https://www.scmp.com/rss/502823/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Democracy, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. When US President Joe Biden held the virtual Summit for Democracy in December, he recognised in his closing speech that “democracy is what makes it possible for hope and history to rhyme”, but also that democracy must deliver and be accountable. This last view coincides with China’s white paper on democracy. It says that, “there is nothing wrong with democracy per se. Some countries have encountered setbacks and crises in their quest for... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3161665/whats-driving-crisis-democracy-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3161665/whats-driving-crisis-democracy-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Dec 2021 19:30:23 +0000 Beijing’s top diplomat in Hong Kong has said the city’s democratic development must be guided by the central government, adding it was time to wake up from the “American-style democracy myth”. Liu Guangyuan made the remarks during a briefing session on Wednesday for consul generals, foreign business chambers and selected media, in which he explained the State Council’s white paper on the subject. One consul general present at the event, said China and the West were now “just talking past each... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3160733/hong-kong-must-wake-myth-american-style-democracy-says-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3160733/hong-kong-must-wake-myth-american-style-democracy-says-top?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Dec 2021 14:14:51 +0000 The United States last week hosted a Summit for Democracy. China took note and in response prepared its own International Democracy Forum, preemptively releasing a white paper on its own political system called China: Democracy That Works and organising a Dialogue on Democracy. The two sides are laying out a fundamentally different understanding of what defines a democracy. The American position has been clear for centuries: free and fair elections, the rule of law, an independent judiciary and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3159838/us-china-democracy-summits-just-start-difficult-global-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3159838/us-china-democracy-summits-just-start-difficult-global-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Dec 2021 19:30:12 +0000 Opinion pieces coming out of China in recent months have argued that Western-style democracy isn’t the only kind. China’s “democracy” is adapted to its own tradition, they say, and different democratic systems can coexist peacefully. So far, Western media outlets have largely avoided debating those claims, but if they did, most would reject them as propaganda. After all, everyone knows democracy is, was, and always will be Western. It’s in our blood. Or is it? As early as 2014, a Princeton study... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3159033/china-claims-democracy-isnt-just-western-it-hype-or-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3159033/china-claims-democracy-isnt-just-western-it-hype-or-history?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Dec 2021 20:00:22 +0000 I have at home a sweet little Beatrix Potter watercolour of a mouse sheltering under a strawberry leaf. Below it, the caption reads: “One place suits one person, another place suits another person.” While this Victorian poet and author might not have seen herself as a diplomat, I could not help but think she could have contributed quietly but valuably as US President Joe Biden this week tried to divide the world neatly into “democracies” and “autocracies”. It is preposterous for any leader to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3159038/name-democracy-us-summit-sets-out-divide-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3159038/name-democracy-us-summit-sets-out-divide-world?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Dec 2021 14:00:17 +0000 I could not agree more with Mr Tian Peiyan, deputy director of the Policy Research Office of the Communist Party’s Central Committee (“China puts on its own ‘democracy forum’ in countdown to Biden’s summit”, December 4). Isn’t it a fact that our Western democracies mainly share thoughts on what can’t be done or what doesn’t work? Thus, decisions and actions are delayed almost indefinitely. Politicians are not rewarded for what they have achieved for the people, but rather for sailing smoothly... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3158819/overbearing-western-democracies-danger-acting-dictatorships?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3158819/overbearing-western-democracies-danger-acting-dictatorships?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Dec 2021 16:30:14 +0000 The world should uphold the multilateral international system and support “democratisation” of international relations in the face of multiple global crises, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday. Speaking via video link at the opening ceremony of the Imperial Springs International Forum in Guangzhou, Xi stressed China’s unwavering support for multilateralism and commitment to global progress. “China will firmly stand by the core values and basic principles of multilateralism, pursue... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3158550/chinas-xi-jinping-pushes-multilateral-message-ahead-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3158550/chinas-xi-jinping-pushes-multilateral-message-ahead-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Dec 2021 13:25:50 +0000 “The voters didn’t get a chance to find us, because the police found us first,” Ye Jinghuan said of her third attempt to take part in China’s electoral process. The dissident had sought to get elected as a delegate representing people at the township or county level, the first stage in a process that will ultimately select the representatives for the National People’s Congress, the country’s top lawmaking body. China’s new generation of leaders will have to pass ‘the loyalty test’ These... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3158422/china-touting-its-whole-process-democracy-superior-model-so-how?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3158422/china-touting-its-whole-process-democracy-superior-model-so-how?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Dec 2021 01:00:22 +0000 China’s disdain for the Western-style democracy and its hypersensitivity to any questions relating to Taiwan – “the mother of all core interests” – are no secret. That’s why Beijing went ballistic when US President Joe Biden managed to hit two hot buttons at once by inviting Taiwan to his signature democracy summit, scheduled for next week, while excluding representatives from Beijing. Less than two weeks after the first online summit between Biden and President Xi Jinping, China’s top diplomats... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3157890/bidens-democracy-summit-start-new-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3157890/bidens-democracy-summit-start-new-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Nov 2021 09:34:04 +0000 Britain and China began negotiations over the future of Hong Kong in 1982. This was a “democracy” speaking to an “autocracy”, seeking to reach the near-impossibility of a consensus. In the Western world view, there could only be confrontation and contest to see who would ultimately come out on top. Assume that, at the time, China had a different governing system – a democracy akin to the US model. Could the Joint Declaration, signed in 1984 as the product of those negotiations, have come about?... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3155426/could-democracy-us-have-crafted-one-country-two-systems-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3155426/could-democracy-us-have-crafted-one-country-two-systems-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Nov 2021 22:45:09 +0000 Nine days after the September 11 attacks in the United States, president George W. Bush, addressing a joint session of Congress, said: “They hate our freedoms – our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other.” He unleashed a “war on terror” to protect these freedoms but, 20 years later, one could argue that the freedoms he defined are on life support. The US has just made a humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan after spending over... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3148179/west-defined-terror-20-years-now-china-wants-define-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3148179/west-defined-terror-20-years-now-china-wants-define-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Sep 2021 17:30:18 +0000 It’s hard to imagine today, but there was a time not so long ago in Hong Kong when the biggest political story in town was unsanctioned home improvement. In early 2012, a bureaucrat who aspired to be the city’s chief executive was caught hiding a fancy basement under his swimming pool, complete with an entertainment suite, a jacuzzi and a wine cellar. A media frenzy erupted. Eagle-eyed reporters kept vigil outside his home, their cameras mounted on cranes watching his home 24/7, and political... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3144143/battle-democracy-india-hong-kong-and-bidens-china-bogeyman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3144143/battle-democracy-india-hong-kong-and-bidens-china-bogeyman?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Aug 2021 02:00:14 +0000 German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a human rights dialogue while Chinese Premier Li Keqiang asked for more cooperation over differences, as the two leaders held virtual talks on Wednesday. Merkel said the two nations’ regular consultations were a good tradition that had over the years covered areas of disagreement such as human rights and Hong Kong, and she wanted a human rights dialogue with China to resume. “I would hope that we could also get the human rights dialogue going again as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3131478/germanys-angela-merkel-asks-china-resume-human-rights-dialogue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3131478/germanys-angela-merkel-asks-china-resume-human-rights-dialogue?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Apr 2021 14:30:18 +0000 Every Tuesday and Thursday, Inkstone Explains unravels the ideas and context behind the headlines to help you understand news about China. When Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui died at 97 on July 30, politicians around the world sent their condolences.  US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Lee was crucial in transforming Taiwan into a “beacon of democracy.” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Lee had brought Taiwan “freedom, democracy, human rights and other universal values.” In... https://www.scmp.com/politics/inkstone-explains-how-did-taiwan-transition-democracy/article/3095852?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/inkstone-explains-how-did-taiwan-transition-democracy/article/3095852?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Aug 2020 07:11:01 +0000 Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil gained fresh urgency as people defied a ban to gather on Thursday to remember the 1989 crackdown. In recent years, the organizer of the annual vigil had faced questions about its relevance from young people who dismissed it as naive and idealistic for caring about democratic change over the border in mainland China. But this time, Hong Kong activists put aside such differences in the face of a looming threat: a national security law to be imposed on... https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kongs-tiananmen-vigil-goes-ahead-new-generation-galvanized/article/3087723?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kongs-tiananmen-vigil-goes-ahead-new-generation-galvanized/article/3087723?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2020 11:21:04 +0000 The cancellation of Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil for the first time in 30 years has upset political exiles, the event’s organizers and faithful participants who say the gathering to remember the bloody 1989 crackdown in Beijing risks being permanently scrubbed from the calendar. Honoring lost lives with white flowers, lit candles, evocative songs and speeches has long been part of the annual vigil at the city’s Victoria Park – the only large-scale public gathering on Chinese soil to... https://www.scmp.com/politics/tiananmen-vigil-has-been-banned-hongkongers-aim-keep-flame-alive/article/3087364?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/tiananmen-vigil-has-been-banned-hongkongers-aim-keep-flame-alive/article/3087364?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2020 11:14:48 +0000 Hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers took to the streets on December 8, 2019, the day before the six-month anniversary of the anti-government protests. For the first time since August, the Civil Human Rights Front, the organizer of the march, received a letter of no objection from the police. https://www.scmp.com/politics/hundreds-thousands-joined-hong-kongs-first-march-approved-police-august/article/3041185?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/hundreds-thousands-joined-hong-kongs-first-march-approved-police-august/article/3041185?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Dec 2019 10:26:51 +0000 Authorities in a southern Chinese city have suspended plans to build a crematorium following two days of clashes between riot police and residents in scenes that drew comparisons to the continuing unrest in Hong Kong. The clashes in Wenlou, which is about 60 miles north of Hong Kong, began on Thursday when hundreds of locals tried to march on the town’s government offices in protest against plans to build a crematorium on land they believed had been set aside for a park. But police intervened,... https://www.scmp.com/politics/chinese-city-wenlou-suspends-crematorium-plan-after-protests/article/3040183?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/chinese-city-wenlou-suspends-crematorium-plan-after-protests/article/3040183?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Dec 2019 10:10:10 +0000 A 70-year-old street sweeper hit by a brick during a clash between anti-government protesters and residents in Hong Kong on Wednesday has died. He was one of three people – including a 15-year-old boy – ­critically injured during confrontations over the past few days amid social unrest that created the worst political crisis in the former British colony since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The 70-year-old, surnamed Luo, died on Thursday night after being struck in the head by a flying... https://www.scmp.com/politics/70-year-old-street-sweeper-killed-hong-kong-clash/article/3037874?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/70-year-old-street-sweeper-killed-hong-kong-clash/article/3037874?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Nov 2019 09:31:51 +0000 Aaron Kwok, a Canto-pop and movie superstar in Hong Kong, found himself briefly stranded in his Lamborghini supercar on Sunday night when he ran into a scrum of anti-government protesters. Thousands of demonstrators had gathered near the US consulate to demand American support for their calls for democracy and autonomy before the rally descended into chaos in several neighborhoods. Kwok, known for his love for horses and cars, was caught up in protests in the Causeway Bay district as riot police... https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kong-star-aaron-kwok-drives-lamborghini-through-crowd-protesters/article/3026318?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kong-star-aaron-kwok-drives-lamborghini-through-crowd-protesters/article/3026318?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Sep 2019 09:15:57 +0000 Over the past week, nationalist fury has enveloped China’s internet, prompting actors, musicians and other public figures in the mainland to criticize the continuing anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Against this backdrop, outspoken Chinese mixed martial arts fighter Xu Xiaodong has bucked the trend by speaking up for Hongkongers on social media. On Sunday, Xu, who has controversially made a name for himself by challenging what he calls “fake” kung fu masters, wrote on Twitter that Hong... https://www.scmp.com/society/xu-xiaodong-says-hong-kong-protesters-are-not-rioters-he-was-invited-tea/article/3023448?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/xu-xiaodong-says-hong-kong-protesters-are-not-rioters-he-was-invited-tea/article/3023448?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Aug 2019 10:51:40 +0000 A famed Bruce Lee philosophy has become a mantra for Hong Kong’s leaderless anti-government protests. “Be water” was once known only among fans of the kung fu superstar. Now the saying has been adopted by protesters to keep the police on their toes, as they demand accountability and democracy. For protesters, “be water” means being anonymous, spontaneous, flexible and also evasive – just like the flow of water.  The words are printed in English on protest posters, cited in online discussions and... https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kong-protesters-get-inspirations-bruce-lee-kung-fu-strategy/article/3021622?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kong-protesters-get-inspirations-bruce-lee-kung-fu-strategy/article/3021622?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Aug 2019 11:05:41 +0000 Hong Kong is reeling from a terrifying attack on Sunday night by a mob of men wearing white T-shirts who indiscriminately beat people – including anti-government protesters and passers-by – with sticks and iron rods, hurting dozens. Police sources have told the South China Morning Post that more than 100 men took part in the rampage, including members of the notorious 14K and Wo Shing Wo triad gangs. On Monday night, police arrested six men in connection with the attack, including some with... https://www.scmp.com/society/what-you-need-know-about-hong-kongs-triads/article/3019911?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/what-you-need-know-about-hong-kongs-triads/article/3019911?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jul 2019 10:38:55 +0000 A Hong Kong celebrity has been compelled to declare her love for China after she “liked” an Instagram post showing protests against Beijing. Charmaine Sheh Sze-man, a Hong Kong actress popular in mainland China, denied she was supporting protests against a proposal to allow extraditions to the mainland that triggered massive demonstrations in her home city. The internet attacks against her on mainland Chinese social media after she “liked” the video highlight the political tightrope that actors... https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kong-actress-charmaine-sheh-denies-supporting-anti-extradition-protests/article/3014491?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kong-actress-charmaine-sheh-denies-supporting-anti-extradition-protests/article/3014491?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jun 2019 10:33:34 +0000 Mass demonstrations in Hong Kong against a proposed extradition bill have been making headlines around the world. But what about in mainland China? As we’ve explained, Hong Kong is legally part of China,  but it enjoys many freedoms, including an unfettered internet. Most mainland news outlets have stayed silent on the continuing demonstrations against the bill, which could allow suspects to be extradited to mainland China. Following a huge demonstration on Sunday and violent protests on... https://www.scmp.com/politics/chinese-internet-users-evade-censors-support-hong-kong-protests/article/3014352?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/chinese-internet-users-evade-censors-support-hong-kong-protests/article/3014352?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jun 2019 09:21:11 +0000 Protests in Hong Kong over an extradition bill have paralyzed traffic near government headquarters, the main site of the 2014 Umbrella Movement pro-democracy demonstrations calling for freer elections. Here we answer some of your most frequently asked questions. Is Hong Kong a country? No. Hong Kong is a special part of China with its own currency, legal systems and civil liberties unavailable in much of the rest of China. Hong Kong had been a British colony for more than 150 years, interrupted... https://www.scmp.com/china/hong-kong-part-china-why-are-people-protesting-and-other-questions-answered/article/3014177?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/hong-kong-part-china-why-are-people-protesting-and-other-questions-answered/article/3014177?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jun 2019 08:50:37 +0000 Street demonstrations are a colorful feature of life in Hong Kong, a former British colony that retains many civil liberties despite legally being a part of China. But getting official data on exactly how many people show up is trickier than you’d think. The controversy surged in headlines again this week. The organizers of a massive demonstration against a proposed extradition law said more than one million people were there. The police said 240,000 people took part at its peak. Clearly, that’s... https://www.scmp.com/politics/why-estimates-hong-kong-demonstrations-are-so-inconsistent/article/3014028?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/why-estimates-hong-kong-demonstrations-are-so-inconsistent/article/3014028?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Jun 2019 10:04:09 +0000 LinkedIn is one of the few US social media companies that have broke into the lucrative Chinese market. The site boasts of some 41 million users in the country. But those users have come with strings attached: censorship. LinkedIn’s China operation is again prompting criticism after the business networking site blocked the profile of a prominent activist from being viewed in China. New York-based Chinese activist Zhou Fengsuo, a student leader during the 1989 pro-democracy protests, was notified... https://www.scmp.com/tech/linkedin-says-profile-political-activist-censored-china-error/article/2180658?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/linkedin-says-profile-political-activist-censored-china-error/article/2180658?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jan 2019 08:33:25 +0000 Is China a democracy? To answer the question, an obvious place to start would be a dictionary, where you can find the textbook definition of democracy. Regardless of which dictionary you pick up, you’re likely to find democracy loosely defined as a system of government by all members of a state. A country governed under such a system is said to be a democracy. The definition of democracy can be fuzzy, but there’s one thing we know for sure: that China officially wants it. In China’s... https://www.scmp.com/china-translated/china-democracy/article/2163522?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china-translated/china-democracy/article/2163522?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Sep 2018 11:00:30 +0000