The Oscars blocked in Hong Kong
The China Letter: April 20, 2021
Hong Kong continues to be the focus for China to wield its power wherever it can, with apparent designs on doing the same in Taiwan, while also trying to quash dissent elsewhere. And now similar tactics seem to have been applied to a former government official. Share this newsletter to help your friends keep up on these interesting times.
Golden censorship style
Beijing told the Chinese media to avoid transmitting live coverage of the Academy Awards and downplay the April 25 ceremony, likely due to a nomination for Do Not Split. The documentary short is focused on events surrounding the 2019 crackdowns on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which will now also be bound by the blackout rules.
Beijing looks everywhere
Suspected agents of the Chinese Communist Party reportedly harassed and targeted two women participating in pro-democracy activism in Canada: Cherie Wong and Mimi Lee spoke to CTV News about their experiences, which was followed by the Canadian government expressing concern over the stifling of political expression.
The sentencing of Jimmy Lai to 14 months in prison for his role in pro-democracy protests has led to fears for the forced closure of Hong Kong’s last opposition newspaper, which is owned by Lai. Further charges could lead to a life sentence. A side effect is that more Hong Kongers are applying to move.
Blocking the prior No. 2
A tribute to his late mother, published in an obscure newspaper in the former Portuguese colony of Macao, brought international attention to comments by former premier Wen Jiabao. His column noted she “taught me not to take what isn’t mine.” Links to it being blocked on WeChat looked a lot like censorship by Beijing.
Trouble surrounds Taiwan
An official familiar with security planning in Taiwan said the location of recent combat drills indicate China wanting to send a signal to the U.S. not to intervene in any potential attack. Australia is also increasingly fearful of such conflict: while hoping for peaceful dialogue, it could end up on the front lines:
The last words, for now
A viral video extraordinary enough to get covered in the New York Times involved a government worker in northeastern China who complained about harassing texts from her boss—and beat him with “the business end” of a mop. But after millions of views for the 14-minute video of the event, it was the man who lost his job following a probe:
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