned at school. And what if some parents have strong political affiliations?” She said at least 10 of her friends and colleagues were either planning to leave or have already emigrated with their families as of last month. Dozens of pupils have also withdrawn from her school over the past six months, including many who moved overseas. A recent survey of 98 schools by the city’s biggest secondary school principals group found that the number of teachers who resigned to emigrate doubled last year compared to 2019. At least 37 educators quit and emigrated between July and November last year, compared with 18 over the same period of 2019, according to the Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools. More than 723 secondary school students withdrew from the 98 schools to move overseas, a 52 per cent increase from 2019. Teachers should ‘take police advice’ to comply with Hong Kong security law Secondary school principal Tony* said many schools had seen one or two teachers resigning in the middle of the school year – something that did not happen before. “In the past, most teachers usually would not resign in such a hurry,” he said. “But now, many are leaving immediately, or after giving just one month’s notice.” Taking care to avoid ‘red lines’ Some of the dozen teachers and school heads who spoke to the Post said they noticed increased scrutiny of school-based teaching materials this year. Concerned about the national security law, at least one school decided to do away with commemorative events such as talks marking the anniversary of Beijing’s crackdown on student protesters at Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. But education minister Kevin Yeung Yun-hung this month dismissed teachers’ concerns about the security law, saying they “need not worry” as long as they “love the country”. Asked if teachers could still tell their pupils about events such as the June 4 crackdown or discuss corruption in mainland China, he said teachers could use their professional judgment to decide. In one of his blog posts, Yeung said the fact that many teachers and students were arrested during the 2019 protests showed the need to strengthen concepts pertaining to national identity in schools. Official figures showed about 40 per cent of more than 10,000 people arrested were university or secondary school students, and more than 100 educators were detained. Hong Kong’s liberal studies to be renamed ‘citizenship and social development’ In October 2019, at the peak of the protests, as many as 350 secondary school student concern groups were formed with the aim of pushing for greater democracy. But with the introduction of the national security law, many have dissolved or disbanded, fearing reprisals from authorities. One of the most active groups, Ideologist, helped to organise at least two citywide class strikes along with other concern groups and urged their peers to stage campus protests. Spokesman Carson Tsang Long-hin, a Form Six student, said members discussed last June whether the group should stop operating but voted to carry on. “Even if we disbanded, the authorities could still arrest us if they wanted to,” said Tsang, 17. “Perhaps taking one step at a time and playing it by ear might be another way forward.” The group has about 10 members, all senior secondary school students. Tsang said the national security law had affected how they went about their activities now, as they had become cautious about crossing “red lines”. “When writing social media posts, we are now more careful and check for any wordings that might violate the security law,” he said. School materials must be ‘correct, impartial’; education minister pledges oversight University staff, students more cautious too Under the security law, universities also have to promote national security, although they have more leeway than primary and secondary schools and have not been issued specific guidelines by the authorities. The University of Hong Kong recently proposed forming a committee to probe alleged violations of academic freedom under the legislation, an idea one senior staff member described as “well intended”. Undersecretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin said last month the authorities would look into whether university management staff would be required to take an oath and swear allegiance to the city, after government school teachers were required to do so. Even before the institutions could roll out their plans, some have already noticed lecturers and students being more cautious in class. Lingnan University visiting assistant professor of cultural studies Ip Iam-chong said he noticed that local students appeared to have become more reticent about expressing their views on political issues in Hong Kong. “For example, last year when some mainland Chinese students were presenting about the 2019 protests … many local students were not really willing to respond, which felt weird as many of them had personally experienced the protests,” he said. Principals’ group speaks out against calls to install CCTV in Hong Kong classrooms Ip added that the university’s management had not issued teaching staff any guidelines or advice so far about teaching under the national security law. He said some of his colleagues had left Hong Kong in recent months and others were considering doing the same, worried about restricted academic autonomy under the law. Polytechnic University student union president Alan Wu Wai-kuen, a Year One student, recalled that the teacher of a class he took on Chinese politics was cautious with topics considered sensitive on the mainland, such as the Tiananmen Square crackdown and the human rights activist and Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo. “He was discreet and reminded us that there were things which could be difficult to say publicly,” Wu recalled, adding that the lecturer touched on Tiananmen Square only briefly, although it was part of the course’s lecture notes. Outgoing president of Open University tells students to be engaged, but don’t cross line Hong Kong has already slipped significantly in a global ranking of academic freedom in universities for last year. Last month, the Germany-based Global Public Policy Institute’s latest index of academic freedom gave Hong Kong a score of 0.348 out of 1 (one) – down from 0.442 in 2019. This was lower than the score for Singapore, Russia and Cambodia. Scholars at Risk, a US-based network of more than 500 institutions in 40 countries that contributed to the report, cited the arrest of academics and students under the security law among concerns about the pressures on the higher education community in research and international collaboration. Those arrested include legal scholar Benny Tai Yiu-ting, as well as university lecturer and former opposition lawmaker Claudia Mo Man-ching. Fung Wai-wah, president of the 100,000-strong Professional Teachers’ Union, said he was concerned about the ongoing impact of the national security law on teachers and students. Not only might more of them emigrate, but fewer young people might be drawn to the education sector given the increasing restrictions and fears of “white terror”, he said. But Wong Kam-leung, chairman of the 40,000-member Federation of Education Workers and a primary school principal, disagreed, saying Hong Kong needed to plug the gap in safeguarding national security for the good of the country. “Teachers and schools, like others, have the responsibility to promote national security education,” he said. “Even though some parents may feel unnecessary fear and choose to emigrate, Hong Kong’s development is definitely going in a positive direction … Some of them might even come back.” Hong Kong teachers plan to police themselves over national security law Secondary school student and concern group leader Carson Tsang said he was among those who had no plans to leave Hong Kong, even though the future seemed gloomier now. “Many people have been put in prison for what we were fighting for [in 2019], while others had been on remand, prosecuted or fled overseas,” he said. “If I choose to emigrate at this stage only because of the negative mood, I would feel guilty. I would not want to give up at this stage.” *Names changed at the interviewees’ request More from South China Morning Post:Hong Kong marks National Security Education Day with anti-terrorism drills, weapons displays for students as top official urges resolve in defending ‘bottom line’Hong Kong schools under the national security law: no political songs, slogans, human chains, but what else is prohibited?Older Hong Kong students to learn about national security when studying range of subjects, including accounting, chemistry and even physicsThis article Will national security law force exodus of Hong Kong’s teachers, students over fears of shrinking academic freedom? first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
US President Joe Biden's reported plan to formally recognize as genocide the World War I-era killings of 1.5 million Christian Armenians by the Muslim Ottoman Empire risks plunging relations with Turkey into deep crisis.
In a rare public appearance since retiring nearly three years ago, Morris Chang, the 89-year-old founder of the world’s largest contract chip maker, said China is not yet a competitor in chipmaking and that Taiwan should defend its leadership in semiconductor manufacturing. Chang, who established Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) in 1987, is seen as the father of Taiwan’s success in the foundry business. At a forum hosted by Economic Daily in Taipei on Wednesday, Chang spoke about separate efforts by China and the US to build up their own chip-making capabilities. “Mainland China has given out subsidies to the tune of tens of billions of US dollars over the past 20 years but it is still five years behind TSMC,” Chang said. “Its logic chip design capability is still one to two years behind the US and Taiwan. The mainland is still not yet a competitor.”Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. China had relied heavily on TSMC in the past as its source for advanced chips but is now grooming homegrown champions such as Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) as the country seeks to achieve semiconductor self-sufficiency amid tensions with the US. Chang said semiconductor manufacturing is a vital industry for Taiwan, with a profound impact on the daily lives of its people, the island’s economy, and national defence. “It is also the first industry for which Taiwan has earned a competitive position on the global stage,” he said. “I call on the government, society and TSMC to keep hold of it tightly.” As well as the efforts in China and the US, the European Union (EU) is looking to bring core semiconductor manufacturing back to the continent. Even before US President Joe Biden pledged to invest US$50 billion to strengthen chip manufacturing at home, the EU announced a goal of doubling its share of semiconductor production to 20 per cent of the world total by 2030. Taiwan hits back at mainland Chinese firms fishing for its chip makers In his speech, Chang also took a swipe at US chip giant Intel, describing its recent decision to enter the contract chip making market as “very ironic” because it turned down an opportunity to invest in TSMC more than three decades ago. Contract chip makers like TSMC typically take orders from so-called fabless chip makers like Qualcomm, which design their products but outsource the manufacturing. Chang said he was rejected by Intel when he approached it for funding in 1985. “In the past, Intel was the alpha sneering at us and thought that we would never get big,” he said. “They never thought the business of [outsourced] wafer fabrication would become so important today.” Chang said the US is also at a disadvantage compared with Taiwan because it lacks engineers dedicated to the semiconductor manufacturing sector, adding that the “US level of dedication to manufacturing was absolutely no match for that of Taiwan”. “What I need right now are capable and dedicated engineers, technicians and operators. And they have to be willing to throw themselves into manufacturing,” he said. “In the US, doing manufacturing isn’t popular. It hasn’t been popular for decades.” Chang said that Samsung Electronics remains TSMC’s biggest rival in outsourced wafer fabrication, adding that South Korea enjoys many of the same advantages as Taiwan, which include an ability to foster top-notch talent for the industry. More from South China Morning Post:US-China tech war: China becomes world’s top semiconductor equipment market as Beijing pushes local chip industrySemiconductor giant Intel wins patent infringement trial over chips, dodging US$1 billion-plus blowTaiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen taps TSMC’s Morris Chang to represent island at ApecChip maker SMIC’s founder says ‘optimistic’ China can catch up with US in semiconductorsUS-China tech war: semiconductor supply chain risks a worry for both sidesThis article TSMC founder Morris Chang says China’s semiconductor industry still five years behind despite decades of subsidies first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
For co-founder and CEO Anthony Tan, who’ll hold 2.2% of Grab after the deal, that means his fortune will surge to US$829 million, while co-founder Tan Hooi Ling and President Ming Maa will worth US$256 million and US$144 million,.
Japan will hold a joint military drill with US and French troops in the country's southwest next month, the defence minister said Friday, as China's actions in regional waters raise concern.
Both veteran Marxists who have spent decades campaigning for Hong Kong democracy, Chan Po-ying and Leung Kwok-hung viewed marriage as something of a patriarchal and unnecessary institution.
Indonesia has sentenced scores of prisoners to death over Zoom and other video apps during the pandemic in what critics say is an "inhumane" insult to those facing the firing squad.
