Category Archives: Blog

Tung Chee-hwa dies. The Economist says… He had an impossible job, and did it badly. Although mercilessly mocked while in office, old ‘Tofu-for-Brains’ will probably be remembered by Hong Kong’s handover-straddling generation as the least bad of post-1997 chief executives … Continue reading →

I’m off to Hokkaido. In a tragic case of mis-timing, I will be back before the Five Year Plan-cum-Policy Address on September 16. Indeed, I will barely miss the 11th Belt-cum-Road Summit. Some stuff… Joshua Wong will be in court … Continue reading →

Jimmy Lai biographer Mark Clifford op-ed in Japan Times on the HK Alliance convictions… Chow Hang-tung first went to jail for lighting a candle…  …Defendants in Hong Kong supposedly have a constitutional right to trial by jury, part of the … Continue reading →

In HKFP – Chow Hang-tung’s mitigation… Believing that dictatorship is wrong and democracy is right – if that isn’t a belief, then what is? Even if the courts and the government attempt to claim, like a chanted mantra, that they … Continue reading →

In China File, Jeremy Goldkorn goes back to China for the first time in years…  It may be hard to make money in China in 2026, but it is very pleasant to spend it. A major element of involution is … Continue reading →

Prospect Magazine on Chow Hang-tung… …she advocated for labourers in mainland China and built connections with Chinese dissidents. During frequent visits to friends there, Chow gained a reputation for her bravery, as well as her capacity to drink large quantities … Continue reading →

A group of lawyers’ organizations issue a statement on Chow Hang-tung… Chow Hang-tung has been subjected to extensive harassment, multiple arrests, prolonged pre-trial detention and periods of solitary confinement by the authorities for her legitimate human rights work. In 2024, … Continue reading →

Following a notorious animal-cruelty case in the Mainland, Hong Kong people line up to lay flowers in memory of the dead dog Wang Wang and launch publicity campaigns calling for better protection for animals in China. But will the authorities … Continue reading →

The Hong Kong government’s statement on the conviction of Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan… The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (August 22) expressed strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to, and strongly condemned, the baseless slanders and … Continue reading →

For years after 1989, the HK Alliance were free to organize annual Tiananmen vigils, which included calls for an end to one-party rule in China. Then, in 2021, its leaders were arrested and charged with inciting subversion under the NatSec … Continue reading →