Bloomberg (December 9)
Hong Kong is facing the “‘worst ever,” as layoffs and store closures multiply. “More than 5,600 retail jobs could be lost and thousands of stores shut down over the next six months, as pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong continue to disrupt sales during the crucial festive period.”
Tags: Disrupt, Hong Kong, Layoffs, Pro-democracy, Protests, Retail jobs, Sales, Store closures, Worst ever
New York Times (November 26)
“Citizens voted overwhelmingly for pro-democracy candidates” in Hong Kong’s local election this Sunday. “If the Chinese leadership under Xi Jinping had thought that there was a silent majority opposed to the disruptive protests, the turnout and result made clear that a vast majority of Hong Kongers treasure their relative freedoms and have no intention of letting Beijing whittle them away.”
Tags: Candidates, China, Citizens, Election, Hong Kong, Leadership, Overwhelmingly, Pro-democracy, Protests, Turnout, Vote, Xi
South China Morning Post (November 25)
“China’s restrained stance on the increasingly violent Hong Kong protests is burnishing its image as a responsible stakeholder in the international system…. While China cannot afford Hong Kong to become the next Tiananmen, it can well afford to see the city recede into global economic irrelevance. What does not matter economically hardly matters politically.”
Tags: China, Economically, Hong Kong, Irrelevance, Politically, Protests, Responsible, Stakeholder, Stance, Tiananmen, Violent
Time (November 15)
“This has been one of the darkest weeks in the Hong Kong protest movement…. With the ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Trump, Brexit paralysis continuing in Britain, and turmoil in the Middle East, the attritional protests in Hong Kong could easily end up neglected and forgotten. But now more than ever, Hongkongers need our solidarity.”
Tags: Brexit, Hong Kong, Impeachment, Middle East, Neglected, Protest movement, Solidarity, Trump, Turmoil, UK
Financial Times (November 13)
Events in Hong Kong are revealing “the thin veneer of civilization…. If this breakdown can happen in Hong Kong it can happen anywhere. And while a civil society can be torn apart virtually overnight, it almost always takes decades to build it back up.”
Tags: Breakdown, Civil society, Civilization, Hong Kong, Revealing, Torn apart
Forbes (October 28)
“Amid a global slowdown in economic growth that has seen central banks lower interest rates near zero or below in an effort to provide stimulus,” a number of “major economies are on high recession alert.” These include Hong Kong, the U.K., Germany, Italy and China. “Other highly stressed economies around the world include Turkey, Argentina, Iran, Mexico and Brazil.”
Tags: Argentina, Brazil, Central banks, China, Economic growth, Germany, Global slowdown, Hong Kong, Interest rates, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Recession, Stimulus, Stressed, Turkey, U.K.
LA Times (September 6)
Carrie Lam’s tone-deaf withdrawal of the extradition bill may mark “the beginning, rather than the end, of more turbulence in Hong Kong.” It further fueled the groundswell of support. “This movement is the endgame for many in Hong Kong. People would rather sacrifice their own future than submit to authoritarian rule…. Beijing and the government must come to terms with the inconvenient truth that autocracy and repression have radicalized a single-issue movement into a people’s uprising for freedom and democracy.”
Tags: Authoritarian rule, Autocracy, Beijing, Endgame, Extradition bill, Freedom, Government, Hong Kong, Lam, Repression, Sacrifice, Submit, Tone-deaf, Turbulence
South China Morning Post (September 2)
“Hong Kong will have to endure more of the protest-ridden heat as the unrest continues beyond summer. And it’s going to heat up indeed. So the question remains… how long before Beijing runs out of patience?”
South China Morning Post (August 14)
“The crisis in Hong Kong appears to be careening towards a devastating climax.” But China “must pick the least bad option to resolve Hong Kong crisis” and that’s not a PLA crackdown. The PLA would be treated “as invaders, and resistance would be fierce and casualties unavoidable.” Furthermore, “an exodus of expats and elites would follow, and the Hong Kong economy – still a bridge between China the rest of the world – would almost immediately collapse.”
Tags: Careening, Casualties, China, Collapse, Crackdown, Crisis, Devastating climax, Elites, Exodus, Expats, Hong Kong, Invaders, PLA, Resistance
South China Morning Post (July 30)
“Prime Hong Kong office rents have seemed to defy the laws of gravity, especially in Central where monthly rents have increased from HK$20 (US$2.56) per square foot in 2003 to almost HK$140 per square foot. In the first quarter, rents were up 6 per cent from a year ago due to supply shortages. Nevertheless we believe that the potential for further core returns is limited, as we are late in the real estate cycle.”
Tags: Core returns, Cycle, Hong Kong, Limited, Office rents, Potential, Prime, Real estate, Supply shortages
