China still committed to HK semi-autonomy

My wife Japanese: Hunt

BEIJING, July 30, (Agencies): China’s foreign minister said Monday that his country remains committed to the “one country, two systems” governing framework in Hong Kong, despite growing concerns that Beijing is eroding the former British colony’s civil liberties.

Wang Yi told reporters following talks with his British counterpart, Jeremy Hunt, that China would continue to follow the system put in place when the city was turned over to Chinese rule in 1997. “Hong Kong affairs are the domestic affairs of China. We do not welcome nor do we accept other countries to interfere in China’s domestic affairs,” Wang said at a joint news conference.

“But of course China will continue to support and will stay committed to one country, two systems,” Wang said.

Beijing promised to let Hong Kong maintain wide autonomy and civil liberties for 50 years, but fears are growing that China’s communist leaders are backtracking by oppressing the political opposition.

While the financial center remains among the highest-rated for rule of law and government efficiency, freedom of speech is seen as coming under attack. The government has also moved against a generation of young political activists who emerged after 2014’s failed nonviolent protests over Beijing’s decision to restrict elections.

Chinese President warned in a speech last year marking 20 years since Hong Kong became a semi-autonomous region of China that any activities in the city seen as threatening China’s sovereignty and stability would be “absolutely impermissible.”

Accompanying that hard line, China has angrily denounced critical reports about the implementation of one country, two systems from Britain, with which it signed a joint agreement on post1997 arrangements, and other nations.

Hunt said that while Britain fully recognizes China’s sovereignty over the territory, “We ... are very much committed to the one country, two systems approach, which we think has served both Hong Kong and China extremely well.”

Xi

Terrible mistake — Hunt:

In a slip of the tongue during his maiden trip to China as Britain’s new foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt on Monday told his Chinese counterpart that his wife was Japanese, but backtracked quickly.

At the start of talks in Beijing, the capital, Hunt told the government’s top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, that he had a long relationship with China, beginning with a backpacking trip when he was 19.

“My wife is Japanese - my wife is Chinese. That’s a terrible mistake to make,” Hunt said, to laughter in the room.

“My wife is Chinese, and my children are halfChinese, and so we have Chinese grandparents who live in Xian and strong family connections in China.”

He married his wife Lucia in July 2009 and they have a son and two daughters, according to his website.

Hunt, who took over this month following the resignation of his predecessor Boris Johnson, was visiting Beijing on only his second trip outside Britain since assuming his role as foreign minister. The rest of his talks with Wang, a former Chinese ambassador to Japan who speaks fluent Japanese, went much better, though.

Ex-internet czar charged:

China’s former internet czar, who oversaw a tightening of online censorship during his tenure, has been charged with taking bribes, state media said Monday.

Throughout his career, Lu Wei used his political offices to benefit himself including “illegally receiving a huge amount of property,” according to the official Xinhua news agency, quoting a statement by the office of the country’s top prosecutor.

It said Lu is alleged to have used his position to benefit himself and unspecified other people during his time working at Xinhua, for the Beijing government, for the party’s central propaganda department and as the head of the Cyber Administration of China, among other offices.

China’s top graft watchdog expelled Lu from the ruling Communist Party in February, issuing an unusually florid statement that accused him of failing to carry out his duties and having a “tyrannical” management style.

Lu was once named among the world’s 100 most influential people by Time magazine and had rubbed shoulders with the likes of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

But in June 2016 he stepped down from his position supervising controls over online expression as head of the Cyberspace Administration of China.

And in November 2017 officials announced he was being investigated for suspected disciplinary violations.

Lu had fiercely defended the country’s censorship apparatus after he was appointed in 2013.

Pilot steered copter from crowds:

A civilian helicopter crashed into a parking lot in the Chinese capital on Monday after the pilot managed to steer the aircraft away from crowded areas, the state-run Beijing Youth Daily said.

No one on the ground was injured, Beijing police said on Chinese social network Weibo. Four people onboard suffered minor injuries.

Bell Helicopter told Reuters the helicopter was a Bell 429 aircraft owned by Reignwood Star Aviation, adding it was investigating the cause of the crash.

A Reignwood representative told Reuters the Civil Aviation Administration of China was also investigating.