Beijing faces defiance in Hong Kong on vote reform

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By KELVIN CHAN

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers disrupted a Beijing official's speech Monday as he sought to explain a decision announced over the weekend to tightly limit voting reforms for the southern Chinese financial hub.

The legislators chanted slogans and held up placards accusing China's central government of breaking its promise to let Hong Kong directly elect its leader. Some stood on chairs and pumped their fists, waving signs that said "Shameful" and "Loss of faith."

The noisy demonstration at the start of the speech by Li Fei, a deputy secretary general of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's legislature, was a rare occasion on which a Beijing official faced open defiance.

Li continued his speech after security officers hustled the lawmakers out of the auditorium, to applause from other members of the audience, including lawmakers and local councilors from pro-establishment parties and business leaders.

FULL story at link.



Pro-democracy lawmakers display placards against Li Fei, deputy secretary general of the National People{2019}s Congress' Standing Committee, during a briefing session in Hong Kong Monday, Sept. 1, 2014. Hong Kong pro-democracy legislators have disrupted the Beijing official{2019}s speech as he sought to explain a decision to tightly limit voting reforms for the southern Chinese financial hub. The placards read "Break a promise" and "Shameful." (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140901/as-hong-kong-china-b28ee7fc9e.html

[toby jo]

1. China spends their military budget largely on domestic issues.

I figure down the road they'll break apart like the Soviet bloc did. Should benefit all of us.

Good on Hong Kong for standing up to them.

[whereisjustice]

2. There is no "Chinese Block" and most Chinese are supportive of Govt. taking aggresive

stance with the West.

Not only that, there is too much Western investment depending on low wages and an oppressed workforce to tolerate dissent.

China is getting more and more aggressive with the West, thanks to trillions of US investment, jobs, training and technology that helped build their military. Now they are selling weapons to anyone who wants them.

We built China into what it is today, giving tax breaks for offshoring and the consequences to the US for this stupid behavior have been devastating to the middle class. Now we have to worry about their military ambitions.