A man in his early 20s is sentenced to eight weeks in prison for ‘insulting the Chinese national anthem’ at an international volleyball game last year…
Chan filed an appeal against his conviction and sentence immediately after Magistrate Kestrel Lam meted out his prison term. Considering that the length of Chan’s imprisonment was relatively short, Lam agreed to release him on bail pending appeal to avoid causing “grave injustice” to the defendant in case his conviction and sentence were overturned.
Chan … was said to have covered his ears and remained seated when the March of the Volunteers was played before a FIVB Volleyball Women’s Nations League match on June 16, 2023. He also sang Do You Hear the People Sing, a song from the musical Les Miserables that was popular during the pro-democracy protests in 2014 and 2019.
Chan had pleaded not guilty to the charge and stood trial in April. Lam found him guilty last month after rejecting his defence that he had autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
What about covering your eyes so you don’t have to see baby pandas?
The Economist (paywalled) reports on a problem Beijing has in common with Donald Trump – coming to terms with the Harris-Walz ticket…
For China’s rulers the ascent of the Harris-Walz ticket creates two difficulties. It challenges China’s nihilistic interpretation of American politics as racist and decrepit. And it has triggered a scramble to assess how a Harris administration might approach China relations…
…Cynicism about American politics abounds in China. The shake-up in the presidential race since June illuminates the limitations of China’s understanding of its superpower rival. When Barack Obama was elected in 2008, his appeal upset the widely held belief in China, reinforced by relentless official propaganda, that America was so profoundly racist that a black person could not become president. China’s latest report on human rights in America, published in May, says racism is getting worse, while gender discrimination is “rampant”. But America could elect its second black president, and its first female one.
…By bowing out Mr Biden has … encouraged some Chinese to wonder about their own system, in which [Xi Jinping], 71, appears set on remaining leader for life. Last month a blogger on Netease, a Chinese internet platform, wrote “for some people, the greatest contribution they can make to the party, the country and the people is to hand over power, step down from the stage and go home to play with their grandchildren”.
…For China the Harris-Walz ticket is unexpected but the best guess is that it promises continuity on defence and trade and, possibly, more emphasis on human rights. Faced with this prospect some in China yearn for another Trump administration which might bring chaos but also, they hope, strain America’s alliances and undermine its global image.
Walz lived in China during the TAMS era. He knows what they’re like. don’t expect panda hugging with a Harris administration. If anything, tRump would have just continued fawning over Xi and their “perfect friendship” all while getting special concessions for his family’s wealth accumulation scams.
So if one were to (hypothetically, of course) hit the TV mute button every evening, right before the TVB evening news, just before March of the Volunteers came on, would that be insulting the CNA?
Asking for a friend.
I still say all those hundreds of thousands of people who participated in the “unauthorized demonstation” should go to police stations and turn themselves in.
If people admit to being involved, surely the police would have to take all their details and follow up.
They can’t alleged ignore law breaking, can they?
@Young Winston – we must have a friend in common. My friend was asking the same question – purely hypothetically, of course.