Global Crisis Moves East as China Suffers Rapid Downturn

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: China’s industrial output is contracting at the fastest pace since the depths of the global financial crisis, with knock-on effects spreading across the Far East.

“It just keeps getting worse,” said Alistair Thornton and Xianfang Ren from IHS Global Insight. “The government has underestimated the pace of the slowdown and is behind the curve.”

The HSBC/Markit manufacturing index for China fell to 47.6 in August, the lowest since the onset of Great Recession in late 2008. Inventories are rising. The index for new export orders fell to the lowest since March 2009. “Beijing must step up policy easing to stabilise growth,” said Hongbin Qu from HSBC.

China’s official PMI manufacturing index – weighted to big companies – also fell through the contraction line of 50, though services are holding up better.

Evidence of a hard landing over the summer is becoming clearer. Rail volumes fell 8.2pc in July from a year before. The Japanese group Komatsu said its exports of hydraulic excavators to China – a proxy gauge for Chinese construction – fell 48pc in August from a year before.

The twin effect of China’s downturn and Europe’s double-dip recession has turned into a full-blown shock for much of Asia. Hong Kong and Singapore both contracted in the second quarter and are probably in technical recession. Read on and comment » | Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | Monday, September 03, 2012

Tony Blair Avoids Attempted Citizen's Arrest in Hong Kong
THE GUARDIAN: British activist interrupts former prime minister's speech with accusations of war crimes

The list of places where Tony Blair must look over his shoulder for protesters during his endless carousel around the global lecture circuit now includes Hong Kong, after a speech on faith and globalisation was interrupted by an activist seeking to make a citizen's arrest on the former prime minister.

Tom Grundy, a Briton living in the Chinese territory, said he walked towards Blair a few minutes into the address at Hong Kong University (HKU) with the intention of apprehending him for alleged offences connected to the Iraq war.

The 29-year-old said he had registered online to attend the talk, which took place on Thursday evening local time. Although Blair makes considerable sums as a paid-for speaker, this event was a more personal engagement, marking a link between HKU and his own Tony Blair Faith Foundation. Grundy carried with him a sheaf of notes about the legal basis for the attempted arrest, covering, he said, alleged violations of the UN charter, the Nuremberg principles, and the Geneva and Hague conventions. » | Peter Walker | Thursday, June 14, 2012

Hong Kongers Irked by Mainland Chinese Habits
Millions of tourists from mainland China visit Hong Kong every year. Most come with plenty of money to spend, but some are also bringing other habits which infuriate local Hong Kong residents.

Mandarin Overtakes English as Hong Kong’s Second Language
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Fifteen years after Hong Kong was handed back to China, Mandarin has finally overtaken English as the island’s second most widely spoken language.

According to census figures released this week, 48 per cent of Hong Kong residents can speak Mandarin, compared to 46 per cent who can speak English. Cantonese remains the island’s dialect of choice, with 96 per cent of the population able to speak it.

While the proportion of English speakers has risen slightly since a census in 2001, the spread of Chinese has been far more rapid: ten years ago, only just over a third of the population could speak Mandarin. » | Malcolm Moore, Beijing | Friday, February 24, 2012

Scarlet Fever Kills Second Child in Hong Kong
Scarlet fever has killed a second child in Hong Kong - the first people to die from the disease in the city in a decade.

The strain currently doing the rounds is said to be twice as resistant to antibiotics as the last.

Al Jazeera speaks to doctor Lo Wing Lok, an infectious diseases specialist in Hong Kong.

Fall of Hong Kong's Gilded Generation
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Rocked by a wave of scandals, Hong Kong's legendary generation of tycoons are increasingly becoming the objects of public derision on the island.

In their heyday, the entrepreneurs built Hong Kong into one of the most successful cities on earth and established near total control over the property, shipping and retail industries.

But over the past year, the city's residents seem to have lost patience with the greed and arrogance of the tycoons and a series of scandals has tarnished their legacy.

On Sunday, the 44 year-old son of Li Ka-shing, the richest man in Asia, became the latest man to find himself splashed across the media when his 22-year-old partner announced she was leaving him.

Isabella Leong Lok-si, an actress who bore twin sons to Richard Li last June, said she was ready for a "new chapter" in her life.

Mr Li is the chairman of PCCW, Hong Kong's largest telecommunications company. His father has a fortune of more than £13 billion. >>> Malcolm Moore, Hong Kong | Sunday, February 27, 2011

Hong Kong sous le choc après une série d'attaques à l'acide
La dernière attaque s'était déroulée dans le quartier très fréquenté de Causeway Bay Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Trente personnes, dont des touristes, ont été blessées samedi dans un quartier commerçant de la ville. La sixième attaque de ce genre en seulement un an. Un suspect a été interpellé.

Trente personnes, dont des touristes étrangers, ont été blessées samedi à Hong Kong au cours d'une nouvelle attaque à l'acide, la sixième en un an, a indiqué la radio publique RTHK. Dix-neuf hommes et onze femmes ont été hospitalisés. Parmi eux figurent neuf touristes et un enfant de sept ans.

La police a précisé qu'une bouteille d'un liquide corrosif avait été jetée au beau milieu d'un marché nocturne de Yau Ma Tei, un quartier commerçant animé de la cité, qui compte marchands ambulants, diseurs de bonne aventure et discothèques. Un suspect a été interpellé dimanche et placé en détention. L'homme, un Chinois d'une trentaine d'années, a été arrêté après avoir été repéré sur le toit d'un immeuble proche du lieu où s'est produit le méfait.

Depuis fin 2008, la plupart de ces attaques ont été commises dans des quartiers commerçants. Le dernière en date remontait jusqu'ici au 12 décembre : de l'acide avait été lancé depuis un toit d'immeuble à Causeway Bay, faisant six blessés, dont deux graves. 100 personnes blessées au total >>> F.G. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | Dimanche 10 Janvier 2010

Sarah Palin's Pitch Leaves Hong Kong Unimpressed
TIMES ONLINE: Sarah Palin’s first ever visit to East Asia began with a monologue that invoked the spirit of Margaret Thatcher, sounded “unmistakably” like a pitch for the 2012 presidency and was described by several members of the audience as “long, humorless and George W Bush-like”.

Described by some as “safe” and by others as “uncomfortable”, the speech called for closer ties between the United States and China, and attacked the recent decision of the Administration of Barack Obama to impose heavy tariffs on imported Chinese tyres.

But it also warned of China’s own “internal contradictions” and America’s need to stand up against oppression.

It was a rare foreign outing for the former Vice-Presidential candidate who committed a series of foreign policy gaffes during last year’s campaign. She claimed to be familiar with Russia, thanks to Alaska’s proximity to the country, and had only visited Kuwait and Germany before - on both occasions to meet US troops stationed there.

The former Alaska governor’s speech was delivered in Hong Kong to the CLSA Asia Pacific Markets Forum - a lavish annual beano where over 1,000 of the world’s most astute investors come to hear the views of the foremost political and business minds on earth.

“I’m going to call it like I see it and I will share with you candidly a view right from Main Street, Main Street USA,” the former vice-Presidential candidate declared, before launching into prepared remarks on the Alaskan fishing industry.

Several audience members reportedly walked out of Ms Palin’s speech 30 minutes before the end, citing “more important things to do” or describing the talk as “too partisan and too much like a speech at the Republican convention”.

One senior fund manager told The Times that the 80-minute lecture, and the lack of an opportunity to fire any questions at Ms Palin, was a disappointment. “You would think that with her team of speechwriters and a supposedly media-free environment Palin could have afforded to be either funny or thought-provoking, but she was neither,” she said. >>> Leo Lewis, Asia Business Correspondent | Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Des bouteilles d'acide jetées dans un centre commercial à Hong-Kong
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: DRAME | Près de cinquante personnes ont été blessées samedi à Hong Kong par le jet dans un centre commercial bondé de deux bouteilles contenant un acide liquide, a rapporté la police. Celle-ci cherche à savoir s'il s'agit d'un acte volontaire. >>> ATS | Dimanche 14 Décembre 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Broché) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Relié) >>>