China taps new liaison to Hong Kong
China replaced its top liaison official for Hong Kong, signaling Beijing’s growing frustration with pro-democracy protests that have dragged on for months.
Luo Huining will take over from Wang Zhimin as the Hong Kong liaison office director, the government said in a terse, twosentence statement.
The new official served as Shanxi party secretary from 2016 until November, and he became deputy chairman of the financial and economic committee of the National People’s Congress a month later.
“Luo’s appointment probably signals a hardline policy from Beijing — that we don’t give a damn about your feelings,” said Chen Zhao, co-founder of the Montreal-based research firm Alpine Macro, who has insights on China after attending university with some of the nation’s high-ranking officials. “He’s just a party boss — he has no connection with Hong Kong and no foreign affairs expertise.”
Hong Kong has been gripped by more than six months of protests by activists demanding greater autonomy from Beijing, with the protests often turning violent with subway stations, shops and banks vandalized. China’s government has consistently backed Chief Executive Carrie Lam, including on a mid-December visit to Beijing where she met Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Venezuela faces vote
Venezuela’s opposition faces a critical test on Sunday, when its leader, Juan
Guaido, will seek re-election as head of the National Assembly — a title that forms the basis of his recognition as Venezuela’s true head of state by nearly 60 countries.
For Mr. Guaido, the vote amounts to a do-or-die moment. One year ago, he declared President Nicolas Maduro a usurper for claiming victory in tainted elections and declared himself Venezuela’s rightful leader based on his status as head of the assembly. But after a year of failed attempts to oust Mr. Maduro, Mr. Guaido is now struggling to maintain opposition unity.
Mr. Maduro’s government has allegedly sought to thwart Mr. Guaido’s re-election by bribing and intimidating lawmakers to turn against him, but the math appears to be in Mr. Guaido’s favor. Opposition parties make up more than 60% of the assembly, and Mr. Guaido needs a simple majority to be re-elected as head of the body. Pollsters predict he is likely to muster the votes he needs, and no one is running against him.
WHO probes outbreak
A mysterious lung infection in the central Chinese city of Wuhan is being monitored by the World Health Organization, which said it’s in active communication with its counterparts in China, where an investigation is underway to determine the cause.
The United Nations agency activated its incident-management system and is ready to launch a broader response if needed, the WHO’s regional office in Manila tweeted.
As of Friday, 44 people had been diagnosed with pneumonia, the cause of which is unknown, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said in a statement. That’s up from 27 three days earlier. Eleven people are in serious condition. Some worked at a fresh seafood and produce market.