The Foreign Correspondents' Club Hong Kong

The challenges China faces in securing global dominance

China’s foreign relations have come a long way in the last 70 years, but major powers are held to higher standards and more is expected of Beijing, according to an expert on contemporary China.

Professor David Shambaugh outlined some of the major challenges facing China, including how it manages its reputation among its neighbours, and globally.

Speaking at the October 22 club lunch, Prof Shambaugh said another challenge the country faced was its relationship with the United States, which he said had deteriorated in recent years because the previously dominant cooperative element had been superseded with a competitive element. At the same time, China had significantly strengthened its relationship with Russia, he said, a relationship that at its core was driven by anti-Americanism.

“The so-called strategic triangle is back and orientated again at the United States at this time,” Prof Shambaugh, the Gaston Sigur professor of Asian Studies, Political Science & International Affairs, and director of the China Policy Program in the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, said.

He pointed to China’s multibillion-dollar investment in overseas propaganda as an example of its push for soft power but suggested it wasn’t getting a “return on its investment” as it slips down the global image rankings.

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Video and photojournalists reveal life on the frontline of the Hong Kong protests

A panel of experienced video and photojournalists shared their on-the-ground experiences of covering the ongoing Hong Kong protests at a discussion on October 15.

L-R: Anthony Kwan, May James, Chieu Luu, Aleksander Solum, and moderator Shibani Mahtani. Photo: Sarah Graham/FCC

The panelists spoke amid increasing concern over the safety of the media covering the protests, after an Indonesian photographer was left blind in one eye from a police bean bag round, and a NowTV driver was allegedly attacked by police and left with injuries.

Photographers May James, who has been covering the protests for a variety of local and international outlets including Hong Kong Free Press and AFP; and Anthony Kwan, a prize-winning photojournalist who has been covering the protests over the past months primarily for Getty, both agreed that arguing with the police during protests was not advisable.

Joining them on the panel were Chieu Luu, video journalist for South China Morning Post; and Aleksander Solum, a senior video journalist at Reuters Video News. The two men agreed that, when recording while tensions are running high, the safety of their teams remains the top priority.

“I’m in charge of keeping my team safe – no shot is worth one of my team members getting hurt,” Chieu said.

Possibility of China using military force in Hong Kong “quite low” says expert in Chinese politics

China’s Communist Party has learned from the past and wants to resolve conflicts without force, a tactic it is currently trying with regards to the current unrest in Hong Kong, according to an expert in Chinese politics.

Professor Yan Xiaojun, Associate Professor in Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong, said that China wants to uphold One Country, Two Systems and believes that the city’s government and police were managing the crisis adequately. He said the likelihood of China using military force in Hong Kong was “quite low”.

Prof Yan appeared at the FCC on October 3 to reflect on 70 years of the People’s Republic of China. He said China had transformed from one of the poorest nations into one of the strongest over the last seven decades because the Communist Party had learned lessons from its own history and that of the collapsed Soviet Union.

He said the party understood it had to continue to learn in order to survive.

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‘Social media platforms need to do more to stamp out hate crime’

Hate crime is on the rise globally, facilitated by social media which presents an opportunity for people to say things online they don’t have the guts to say face-to-face, says a member of a leading Jewish human rights organisation.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said social media firms needed to take more responsibility for the content posted on their platforms. He also discussed the spread of anti-Semitism, showing examples from around the world of the use of Nazi imagery including the swastika.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper’s presentation slides (PDF)

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Silent protest at FCC highlights concerns over police violence against journalists covering Hong Kong protests

Members of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Hong Kong held a silent protest on September 18 to highlight the club’s concern over the increasing limits to media access and violence against journalists covering the ongoing protests in the city.

Jodi Schneider, FCC president, leads the silent protest at the club.

Carrying banners reading “Yes to press freedom, no to violence against journalists”, a dozen members gathered outside the club in Central.

“The FCC is gravely concerned about the growing number of incidents of police violence against journalists who are doing their job covering the protests in Hong Kong,” said Jodi Schneider, FCC president. “We are holding a silent protest against this violence and any attempts to interfere with media coverage.”

“We are also calling for press freedom — for support of our right as journalists to cover the protests; a right provided us under Hong Kong law,” she said.

The FCC continues to call for an independent investigation into all forms of violence and intimidation directed at journalists since the start of the protests in June. The organisation also calls on the Commissioner of Police to publicly address these reports of violence.

“We want access to cover the protests and answers from the authorities,” Schneider said.

It’s a dangerous place out there for journalists, says veteran Washington Post editor

The mainstream media needs to be fair and give people the chance to make up their own minds in order to survive the current climate that has seen an erosion of trust in the press, according to veteran journalist David Ignatius.

Washington Post Associate Editor, David Ignatius, spoke of his fears for global press freedom at the FCC. Photo: Sarah Graham/FCC

Speaking about his fears for press freedom against the backdrop of increasing global hostility towards the media, fueled in part by US President Donald Trump and his ‘enemies of the people’ rhetoric, Ignatius said news organisations need to remain objective in their reporting to win back support.

The Associate Editor of The Washington Post said it was a dangerous time to be a journalist, citing figures on the reporters currently imprisoned around the world, and urged journalists to “cover the story progressively, we don’t want you to take risks that would lead to death or serious injury”, adding that for editors the hardest thing was to say no to a reporter who wanted to put their safety at risk to get the scoop.

Ignatius also talked movingly of his friend and colleague, journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered a year ago at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The CIA concluded Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination.

“He was a complicated person… he had very extreme views as a young man. Over time he decided the way in which the world would be purified of deep corruption was journalism,” Ignatius said.

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How fake news is shaping the Hong Kong protests

The phenomenon of fake news and the spreading of disinformation have increased sharply since the Hong Kong protests began, with conspiracy theories in particular taking off in recent months.

These were the observations offered by three experts who have been covering the protests since June. They were taking part in the September 12 panel on the topic.

L-R: Host Eric Wishart, Selina Cheng, Rachel Blundy, and Masato Kajimoto. Photo: Sarah Graham/FCC

Rachel Blundy, a fact-checker for Agence France-Presse, revealed how her team analyses claims being made on social media and investigates them to debunk fake news. Joining her on the panel was HK01’s Selina Cheng, who gave examples of fake news stories and how they quickly spread. “If the story sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” she said.

Masato Kajimoto, an assistant professor of practice at the Journalism and Media Studies Centre (JMSC), the University of Hong Kong, discussed China’s propaganda war and its attempts to smear the pro-democracy camp through the spread of fake news. He added that the more polarising the topic is, the easier it is for people to believe misinformation.

The discussion was the latest in the FCC’s series of workshops for journalists covering the ongoing Hong Kong protests. You can find the rest of the series here.

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The Hong Kong Protests: An FCC Workshop Series for Journalists

Since June 2019, journalists in Hong Kong have been on the front lines covering what began as anti-extradition bill protests, often dodging tear gas and rubber bullets in the course of their work.

This FCC series of workshops brings together a wide range of experts, from journalists to tech specialists to health professionals, all of whom offer valuable advice for any media covering the protests.

Presentation slides:

Hong Kong Red Cross introduction (PDF)

Hong Kong Red Cross presentation (PDF)

Professor Paul Yip presentation (Slideshare)

Lokman Tsui (PDF)

Fake news panel (PDF)

You can download the Centre of Suicide Research and Prevention’s recommendations on suicide and mental health reporting here.

The Hong Kong Samaritans website can be found here, and the 24/7 hotline number is 2896 0000.

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The Hong Kong Protests: What Next for Hong Kong?

Stevo Stephen: A Workshop on Journalists’ Safety

Sharron Fast: A Workshop on the Legal Risks for Journalists

The Hong Kong Protests and Press Freedom

Lokman Tsui, Assistant Professor: A Workshop on Digital Security

Paul Yip: The Hong Kong Protests – Covering Mental Health and Suicide

Brian Wong: First-Aid and Health Safety

Information Wars – How Fake News and Disinformation Have Been Weaponized in the Hong Kong Protests

From Water Cannons to the Face Mask Ban: Increased Risks in Covering the Hong Kong Protests

Essential First Aid tips for journalists covering the Hong Kong protests

How to treat the effects of tear gas and other protest-related injuries was shared by a member of Hong Kong’s Red Cross at a workshop for journalists.

Brian Wong, senior staff officer for the Hong Kong Red Cross’s First Aid Service Coordination Team, Youth and Volunteer Department, also advised potential first aiders on the treatment of heat exhaustion, cardiac arrest, and bleeding.

He was speaking on September 3 at the latest in the FCC’s series of workshops aimed at journalists covering the ongoing Hong Kong protests.

Due to some technical issues, the talk is in two parts.

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Ireland prepared to listen to backstop alternatives to avoid no-deal Brexit, says finance minister

Ireland’s finance minister says his government is prepared to listen to any alternative solutions the United Kingdom may have to the question of the backstop, but stressed that so far Prime Minister Boris Johnson had failed to put any forward despite the fast-approaching deadline for Britain to leave the European Union.

Minister of State at Ireland’s Department of Finance, Michael D’Arcy, at the FCC on September 2. Photo: Sarah Graham/FCC

Speaking at the September 2 club lunch, Michael D’Arcy reiterated that the withdrawal agreement thrashed out between the European Union and former British prime minister Theresa May was now non-negotiable but said he personally felt a deal on the issue of the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland could be done after the October 31 deadline passes. He said Ireland was committed to exploring alternative agreements with the EU to avoid the return of a hard border which he said put the island’s prosperity at risk. D’Arcy added that avoiding a hard border was not just about economics, but about protecting the Good Friday Peace Agreement.

Referring to his controversial tweet last week in which he compared Prime Minister Johnson’s “anti-democratic” move to prorogue UK Parliament to Oliver Cromwell’s establishment of the Protectorate government, D’Arcy conceded he “shouldn’t interfere with UK Parliament” but added that he felt the current direction of discourse in politics internationally was “disappointing”.

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