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Hong Kong protests: US lawmakers warn China may be preparing Tiananmen Square-style crackdown

Brooke Singman | Fox News — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 03:37:57 +0000

U.S. officials warned Wednesday that China could be preparing for a Tiananmen Square-style crackdown in response to Hong Kong protests, as footage captures the menacing movement of military convoys near the border and Beijing ratchets up its rhetoric toward the demonstrators.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., and Ranking Member Michael McCaul, R-Texas, issued a statement Wednesday urging Beijing to not repeat history with another brutal crackdown.

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“30 years after the Chinese Communist Party’s brutal massacre of peaceful democratic protesters in Tiananmen Square, we are concerned that China would consider again brutally putting down peaceful protests,” they said. “We urge China to avoid making such a mistake, which would be met with universal condemnation and swift consequences.”

The lawmakers pointedly referenced the bloody 1989 massacre, where student-led pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square were put down by the ruling Communist Party, leaving hundreds dead.

Engel and McCaul added that the committee has asked Beijing to “cease encroaching on Hong Kong’s autonomy,” noting that it is “Beijing’s actions that are at the root of the frustration among the people of Hong Kong.”

“No foreign powers are fomenting this dissent. It is the result of Beijing’s successive violations of their commitment to honor the will of the people of Hong Kong,” they continued, maintaining their “deep respect” for the protesters and their “clear desire for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.”

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The stark warning comes amid mass protests in Hong Kong, urging democratic reforms and an investigation into police conduct. The demonstrations, which have been ongoing for more than two months, have raised concerns among U.S. officials about how far China might go in response.

On Tuesday, President Trump said that he’s learned the Chinese government was sending its military to the Hong Kong border amid the mounting clashes between riot police and pro-democracy protesters, centered most recently at Hong Kong’s massive international airport.

“Our Intelligence has informed us that the Chinese Government is moving troops to the Border with Hong Kong. Everyone should be calm and safe!” Trump tweeted.

He later said that he hopes the demonstrations “works out for liberty, I hope it works out for everybody including China, I hope nobody gets hurt, I hope nobody gets killed.”

Satellite images on Tuesday showed that Chinese military forces were gathering near the Hong Kong border, as Trump stated. Footage showed a convoy of trucks in nearby Shenzhen rolling through the streets and amassing at a stadium, though the government reportedly described the movement as part of a drill.

Still, the military build-up signals a dramatic escalation, and what could be a turning point in the now-11-week-long protests. Beijing has let Hong Kong police take the lead in confronting the demonstrations, but on Tuesday, the Chinese government described the protesters as terrorists — a distinction that could pave the way for Beijing to directly intervene.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Wednesday that the U.S. is “deeply concerned” by reports of Chinese paramilitary movement along the Hong Kong border.

“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,” the State Department spokesperson said. “As the president noted, we urge all sides to engage peacefully and refrain from violence. We encourage China and all parties in Hong Kong to pursue a solution that respects the liberty of Hongkongers and Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, as enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”

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The State Department noted the importance of the Hong Kong government to “respect the freedoms of speech and peaceful assembly.”

“We condemn violence and urge all sides to exercise restraint and remain staunch in our support for freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly in Hong Kong,” the spokesperson said, noting the demonstrations reflect the people of Hong Kong’s “broad and legitimate concerns about the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy.”

“We categorically reject the false charge of foreign forces as the black hand behind the protests,” they said. “The continued erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy puts at risk its long-established special status in international affairs.”

But a Chinese diplomat, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, accused the U.S. and other Western governments of “constantly fanning the flames of the situation in Hong Kong.”

Meanwhile, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and other Chinese officials have similarly claimed, without providing evidence, that “Western forces” are behind the protests. Last week, the head of the police union in China called for an investigation into the alleged U.S. role in the demonstrations and Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying pointed to “irresponsible statements” by U.S. politicians, suggesting they are looking to incite disorder and unrest in China.

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On Tuesday, demonstrators shut down operations at Hong Kong’s airport for the second day in a row, flooding the main terminal. The airport, which is one of China’s largest economic hubs, was filled with approximately 10,000 protesters, drawing Hong Kong riot police to the scene armed with pepper spray and batons. The police clashed with demonstrators in violent scenes, eventually re-opening the airports.

Protesters are demanding that Lam step down and pull legislation that would allow the government to extradite criminal suspects to mainland China, where they would likely face torture or unfair politically charged trials. Recent demonstrations have called for an independent inquiry into the city’s police and its alleged abuse of power.

Lam said Tuesday that dialogue would begin only when the violence stopped. She reiterated her support for the police and said they have had to make on-the-spot decisions under difficult circumstances, using “the lowest level of force.”

Fox News’ Benjamin Hall, Rich Edson, Mark Meredith, Alex Pappas, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brooke Singman is a Politics Reporter for Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @brookefoxnews.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hong-kong-protests-us-lawmakers-warn-china-may-be-preparing-tiananmen-square-style-crackdown

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France’s Emmanuel Macron asks Angela Merkel and Jean-Claude Juncker to join meeting with Xi Jinping in Paris

Keegan Elmer — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 09:04:19 +0000

Surprise move comes as the European Union’s new, more assertive China policy is being debated in Brussels amid pressure from Paris and Berlin
French leader plans to explain Europe’s new strategy on China, with focus on trade and the environment

Angela Merkel will join Emmanuel Macron (right) and Jean-Claude Juncker for a meeting with Xi Jinping in Paris on Tuesday. Photo: AP

French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Germany and the European Union to join a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping when he visits Paris next week.

In the surprise move, Macron asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to take part in the meeting with Xi on Tuesday, apparently to step up pressure on China during the European charm offensive.

Xi is in Italy on the first stop of a six-day trip to Europe, to be followed by Monaco and France.

Pressure from France and Germany has played a big role in shaping the EU’s new, more assertive, China policy that is being debated in Brussels, analysts say.

Xi Jinping attends a ceremony to pay his respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with Italian Defence Minister Elisabetta Trenta in Rome on Friday. Photo: Reuters

During the meeting with Xi, Macron plans to explain Europe’s strategy towards China as the EU moves forward with new policies on Beijing, according to a statement from the French president’s office. The meeting with Xi would focus on trade and the environment, it said.

Frans-Paul van der Putten, senior research fellow at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague, said it was a coordinated approach.

“It seems that France, Germany and the European Commission are jointly taking the lead in coordinating the EU’s China policy,” van der Putten said.

He said the Paris meeting was aimed at preparing for the upcoming EU-China summit in Brussels on April 9.

“Should the European Commission, Germany and France continue their current path towards closer coordination of their China policies, then this could strengthen the overall position of the EU with regard to China,” he said. “But that is only possible if the rest of the EU member states believe that their interests are adequately reflected in the [EU’s] policies.”

François Godement, senior adviser for Asia at the Institut Montaigne in Paris, said Macron’s unexpected call for a multilateral meeting during a bilateral state visit was “unprecedented”.

He said the move was in line with Macron’s commitment to EU integration and reform, and his support for new responses to China proposed by the European Commission.

“The meeting is also an answer to China’s very stubborn bilateralism, and is meant to demonstrate a coordinated European stand,” he added.

Godement said while France and Germany had recently made joint proposals on China at the EU level, there was always a risk that other countries did not agree with their position. “The other member states of course don’t like being put in a box,” he said.

European Union calls for united trade and tech front against ‘rival’ China

Their strong roles might not benefit Europe in the long run, according to Bjorn Jerden, of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.

“If the EU wants to be a major global player I can’t see how France and Germany can play the roles of individual great powers when it comes to China policy,” Jerden said.

“The whole idea with a unified stance is that EU member states should put less weight on their respective bilateral relations with Beijing. This holds for big member states as well.”

France and Germany have both lobbied hard for new EU policies to help European firms compete with China. Last month, economy ministers from France and Germany unveiled a proposal to overhaul the EU’s competition laws after Brussels blocked a merger of the railway assets of Alstom and Siemens.

In its decision to block the merger, the European Commission said it doubted China would be a competitive risk for high-speed trains in the region.

In response, Bruno Le Maire, the French finance minister, said blocking the deal had been a “political mistake” by the commission and that it would “serve China’s economic and industrial interests”.

Europe’s new China strategy was debated in Brussels on Thursday by top EU politicians. The 16-page document titled “EU-China – A Strategic Outlook” states that the 28-member bloc needs to recognize China as an economic competitor, and “needs to adapt to changing economic realities and strengthen its own domestic policies and industrial base”.

The EU for the first time labelled China as a “systemic rival” in addition to a partner for cooperation.

EU foreign policy leader Federica Mogherini told reporters the bloc’s position on China was “very complex and balanced”, but added that “China is also a competitor in certain fields and there is also a strong need from European Union member states to defend their interests, in particular when it comes to security or key infrastructure”.

Xi landed in Italy on Thursday evening, accompanied by high-level politicians including Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi, China’s top ranking diplomat. The Chinese president’s first full day of events is on Friday and on Saturday he is expected to sign a number bilateral agreements with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, including on Beijing’s “Belt and Road Initiative”.

His trip to Italy, especially a deal on the controversial trade and infrastructure initiative, has caused trepidation in Brussels. Xi will meet Monaco’s leader Prince Albert II on Sunday.

Source: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3002935/frances-macron-asks-merkel-and-juncker-join-meeting-xi-jinping

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The post France’s Emmanuel Macron asks Angela Merkel and Jean-Claude Juncker to join meeting with Xi Jinping in Paris first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.