Hong Kong Information Network

Editor’s Note: All sources provided are in English or provide English translations.

Traditional

  1. The Standard – Sing Tao News Cooperation

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/

Print format, published Monday-Friday. Accessed online, updated daily. Very wide variety of news available through this source as it is one of the top two circulated English newspapers in Hong Kong. Includes local, China, and world news as well as sports, and editorial information. Selected for its large circulation numbers and Hong Kong based ownership versus Beijing owned SCMP.

  1. South China Morning Post – Alibaba Group

http://www.scmp.com/frontpage/international

Print format, broadsheet, published daily with weekday specific additional inserts relating to property, racing, technology, education and style. Accessed online. The other of the top two English newspapers in Hong Kong. SCMP has a long history and has circulated almost continuously since 1903. SCMP has been chosen as its source for its high credibility rating among locals. In a 2016 public survey completed by Chinese University of Hong Kong students, it ranked the highest for paid newspapers in the country. Notably they have been acquired by a China based company and have potential for mainland slant.

  1. Hong Kong Tattler – Conde Naste

https://hk.asiatatler.com/society

Hong Kong version of the British lifestyle magazine. Updated daily. This source was selected for it’s greater connection to pop culture and lifestyle than others included. Writers are majority Hong Kongers appealing to luxury lifestyles in Hong Kong. Credibility is highly likely as the Tatler is a Conde Naste owned magazine. As Hong Kong has an extremely high GDP/capita and international business hub this source is useful to learn more about current society trends and culture to compliment the larger collection of traditional new, political and economic information included in other sources.

  1. Time Out Hong Kong

https://www.timeout.com/hong-kong/news

Lifestyle magazine online. Also selected for its pop culture and human interest pieces. Small writing staff with majority HK natives. Updated daily. Credibility is likely a non-issue because the magazine mostly features non-political, non-controversial subjects. Useful for gaining the cultural vibe of Hong Kong with a less “rich” perspective than Tattler.

 

 

New Media

  1. Yue Chim Richard Wong on the Political Economy of HK and China- Dr. Richard Wong

http://wangyujian.hku.hk/?lang=en

Ph.D. holder from the University of Chicago, Richard Wong currently works at Hong Kong University and runs a blog detailing political economy relations between Hong Kong and the PRC. Updated at the beginning of every month, all his newspaper published posts are compiled on the site and sometimes site-specific ones are included as well. This blog was selected for the author’s strong educational background in political economics and impressive CV.

  1. Fintech – Christian König

http://fintechnews.hk/

Online website and financial news source with 3 websites focusing on different areas of the world. Updated a few times a week. Owner is a global financial consultant with a history working at many Swiss locations before launching a series of website related to financial news. A brief look at writers involved revels a mixture of Hong Kong authors and international ones. News does not appear to have a specific slant with target audience being those searching for technical financial news.

  1. Big Lychee

www.biglychee.com

The most candid of all sources provided. Updated a few times a week. Author provides no personal information or background that is easily accessible but they have been blogging since 2002. Blogging about political and news issues from Hong Kong with extreme bias against free speech and Beijing governmental control. It’s a fascinating read if you’re truly looking for raw opinions about the nation and not for academic sources. See the links page for additional similar content if interested in this type of blogging.

 

Social Media

  1. Hong Kong Free Press Twitter

https://twitter.com/HongKongFP

Daily, independent, non-profit news website twitter account. Original news website created as an alternative to allegedly self-censoring SCMP. Chosen for it’s extremely independent journalists and desire for truth. Related sites are currently blocked in China.

  1. Demosisto Twitter – Demosisto

https://twitter.com/demosisto

Controversial political party in Hong Kong twitter account. Demosisto (further information in news posts) developed the Umbrella Movement in 2014, a crucial political moment for Hong Kong. Selected for having very independence aimed ideals and interesting young leaders. Demosisto related content is blocked in the mainland. Targeted audience are members of Hong Kong interested in their political ideals as well as the international audience who wants a view of the more radical political views of Hong Kong.

Data Sources

  1. Freedom House – U.S. Government Funded/Non-Governmental

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2015/hong-kong

Non-Hong Kong based. NGO. Freedom House is updated yearly with information about the state of freedom and democracy in every country. Very useful for finding statistics as well as curated non-biased data about the state of the SAR.

  1. CIA World Factbook

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/hk.html

U.S. governmental agency, extremely through in background information and credibility. Useful for filling in data gaps and more in-depth data Freedom House does not provide. No target audience but users are more likely to be scholars or professionals using data for education or research purposes.

Visual/Audio

  1. RTHK – Radio Talk Hong Kong – Government of Hong Kong

http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/news-programmes/this-episode.htm?cmsid=110

Public, government funded news provider. Both video as well as a variety of audio programs can be found here, mostly pertaining to weekly news and public interest. Some shows are updated daily while others are on a weekly basis such as the weekly roundup, done every Sunday, which I plan on listening to. Chosen for its government direct influence as well as wide breadth of content.

  1. Hong Kong Free Press YouTube – HKFP

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC36umLEHbPUS-lpucrXPcGQ

Note: While their Twitter is already a source used on this information network, it is extremely difficult to find audio/video news content not in Cantonese.

Different from their Twitter or written articles, we can visually see interviews and first-person recounts of life and news in Hong Kong, an experience entirely different from print. Non-profit, independent. Targets those who are looking for non-mainstream but reputable news.

Money, money, money – why does the Hong Kong government have so much cash?

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2138596/money-money-money-why-does-hong-kong-government-have-so

Although the HK dollar is at it’s lowest value in three decades, the government reports its 14th straight year of budget surplus. The Hong Kong government currently has trillions in it’s fiscal reserves that are being bought or sold to influence its current dollar value. Under the Hong Kong constitution of Basic Law, officials are required to keep spending within revenue, resulting in the city’s conservative spendings. There are three money printing agencies that operate under the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Despite the nation’s small size the HK dollar is the 13th most traded currency in the world. While the city’s financial reserves stand at an incredible HK$1.3 billion, some are worried about the city’s lack of social welfare spending (see previous blog posts for information).

Debates have flared over whether the HK dollar should be repegged from the US dollar to the Chinese yuan due to its deep connections with China. People worry that a repegging could result on a run on banks.

The SCMP is currently owned by the Alibaba group, a Beijing based conglomerate, their influence most likely being shown by the subtle support of pegging the HK$ dollar to the Chinese yuan. Most of the information in the article are statistics either provided from the HK government or the International Monetary Fund and can be regarded as reliable.

Xu, Leiying. “HK Dollar Plunges to Lowest Level since 2007.” CRI English, english.cri.cn/12394/2016/01/20/1821s913760.htm.

Few cases of welfare abuse, labor chief insists

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news.php?id=193381&story_id=50007498&d_str=20180305&sid=11

In a recent budget request, the current Financial Secretary, Paul Chan, requested an increase in funding for the Comprehensive Social Security System (CSSA). Under this, beneficiaries would receive an additional two months of support. The current Chief of Labor, Law Chi-Kwang, reminds people that the majority of CSSA funds go to the elderly and disabled, only 4% of which are able bodied enough to work. In light of critics calling that there would be an increase of welfare abuse, he points out that violations have gone down in the last ten years. Law said “Shouldn’t we share the fruits of success with people who cannot support themselves financially, given this year’s surplus?” In Hong Kong there is a term that describes those who are excluded from Hong Kong’s $80 billion dollars a year in social aid, called an N-Nothing. A task force has been created to help reduce the number of N-Nothings, often those who still are in great need despite not qualifying for aid.

Image result for poverty hong kong

Evidence from the article is all from government quotes and sources, likely reliable. The author helps try to change the views of those who are on government benefits as lazy and uses the current government budget increase and official statements as tools of persuasion. It is worth noting that the actual rates of welfare abuse are not precisely stated.

Yeung, Raymond. “How many Hongkongers are really living in poverty?” South China Morning Post, 22 May 2017, www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2095117/how-many-hongkongers-are-really-living-poverty.

 

Bar Assoc. says Hong Kong introduced equivalent of ‘political screening behind closed doors’ for election candidates

Bar Assoc. says Hong Kong introduced equivalent of ‘political screening behind closed doors’ for election candidates

Currently, under the Hong Kong electoral process, Legco candidates are required to fulfill a screening process through election officials. What they are screening for is not clear and the only explanation given to the public is that they are making sure that they are “upholding Basic Law,” Hong Kong’s constitution. The Hong Kong Bar Association asserts that this is the “equivalent to the introduction of a political screening process.” Recently, Agnes Chow (see previous news post for further details), was barred from running under one of these closed door interview.

Agnes Chow

“This regrettably is equivalent to the introduction of a political screening process for any prospective candidate, and there is no fair, open, certain and clear procedure to regulate this process; nor any timely remedy against an adverse decision of the Returning Officer, resulting in an indefinite duration of disqualification of the persons concerned.”

“It is particularly worrying that the requirement of ‘upholding the Basic Law’ is a vague and imprecise political concept, which has now to be interpreted and administered by a civil servant under a closed door inquiry.” – HKBA

It is currently within the rules to assess a candidate on issues outside of the nomination form as well as respond to any other materials requested by the election officer.

Within the article the HKBA is cited repeatedly, additionally other Hong Kong Free Press articles are cited. HKFP is considered more liberal of the two leading Hong Kong English language news papers (the other being South China Morning Post) and is not owned by a Beijing conglomerate as SCMP is.

Bar associations are not politically motivated, as such, it is interesting to hear perspectives from “outside sources” concerned with Hong Kong rights. As China lays more pressure upon Hong Kong, issues such as these are especially sensitive to the population. The HKBA is concerned with the legal rights of its people, being that people under democracy should have the right to run for office, but any opinion beyond that is not clear.

Cheng, Kris. “Bar Assoc. says Hong Kong introduced equivalent of ‘political screening behind closed doors’ for election candidates.” Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, 14 Feb. 2018, www.hongkongfp.com/2018/02/14/bar-assoc-says-hong-kong-introduced-equivalent-political-screening-behind-closed-doors-election-candidates/.

What Agnes Chow’s election ban means for Joshua Wong and youth politics in Hong Kong

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2131272/what-agnes-chows-election-ban-means-joshua-wong-and-youth

Left to Right: Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, Nathan Law

Agnes Chow is a 21 year old, previous UK citizen who has just been barred from running for Legislative Council (Legco) in Hong Kong. A member of the pro “self-determination” party Demosisto, founded by Joshua Wong, Oscar Lai, and Chow, current chairman Nathan Law. Demosisto was the organizer of the Occupy Hong Kong Movement, or Umbrella Movement in 2014, calling for democracy and sovereignty of the country after 2047. After 2047 Hong Kong’s constitution, Basic Law, and sovereignty are no longer protected under the Sino-British Joint Declaration which allows Hong Kong to exist under the One Country, Two Systems principle. Because of her self-determination policies, in 2016 Beijing set the precedent that any persons not accepting that Hong Kong is “an inalienable part of China” is allowed to be disqualified from participating in Legco.

People worry about what this means for the future of youth politics in the region. Despite being started by young Chow, Wong, and Lai, many of those who showed up for the rally calling for Chow’s re-qualification were said to be middle aged. Young people are thought to be growing in the disillusionment with the city’s  potential for autonomy and in the fear that Legco is becoming a pro-Beijing echo chamber.

Joshua Wong, who has been nominated by U.S. Congress members for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work as the leader of Occupy Hong Kong is worried about the future of the party. With their members most likely being banned from future Legco elections, lack of money and funding could prevent their growth and eventually lead to their downfall. Instead they have recently focused on community work and growing their numbers at the grassroots level.

Much of the information in the article references previous articles written by South China Morning Post. While acknowledged as the most credible English newspaper in Hong Kong, they have been accused of self-censorship in the past due to their relatively new Beijing ownership. The article however provides quotes from many sides ranging from Wong himself to Beijing officials and their statements on the matter. The article makes no specific argument itself but rather gives analysis from politicians and locals involved on how they think the ban will affect the future political climate of Hong Kong. Background, specifically on that of the 6 officials forced from Legco last year for “misconduct” at their swearing in ceremonies also helps paint a wider picture of the area’s internal struggle.

  1. “What Agnes Chow’s election ban means for youth politics in Hong Kong.” South China                      Morning Post, 31 Jan. 2018,                                                                                                                      www.scmp.com/news/hongkong/politics/article/2131272/what-agnes-chows-                          election-ban-means-joshua-wong-and-youth.

Insulting the National Anthem Is Set to Become Illegal in Hong Kong

https://globalvoices.org/2017/11/07/insulting-the-national-anthem-is-set-to-become-illegal-in-hong-kong/

Currently a Special Administrative Region under the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong struggles with its identity. A law passed in the PRC in October 2017 barring the public from maliciously changing the national anthem, which has become a form of protest for many. Criminal penalties have also been enacted which can include removal of political rights as well as up to 3 years of imprisonment. Hong Kong is now set to adopt these new laws as well, apparently stemming from protests at a football game in 2015. The new laws are another cornerstone in the attempt to further patriotize the citizens of the PRC and Hong Kong. Some are quick to point out that the history of the anthem is often excluded. It was written by Tian Han, an anti-imperialist who was tortured to death during the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.

Hong Kong fans booing the Chinese national anthem at an Asian Cup match.

The article itself links to Hong Kong news sources (mainly Hong Kong free press, who partnered with Global Voices for the post) as well as Wikipedia to provide cultural background for those who may not have knowledge on who people like Tian Han are. Hong Kong is continually facing pressure from China to further reduce their autonomy. The post likely comes from the viewpoint of those pushing for a more independent Hong Kong.

“Hong Kong football fans boo Chinese national anthem once again at Asian Cup match against Malaysia.” Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, 10 Oct. 2017, www.hongkongfp.com/2017/10/10/hong-kong-fans-boo-chinese-national-anthem-asian-cup-match-malaysia/.