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THE US HAS expressed concerns over Chinese security force movements on the border with Hong Kong and urged Beijing to honour the territory’s autonomy as pro-democracy protests continued.
A State Department spokesperson voiced concerns about the “continued erosion” of Hong Kong’s autonomy and expressed “staunch” support for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the territory.
This comes after satellite photos show what appear to be armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles belonging to China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police parked in a sports complex in the city of Shenzhen.
The pictures collected on Monday by Maxar’s WorldView show 500 or more vehicles sitting on and around the soccer stadium at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center just across the harbor from the Asian financial hub that has been rocked by more than two months of near-daily street demonstrations.
Chinese state media have said only that the Shenzhen exercises had been planned beforehand and were not directly related to the unrest in Hong Kong, although they came shortly after the central government in Beijing said the protests were beginning to show the “sprouts of terrorism”.
Senior members of US Congress declared their backing for the protestors, blaming Beijing for a violent crackdown by the Hong Kong government.
“The United States is deeply concerned by reports of Chinese paramilitary movement along the Hong Kong border,” the spokesperson, who would not be named, told AFP in a statement.
“The United States strongly urges Beijing to adhere to its commitments in the Sino-British Joint Declaration to allow Hong Kong to exercise a high degree of autonomy.”
Inciting ‘chaos’
Top legislators, who normally have access to internal US government intelligence, were more directly critical of the Hong Kong government and Beijing.
“Images of Beijing-backed forces brutalizing civilians speak for themselves,” tweeted Mitch McConnell, the powerful Republicans Senate majority leader.
“Millions of Hong Kongers protesting the Chinese Communist Party’s encroachment know the truth about exactly who is responsible for ‘inciting’ chaos. The rest of the world knows too,” he said.
Nancy Pelosi the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, called the use of force “perpetrated against” the demonstrators “extremely alarming”.
“The pro-Beijing Chief Executive and the Hong Kong police forces must immediately cease the aggression and abuse being perpetrated against their own people,” she said in a statement.
Beijing has been apparently reluctant to send in police or army units from the mainland or to mobilize the People’s Liberation Army garrison in Hong Kong to quell the unrest.
It’s seen as mindful of the devastating effect that would have both on the territory’s reputation as a safe and stable place to invest in, and as indication of the Communist Party’s failure to win over the hearts and minds of the city’s 7.3 million residents, 22 years after the former British colony was handed over to China.
‘Legitimate concerns’
The State Department spokesperson said the protests, which forced the partial closure of Hong Kong’s international airport yesterday, reflect Hong Kong citizens’ “broad and legitimate concerns” over the loss of autonomy, which was agreed in the deal between London and Beijing over returning the former British colony to China in 1997.
“We condemn violence and urge all sides to exercise restraint, but remain staunch in our support for freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly in Hong Kong,” the US official said.
The official also denied Chinese state-run media reports that the United States was stirring up the demonstrations behind the scene.
“We categorically reject the false charge of foreign forces as the black hand behind the protests,” the official said.
Trump’s mixed messages
Trump, who is locked in a tense showdown with Beijing over trade relations, has taken a milder approach to the Hong Kong protests, drawing criticism from US China experts and legislators.
He called the situation “very tricky,” adding: “I hope it works out for everybody including China. I hope it works out peacefully, nobody gets hurt, nobody gets killed.”
Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, said Trump’s silence was “devastating” to the protestors’ cause.
Pelosi today called on Trump to “walk away” from his statements, which she said “invite miscalculation”.
“If America does not speak out for human rights in China because of commercial interests, we lose all moral authority to speak out elsewhere,” she said.
Includes reporting by Associated Press and © – AFP 2019
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Is there a chance the track would bend?
@Barry Goodwin: if ya have nothing good to say just say nothing!
@Barry Goodwin: haha Barry. Now I have that song stuck in my head.
@Barry Goodwin: Not on your life my Mancunian friend.
@Elrond Rivendell: what about us brain dead slobs?
@Stephen Boland: you’ll be given cushy jobs
@Stephen Boland: you’ll be given cushy jobs!
@Thomas McDonnell: were you sent here by the devil?!
@Fergal O’Hagan: Not unless you’re Gary Neville!
@Fergal O’Hagan: No good sir I’m on the level
Any chance of some public transport on the Northside? Sick of sitting ages in traffic AT 6am! Whats happening with Metro North? Or are we going to be constantly vilified for having to use the car? I have osteoarthritis before anyone mentioning cycling!
@Lisa Jones: traffic at 6am, where?
@Dublin days: From Crossguns bridge right through Phibsboro and over the 2 luas lines and right up as far as the quays. Lights stay red longer, lanes have been reduced to one lane. I have been working the whole last year starting work at 6.30am and traffic is getting mental. Yes even that early, most likely by people trying to avoid getting caught up in rush hour traffic.
@Lisa Jones: Metrolink – Metro North was the old plan – is still going ahead.
Is the electrification of the line to Maynooth included as was suggested last year? I don’t see it mentioned here but it has been on the table for years. Let’s hope this isn’t another endless pipe dream consultative process that will cost the taxpayer millions without a single sod turned like Metro North, the Royal Canal Greenway deep sinking project, the DART extension to Maynooth. Consultants and engineers making money left, right and centre for flashy drawings and brochures of fictitious, never to be built infrastructure.
https://www.newstalk.com/news/irish-rail-reveals-details-plan-extend-dart-maynooth-1066555
Extension from Heuston…does the dart go to Heuston??
@dreiglaser: Not sure if you missed it but it says in the article a feasibility study and concept design would be undertaken for a future station at “Heuston West” (I assume that is within walking distance from the main Heuston station and it is a change stop), that line would run from Hazelhatch to Connolly via the Phoenix Park Tunnel
Well I hope they have better success than reopening the current line to navan, wasn’t even a priority for the greens
@Hugh Mc Donnell:
Public transport in Ireland is for the fairies.
@iohanx: there must be an election coming up, the usual empty promises and grand plans. Do politicians really think we believe this nonsense. It’s going on years now, metro North an underground Harcourt line to Bray navan rail line
But there’s a train
@Sazzle: if you have nothing good to say just say nothing
@Mark Dit: Nothing
@Mark Dit: sometimes saying nothing is good. I enjoyed Paul’s saying nothing, brightened up my day no end did that.
@This time its personable!: this applies to you more than Paul
With the money in all of these reports and consultation over the years, they would have the price to pay for metro-north and the extension to the Dart line
Should be extended to Sallins/Naas. What a wasted opportunity.
@Tomo: it should be all the way at to Portlaoise
So as per usual with the semi state and the department of wasting money. This will take years. Cost millions more than it should and be over loaded before it launches.
Needs to include a revamp of Hazelhatch Station. Secure bicycle parking, quicker access to platforms, hourly shuttle bus into Celbridge, go-car spaces.
Stations and commuters. Need I say more
have your say