Lawyers for Huawei Technologies Co Ltd asked a Canadian court to immediately stay proceedings seeking to extradite the company's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou to the United States, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.
Huawei spokesman Benjamin Howes said in an email that the company believes the extradition fails to meet the Canadian standard of double criminality.
The standard means the alleged conduct for which Meng was arrested in 2018 has to be illegal in both countries for her to be extradited.
Meng, 47, was arrested at the Vancouver International Airport on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States, where she is charged with bank fraud and accused of misleading the bank HSBC about Huawei Technologies' business in Iran. She has said she is innocent and is fighting extradition. Howes said the company is arguing that because Canada did not have sanctions against Iran at the time Canadian officials authorized commencing with the extradition process, double criminality cannot be met. The application "doesn't seek to challenge whether the facts behind the logic of this charge are true or not," Howes said, noting that the company would challenge this during a sufficiency hearing to be held in September 2020.
Canada's federal justice ministry was not immediately available for comment.
Meng's lawyers may have a sound argument, but it's premature, said Vancouver-based extradition lawyer Gary Botting who is not involved in the case.
"They're jumping the gun a bit, because the whole notion of a full extradition hearing is to determine whether or not there is dual criminality. The judge is bound to say, 'Hurry up and wait," Botting said.
Meng's arrest has strained China's relations with both the United States and Canada. China detained two Canadians - Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, and businessman Michael Spavor - just days after Meng's arrest. Spavor and Kovrig are still being held in China, despite diplomatic efforts on Canada's part to get them released.
Meng's lawyers say the United States is using the CFO for economic and political gain, noting that after her arrest, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would intervene if it would help close a trade deal.
Meng, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, spent 10 days in jail in December but was then released on C$10 million ($7.5 million) bail and is living in one of her two multi-million-dollar homes in Vancouver.
Meng and her lawyers returned to a British Columbia court last month, requesting additional documents pertaining to Meng's arrest at the Vancouver airport. Meng's argument is part of a broader strategy to prove that her arrest was illegal and violated her rights according to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
If Canadian officials abused their authority, her lawyers say, the extradition proceedings should be halted.
Her extradition hearing is set to begin on Jan. 20, 2020.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Hong Kong police on Monday warned against escalating violence in months-long anti-government protests following the arrest of 80 people in demonstrations over the weekend.
Protesters wreaked havoc in the districts of Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Sha Tin and Tseung Kwan O in the New Territories as well as Mong Kok in the Kowloon Peninsula on Saturday and Sunday.
Bricks and petrol bombs were thrown at riot police, and in Tuen Mun on Saturday a protester tried to steal a police officer's revolver.
"No excuses, no propaganda can justify or glorify such acts of violence," police spokesman Tse Chun-chung said at a news briefing. "We appeal to every member of the public to cut ties with all criminal elements and join us in condemning such violent acts."
Tse, as well as the police officers' union, condemned the attempted snatching of the officer's pistol.
"We are hereby giving our strongest warning: anyone who attempts to rob police pistol or equipment, officers will definitely use relevant force to stop it. The perpetrator will bear all responsibilities," Tse said.
The police also denied having kicked a protester after taking him into a back alley in Yuen Long on Saturday night.
"The video (purportedly showing the kicking) is very out of focus, and it could have been an object, a person a bag or a vest," Superintendent Vasco Williams said in the briefing.
The 80 arrested were accused of a range of crimes including unlawful assembly, possession of weapons, assaulting police, disorderly conduct, dangerous driving and desecrating the Chinese national flag.
Chinese flags have been targeted by protesters angered by China's perceived meddling in the territory's affairs. When the former British colony was returned to China in 1997, it was promised semi-autonomy from Beijing's rule.
Nine incidents involving the desecration of Chinese flags are being investigated, including two flags that were desecrated by protesters during the weekend. Police said at least five people have been arrested for such acts since June, when the protests began, triggered by an extradition bill that has since been withdrawn.
China's state-run Xinhua News Agency in an editorial piece Monday called those who defaced the Chinese flag "rioters" and urged Hong Kong people to "make the right choice, stridently defend the national flag."
The editorial said insulting the flag is tantamount to insulting the country and the nation, and a blasphemy to all Chinese people including Hong Kong's compatriots.
Under Hong Kong law, desecrating the Chinese flag carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison, police said.
The 80 arrested over the weekend bring the total arrests since June to 1,556 people, aged 12 to 83, with dozens of them having been charged with rioting.
The protests, triggered by the government-proposed extradition bill, have since widened from demanding the withdrawal of the bill to calling for an independent probe into alleged police brutality, pardons for arrested protesters and democratic reform.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Hundreds of Hong Kong university and school students swapped classes for democracy demonstrations on Monday, the latest act of defiance in an anti-government movement that has plunged the Chinese-ruled city into its biggest political crisis in decades.
The boycott follows a weekend marred by some of the worst violence since unrest escalated more than 3 months ago, with protesters burning barricades and throwing petrol bombs, and police retaliating with water cannon, tear gas and batons.
Riot police on Monday patrolled the subway, known as the MTR, where some of the most violent clashes have erupted.
Hundreds of students gathered outside the Chinese University of Hong Kong, one of the city's largest, taking turns to make speeches from a stage with a black backdrop embossed with "Students in Unity Boycott for our City".
"I come here just to tell others that even after summer holidays end we are not back to our normal life, we should continue to fight for Hong Kong," said one 19-year old student who asked to be identified as just Chan.
"These protests awaken me to care more about the society and care for the voiceless."
Images posted on social media showed rows of teenagers lined up outside secondary schools holding banners. Many primary schools were closed because of a typhoon warning. Monday was the first day back after summer holidays.
Matthew Cheung, Hong Kong government chief secretary, told reporters that schools were no place for protests.
Protesters had called for a general strike but most people appeared to return to their daily lives with shops open, trains operating and workers making their way to offices across the global financial hub.
Thousands of protesters blocked roads and public transport links to Hong Kong airport on Sunday in a bid to draw world attention to their attempt to force Beijing to give greater autonomy to the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Airport authorities said 25 flights were cancelled on Sunday but transport services were largely back to normal.
ANGER AT CHINA
After leaving the airport on Sunday, some demonstrators targeted the MTR subway station in nearby Tung Chung district, ripping out turnstiles and smashing CCTV cameras and lamps with metal poles. Police moved in and made several arrests.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, a lightning rod for protesters' anger at a city government they say is controlled by Beijing, said on her Facebook page on Monday that 10 subway stations were damaged by "violent offenders".
Police and protesters had clashed on Saturday night in some of the most intense violence since unrest escalated in mid-June over concerns Beijing is eroding the freedoms granted to the territory under a "one country, 2 systems" agreement, including the right to protest and an independent judiciary.
John Lee, government secretary for security, told media that nearly 100 petrol bombs were thrown in various locations on Saturday with 2 found on a 13-year-old boy who was arrested inside an MTR station.
The unrest began over a now-suspended extradition bill that would have allowed people in the city to be sent to China for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party, the latest example of what many residents see as ever-tighter control by Beijing, despite the promise of autonomy.
The turmoil has evolved over 13 weeks to become a widespread demand for greater democracy. China is eager to quell the unrest before the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct. 1.
China denies meddling in Hong Kong's affairs and accuses Western countries of egging on the protests. It says Hong Kong is an internal affair.
With Hong Kong facing its first recession in a decade, China has also warned of the damage the protests are causing to the economy.
Shares of Hong Kong rail operator MTR Corp Ltd fell as much as 3.9 percent to HK$43.65, their lowest since Feb. 15 and on track for their third consecutive session of decline.
With protesters and authorities locked in an impasse, speculation has grown that the city government may impose emergency law, giving it extra powers over detentions, censorship and curfews.
Lam has said the government would consider using all laws at its disposal to bring unrest to an end. (Reporting by Jessie Pang, Joyce Zhou, Farah Master, Donny Kwok, Clare Jim and Twinnie Siu; Writing by Joe Brock Editing by Paul Tait, Robert Birsel)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Hong Kong braced for more disruption Monday with calls for a general strike and university students threatening a boycott of classes after a weekend featuring some of the worst violence in 3 months of anti-government protests.
The financial hub has been thrown into chaos by a largely leaderless movement that has drawn millions onto the streets to protest against what they see as an erosion of freedoms and increasing interference in their affairs by Beijing.
Authorities have given permission for 2 rallies on Monday, but it is unclear how well supported they will be, or if they will spill over into violence as most recent gatherings have done.
Universities are due to resume classes Monday after a summer break, but students -- who make up the backbone of the protest movement -- plan a 2-week boycott, and a rally in the afternoon.
The protests started in opposition to government plans to allow the extradition to the mainland of people wanted by Beijing, but have widened to include broader demands.
Chief among these are for the extradition bill to be formally scrapped, for the territory's chief executive to quit, and for an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality during the protests.
"This is a leaderless campaign where the like-minded students gather and make class boycott happen," said a boycott organizer, requesting anonymity.
Monday's strike call comes with the city still recovering from a weekend of clashes that saw at least a dozen flights cancelled Sunday after protesters blocked routes to the airport.
On Saturday, hardcore protesters rampaged through the city center, setting fires and throwing petrol bombs at riot police in defiance of a rally ban.
Police hit back with tear gas, baton charges and water cannon laced with chemical dye.
Video footage captured by local media showed elite police charge and beat a crowd cowering inside a train carriage, with Amnesty International calling their actions "horrifying".
In early August, a city-wide strike -- a rare occurrence in a freewheeling finance hub where unions traditionally have little sway -- brought transport chaos to the city.
Hong Kong' flagship carrier Cathay Pacific has warned staff they risk being sacked if they joined Monday's strike after the last walkout was supported by the airline's flight attendant union.
Cathay has already fired at least 4 staff -- including 2 pilots -- for supporting the protests.
Hong Kong's reputation as a stable place to do business has been shaken by the ongoing protests.
Visitor arrivals have plummeted, hotel vacancies have soared and retailers have reported huge losses as a result of the protests, but the government has offered little in the way of concessions or suggestions on how to end them.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
HONG KONG - Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong was arrested on Friday ahead of another weekend of planned protests in the Chinese-ruled city which is grappling with its biggest political crisis since its handover to Beijing more than 2 decades ago.
Wong, the face of Hong Kong's push for full democracy during protests in 2014 that paralyzed parts of the city for 79 days, was released from jail in June after serving a five-week term for contempt of court.
"He was suddenly pushed into a private car on the street," Wong's political party Demosisto, which advocates for greater democracy in Hong Kong, said on its official Twitter account.
"He has now been escorted to the police headquarters in Wan Chai," it said, adding its lawyers were working on the case.
Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Unrest in Hong Kong escalated in mid-June over a now-suspended extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial in Communist Party-controlled courts.
It has since evolved into calls for greater democracy under the "one country, 2 systems" formula, which guarantees freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland, including an independent judiciary.
On Thursday, China brought fresh troops into Hong Kong in what it described as a routine rotation of the garrison.
Chinese state media stressed the troop movement was routine and Asian and Western diplomats watching the People's Liberation Army (PLA) forces in the former British colony had been expecting it.
Chinese soldiers stationed in Hong Kong are not there merely for symbolic purposes and they will have "no reason to sit on their hands" if the situation in the city worsens, an editorial in the China Daily newspaper said on Friday.
Police have refused permission for a pro-democracy march on Saturday, but organizers have appealed against the decision.
The protest would mark 5 years since Beijing ruled out universal suffrage for Hong Kong and comes as Hong Kong faces its first recession in a decade, with all its pillars of growth under stress.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
HONG KONG - As one of the world's most important trade and business hubs, Hong Kong was always going to struggle this year because of the escalating US-China tariff war.
But after 3 months of anti-government protests, the semi-autonomous Chinese city, a shopper's paradise and gourmet destination for millions of tourists each year, is facing an existential as well as an economic crisis.
The world's biggest equity deal this year was to unfold in Hong Kong later this month but has been put on hold. Banks are issuing unprecedented profit warnings, while hotels and restaurants are half-empty. Several global events have been postponed and economists say retail sales could drop by 20-30 percent this year.
Hong Kong is facing its first recession in a decade, with all its growth pillars under significant stress.
While protesters are disrupting day-to-day activities, Beijing has displayed its paramilitary might near the border, raising questions over the city's political, financial and economic future.
"Hong Kong is facing a crisis almost unprecedented in its history," said Edison Lee, equities analyst at Jefferies.
In the April-June quarter, when the impact of the protests was mild, the economy shrank 0.4 percent from the previous quarter. Since then, demonstrations have spread across the territory, disrupting traffic, paralyzing shopping and tourist areas and closing down the city's sprawling airport at times.
The third quarter is bound to confirm the recession by its technical definition of two consecutive quarters of economic contraction.
For the whole year, the government expects growth at 0-1 percent, but some analysts expect it to shrink. Forecasting at this juncture, given the myriad of pathways the social crisis might take, is of little value, but the contraction could be severe.
"When you have a boom for so many years, and now you get a bust, the bust is going to be quite massive also," said Kevin Lai, chief economist for Asia ex-Japan at Daiwa Capital Markets.
CORPORATE WARNINGS
Citing political unrest, China's biggest e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has delayed its up to $15 billion listing in Hong Kong, 2 people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters earlier this week.
Bank of East Asia, after reporting a 75 percent plunge in first-half net profit due to writedowns in China, warned on Wednesday about the impact further protests could have on small and medium enterprises.
More than 20 other companies, including developer Henderson Land, hotel group Shangri-La Asia, Emperor Watch & Jewelry, department store operator Lifestyle International and rail operator MTR Corp, said in recent earnings reports the protests have been damaging.
The Catering and Hotel Industries Employees General Union told Reuters employers had asked some of its members to take non-paid leave this month because of the downturn in business.
Yiu Si-wing, Chairman of China Travel Service (HK) Ltd, a major mainland tour operator, said revenue from room sales was set to plunge 50 percent in August.
"Visits from mainland China that usually account for 80 percent of arrivals are down most as people fear for their safety," Yiu told Reuters.
Organizers of several conferences and exhibitions are scrambling to postpone events.
Trade representatives of the world’s largest diamond trading centers have asked the organizer of the Hong Kong Jewelry and Gem Fair to postpone the high-profile event, which typically welcomes more than 54,000 visitors. The fair is due to be held in September.
BlackRock Inc, the world's largest asset manager, has postponed a two-day September conference at the Four Seasons Hotel until February "so that as many partners as possible from across Asia are able to join."
On Thursday, the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, which represents more than 8,000 businesses, urged all landlords to halve rents for six months and warned if the situation continued "many retailers may have to sack staff".
HANDS TIED
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has repeatedly warned that protests are hurting the economy. She has consistently declined to meet any of the protesters' core demands.
Instead, this month, she announced stimulus measures worth $2.4 billion, from subsidies for education and utilities to loan relief for small businesses.
But analysts warn that in the current climate, handouts are ineffective as firms and consumers are in no mood to spend.
With no obvious infrastructure upgrades needed, and with the government having a long track record of failing to adequately boost housing supply, analysts only expect announcements of more handouts and tax breaks at Lam's annual policy address in October.
Since the turn of the century, every time Hong Kong's economy got in trouble, the mainland's economic boom or its stimulus measures came to the rescue. Now Beijing is facing its sharpest slowdown in nearly three decades and record debt.
"Hong Kong is on its own this time," said Tommy Wu, senior economist at Oxford Economics.
GRIM FUTURE
Rating agencies have raised long-term questions over the quality of Hong Kong's governance.
But an increasingly assertive Beijing is fueling larger concerns. Mainland regulatory scrutiny on airline Cathay Pacific over the involvement of some of its employees in the protests will affect Hong Kong's image as a safe place for business.
A 1992 US-Hong Kong Policy Act allowing Washington to have a different customs regime with Hong Kong than with mainland China is also crucial for economic stability. For it to stand, US authorities need to see Hong Kong as sufficiently independent from Beijing, therefore movements of mainland troops at the border in Shenzhen are worrying.
But for now, the uncertainty is disruptive enough.
"The social situation tugs at all our heartstrings," Kaisun Holdings, an investment holding company, said in a statement.
"Many investors have chosen to leave Hong Kong, and some banks and (multinationals) have started planning on moving their base to other nearby Asian cities. Kaisun Holdings may also begin to look for alternate markets for some of our service-based businesses."
(Additional reporting by Kevin Liu, Donny Kwok and Clare Jim; Writing by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
HONG KONG -- Hong Kong democracy activists are hoping to get out a huge crowd later Sunday in a bid to show the city's leaders that their protest movement remains defiant despite increasingly stark warnings from Beijing.
Ten weeks of demonstrations have plunged the international finance hub into crisis and communist-ruled mainland China has taken an increasingly hardline tone, including labelling the more violent protester actions "terrorist-like."
Clashes have broken out between police and hardcore protesters but the movement has won few concessions from Beijing or the city's unelected leadership.
On Tuesday, protesters blocked passengers from boarding flights at the city's airport and later assaulted two men they accused of being Chinese spies.
The images damaged a campaign that until then had largely only targeted the police or government institutions, and prompted some soul-searching among protesters.
China's propaganda apparatus seized on the violence, with state media churning out a deluge of damning articles, pictures and videos.
State media also ran images of military personnel and armoured personnel carriers across the border in Shenzhen, prompting the United States to warn Beijing against sending in troops, which analysts say would be a reputational and economic disaster for China.
In the aftermath of Tuesday's airport chaos, some protester groups apologized and vowed to hold a huge rally on Sunday.
Billed as a "rational, non-violent" protest, it is being organized by the Civil Human Rights Front, a group that eschews confrontations with police and was the driving force behind record-breaking rallies in June and July that saw hundreds of thousands of people hit the streets.
March banned
During smaller protest marches on Saturday -- which ended without the kind of largescale clashes that have become so commonplace each weekend -- many protesters chanted "See you in Victoria Park!" as they left the streets.
The park has long been used as the staging point for the city's years of democracy protests and will host Sunday's demonstration.
Police have given permission for the rally to go ahead but banned a proposed march.
Previous bans in recent weeks have simply been ignored by protesters and have soon led to clashes with riot police.
The protests were sparked by opposition to a plan to allow extraditions to the mainland, but have since morphed into a wider call for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous city.
Under a deal signed with Britain, authoritarian China agreed to allow Hong Kong to keep its unique freedoms when it was handed back in 1997.
But many Hong Kongers feel those freedoms are being eroded, especially since China's hardline president Xi Jinping came to power.
In the last two months millions of people have hit the streets while clashes have broken out between police and small groups of hardcore protesters.
Battles between police firing tear gas and rubber bullets -- and hardcore protesters using rocks, Molotov cocktails and slingshots -- have since become routine in a city once renowned for its stability.
Beyond suspending the extradition bill, Beijing and city leader Carrie Lam have shown no desire to meet key demands such as an inquiry into police violence, the complete withdrawal of the bill and an amnesty.
But protesters remain unbowed, despite the arrests of more than 700 people and 11 consecutive weekends of rallies that have won few concessions.
Beijing has turned the screws on Hong Kong's businesses, pressuring them to toe the line and condemn the protesters.
On Friday, Cathay Pacific announced the shock resignation of CEO Rupert Hogg after the carrier was excoriated by Beijing because some staff supported the pro-democracy protests.
A day later the "Big Four" accountancy firms scrambled to distance themselves from a advert placed in a newspaper purportedly by employees saying they supported the protests.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Chaos gripped Hong Kong's airport for a second day Tuesday as pro-democracy protesters staged a disruptive sit-in that paralyzed hundreds of flights, saw police fire pepper spray, and a mainland journalist beaten.
Demonstrators defied warnings from the city's leader, who said they were heading down a "path of no return", and US President Donald Trump called for calm, saying his intelligence had confirmed Chinese troop movements toward the Hong Kong border.
The latest protest led to ugly scenes at one of the world's busiest airports, where small groups of hardcore demonstrators turned on two men they accused of being spies or undercover police -- and as desperate travellers pleaded in vain to be allowed onto flights.
Hong Kong's 10-week political crisis, which has seen millions of people take to the streets calling for a halt to sliding freedoms, was already the biggest challenge to Chinese rule of the semi-autonomous city since its 1997 handover from Britain.
But two days of protests at the airport have again raised the stakes for the financial hub.
Beijing is sending increasingly ominous signals that the unrest must end, with state-run media showing videos of security forces gathering across the border.
All check-ins were cancelled on Tuesday afternoon after thousands of protesters wearing their signature black T-shirts made barricades using luggage trolleys to prevent passengers from passing through security gates.
Scuffles broke out between protesters and travelers, and vigilantism occurred when demonstrators turned on two men.
Mob justice
Police have recently disguised themselves as activists to make arrests, a move which has sent paranoia soaring among protesters.
The first man was held for about two hours before eventually being led away in an ambulance. Riot police briefly deployed pepper spray and batons to beat back protesters while they escorted the vehicle away from the departures hall.
Another man, wearing a yellow journalist vest, was surrounded, zip-tied and then beaten by a small group who accused him of being a spy.
In a tweet, Hu Xijun, the editor of China's state-controlled Global Times tabloid -- which has vociferously condemned the protests -- confirmed the man was a journalist working for the paper.
The man was later driven away in an ambulance after protesters and volunteer medics carried him off.
By early Wednesday, most protesters had left and the South China Morning Post reported that the Airport Authority had obtained an injunction to remove demonstrators, although it was unclear how it would be enforced.
'Into an abyss'
On Tuesday morning, the city's leader, Carrie Lam, gave an at-times emotional press conference in which she warned of dangerous consequences if escalating violence was not curbed.
Lam faced fierce questioning from local reporters and at one point appeared to be on the verge of tears.
"Take a minute to think, look at our city, our home, do you all really want to see it pushed into an abyss?" Lam said, although she again refused to make any concessions to the protesters.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 2.1 percent in its third straight day of losses as China's official Xinhua news agency said the economic "damage has begun to show" from weeks of protest.
The airport became a target on Monday and Tuesday after especially fierce clashes between police and protesters over the weekend in which a woman suffered a severe injury to her right eye. Protesters blamed the injury on a police bean-bag round.
Some travelers voiced sympathy with the demonstrators.
"I understand the basics of the protest and they've got a point: it's about freedom and democracy and it's incredibly important," said Pete Knox, a 65-year-old Briton on his way to Vietnam.
Others were conflicted.
Chun-sun Chan, 46, trying to fly home to his two children in Britain, said he felt for the protesters "but I can't quite reconcile with myself whether this is the right way of doing it".
'Mobsters'
The protests began in opposition to a bill that would have allowed extraditions to the mainland, but quickly evolved into a broader battle.
Authorities in Beijing on Monday slammed violent protesters who threw petrol bombs at police officers, linking them to "terrorism".
On Tuesday, state media upped the ante, calling protesters "mobsters", warning they must never be appeased and raising the specter of mainland security forces intervening.
Videos promoted by state media showed Chinese military and armored vehicles appearing to gather in the southern city of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong.
"Our Intelligence has informed us that the Chinese Government is moving troops to the Border with Hong Kong. Everyone should be calm and safe!" US President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Tuesday.
Earlier, speaking to reporters in New Jersey, Trump said he hoped no one would be killed in the protests.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed off his Sept. 1 deadline for 10 percent tariffs on remaining Chinese imports, delaying duties on cellphones, laptops and other consumer goods, in the hopes of blunting their impact on US holiday sales.
The delay which, affects about half of the $300 billion target list of Chinese goods - along with news of renewed trade discussions between US and Chinese officials - sent stocks sharply higher and drew cautious relief from retailers and technology groups.
Trump's 10 percent tariffs will be effective from Dec. 15 for thousands of products including clothing and footwear, possibly buttressing the holiday selling season from some of the fallout from the protracted trade spat between the world's 2 largest economies.
"We're doing this for Christmas season, just in case some of the tariffs would have an impact on US customers," Trump told reporters in New Jersey. "Just in case they might have an impact on people, what we've done is we've delayed it so that they won't be relevant to the Christmas shopping season."
The US Trade Representative's Office announced the decision just minutes after China's Ministry of Commerce said Vice Premier Liu He conducted a phone call with US trade officials.
Liu agreed with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to speak again by phone within the next two weeks, the ministry said.
Trump has said the 2 sides may still meet in early September as scheduled.
APPLE SHINES
The delay in tariffs on a substantial portion of a $300 billion list of remaining Chinese imports sent US stocks surging, after steep losses in the past week, with the Standard & Poor's 500 up 1.5 percent and the Nasdaq Composite gaining nearly 2 percent.
Shares of market bellwether Apple Inc soared 4.2 percent on news that its core iPhone, tablet and laptop computer products would be spared from tariffs for the time being.
But the Trump administration still plans to impose 10 percent tariffs on thousands of Chinese food, clothing and other consumer electronics products beginning Sept. 1.
Among these are Chinese-made smartwatches from Apple and Fitbit, smart speakers from Amazon.com Inc, Google and Apple, and Bluetooth headphones and other devices, a category estimated at $17.9 billion last year by the Consumer Technology Association.
Flat screen televisions from China, a category worth $4.5 billion, also will face 10 percent tariffs on Sept. 1 after being spared from Trump's first round of tariffs more than a year ago.
Live animals, dairy products, skis, golf balls, contacts lenses, lithium ion batteries and snowblowers will also get tariffs on Sept. 1
Based on a Reuters analysis, the delay could extend to around half of the $300 billion list of remaining Chinese imports. Chinese imports subject to the tariffs on Dec. 15 totaled about $156 billion last year, according US Census bureau data.
Most retailers would have stocked their holiday merchandise before the earlier September deadline, some might have faced the tariffs for fill-in orders late in the holiday shopping season.
Still, the Retail Industry Leaders Association said "removing some products from the list and delaying additional 10 percent tariffs on other products, such as toys, consumer electronics, apparel and footwear, until Dec. 15 is welcome news as it will mitigate some pain for consumers through the holiday season."
The Consumer Technology Association applauded the delay on some items, but added: "Next month, we’ll begin to pay more for some of our favorite tech devices – including TVs, smart speakers and desktop computers. The administration should permanently remove these harmful tariffs and find another way to hold China accountable for its unfair trading practices."
The 21-page-list of products that will not get hit with tariffs until December also includes baby monitors and strollers, microwaves, instant print cameras, doorbells, high chairs, musical instruments, ketchup dispensers, baby diapers, fireworks, sleeping bags, nativity scenes, fishing reels, paint rollers and food products.
A separate group of products will be removed from the tariff list altogether, the USTR said, "based on health, safety, national security and other factors." It did not immediately identify these items.
Trump announced the Sept. 1 tariffs less than 2 weeks ago, blaming China for not following through on promises to buy more American agricultural products during talks in Shanghai at the end of July. That move was met with a drop in China's yuan currency a few days later, prompting the Trump administration to declare Beijing a currency manipulator and sending markets tumbling for several days last week.
Since Trump's Aug. 1 tweets announcing the new tariffs, the US benchmark S&P stock index has dropped more than 4 percent.
The tariff delay, combined with renewed talks with China, suggest Trump may be willing to compromise.
In a sign the administration may be expecting something in return, Trump tweeted on Tuesday: "As usual, China said they were going to be buying “big” from our great American Farmers. So far they have not done what they said. Maybe this will be different!" Trump tweeted.
Trump's tariff delay comes amid growing concerns about a global economic slowdown. Goldman Sachs said on Sunday fears of the US-China trade war leading to a recession were increasing and Goldman no longer expects a trade deal between the two countries before the 2020 US presidential election.
Trump has also personally criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping for failing to do more to stem sales of the synthetic opioid fentanyl amid an opioid overdosing crisis in the United States.
The USTR office plans to conduct an exclusion process that could allow more items to be removed from the 10 percent tariff list.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
BEIJING/HONG KONG - Shares in Cathay Pacific Airways fell more than 4 percent to close to a 10-year low on Monday after the Hong Kong flag carrier became caught in crosswinds between Beijing and pro-democracy groups in the Asian financial hub.
Increasingly violent protests since June have plunged Hong Kong into its most serious crisis in decades and are one of the biggest popular challenges to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.
Cathay became embroiled on Friday when China's civil aviation regulator demanded the airline suspend personnel who engaged in or supported illegal protests in Hong Kong from staffing flights into its airspace, citing safety concerns.
The airline moved fast to comply with the demand from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), suspending a pilot arrested during anti-government protests in Hong Kong and firing two airport employees citing misconduct on Saturday.
It also said it would bar "overly radical" staff from crewing flights to the mainland, and analysts said the tighter oversight, along with the impact the protests could have on traffic, could affect the airline's bottom line.
"Not only is this likely to affect direct China flights, but also flights to Europe and, to a lesser extent, to the US, given that they fly over China airspace," Jefferies analyst Andrew Lee said.
Passenger traffic in mainland China, Europe and North America accounted for over 50 percent of all Cathay's traffic in the first half of this year, according to Jefferies data.
Cathay's shares tumbled to HK$9.82 on Monday morning, their lowest since October 2018 and near levels not seen since the 2009 financial crisis.
STAFFING QUESTION
Cathay's largest shareholder is Swire Pacific Ltd, with a 45 percent stake, followed by China's flagship carrier, Air China Ltd which owns 30 percent, according to the airline's latest annual report.
The company, which in March reported its first profit in 3 years, has seen a decline in forward bookings for travel to Hong Kong due to the protests.
It was not immediately clear how the regulator's directive would affect flight staffing. Cathay CEO Rupert Hogg told staff the company would report to the CAAC by Thursday on how it would improve flight safety, according to a copy of a letter seen by Reuters.
Cathay did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The Hong Kong Cabin Crew Federation, a union representing airline employees, has criticized the regulator.
In a statement on Saturday, it said the CAAC should have "respected Hong Kong people's rights and freedoms" on the basis of the "one country, two systems" principle, which guarantees the former British colony a high degree of autonomy from Beijing.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
HONG KONG/BEIJING—China's aviation regulator on Friday demanded Cathay Pacific Airways suspend personnel who have engaged in illegal protests in Hong Kong from staffing flights into its airspace from August 10.
Hong Kong has been embroiled in increasingly violent anti-government street protests for the past two months, which a top Chinese official described this week as the greatest crisis since its return from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
Last week, a Cathay pilot was among over 40 people charged with rioting for allegedly taking part in violent clashes with the police near Beijing's main representative office in the city.
On Friday night, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said that Cathay crew who have engaged in the protests pose a threat to aviation safety in mainland China, according to a statement on its website.
The aviation authority ordered Cathay to provide identification information for its crew on mainland-bound flights.
Crew members that have not gained the authority's approval will not be allowed into its airspace, including on flights bound for other destinations.
The airline has also been ordered to draw up proposals to strengthen safety and security, said the statement.
In response, a Cathay Pacific spokesperson said: "We have received the directive and are studying it very carefully. We are treating it seriously and are following up accordingly."
"The safety of our passengers is always the top priority of Cathay Pacific. There is zero tolerance for any inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour that may affect aviation safety. We deal with these incidents very seriously."
Cathay said in a statement on Thursday it respects "everyone's right to express themselves in a peaceful and respectful manner," while insisting it "recognises that Hong Kong SAR is a part of China".
"We do not condone any activities that jeopardise the stability of Hong Kong, or any actions that may affect aviation safety," said the company.
Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam on Friday urged an end to the violence, claiming that the protests are dragging on the city's economy.
Hong Kong-listed Cathay is 45% owned by Swire Pacific and 22.7% held by Air China , according to Refinitiv Eikon.
The airline has been Hong Kong's flag carrier since the colonial era. Swire Pacific's parent, John Swire & Sons Ltd, is a UK-based conglomerate with businesses ranging from property to transportation.
(Reporting by Noah Sin, Donny Kwok, Twinnie Siu, Tom Westbrook and Lina Juarawee in HONG KONG, Stella Qiu in BEIJING and Brenda Goh in SHANGHAI; Additional reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk; editing by Jason Neely and Jan Harvey)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
As a tear gas canister clatters onto a street in Hong Kong, a pro-democracy protester wearing heat-proof gloves and carrying a traffic cone sprints from the crowd to put it out.
Police have ramped up their use of the crowd control measure as two months of rallies in the global financial hub have turned increasingly violent, peaking with 800 rounds fired on Monday in what protesters called a "tear gas buffet".
Hardcore demonstrators are responding with ever more creative methods to neutralize the threat, harnessing everything from traffic cones to kitchenware.
Their arsenal includes several must-haves: heat-resistant gloves, so they can pick up searingly hot canisters, and respirators that have been dubbed "pig snouts" in Cantonese.
Online forums host discussions on which models of 3M respirator filters work best against tear gas, and which local hardware stores still have the preferred models in stock.
"I really need to get one! The good masks are already very hard to find on the street," wrote one commenter.
On the streets, protesters compare notes on their equipment and offer tips.
After police fired tear gas at protesters hurling bottles and bricks on Monday, one bystander gasped and rubbed his eyes, attracting the attention of a passing demonstrator who handed him a mask.
"This one's not the good one but it will work," he said. "You've always got to carry one!"
TACTICAL RESPONSE
Demonstrators have formed special "units" in charge of tackling tear gas, which leap into action as soon as a canister is fired.
Some wrap their arms and legs in cling wrap to prevent the painful skin irritations that the gas and pepper spray can cause, and they carry saline to rinse the eyes of anyone affected.
Canisters are sometimes picked up and lobbed back at police or extinguished straight away with water bottles.
Some carry traffic cones, which can be popped on top of canisters to contain the gas before protesters douse them with water.
Months of street battles against police have allowed protesters to develop a sophisticated response to crowd control techniques, said Tony Davis, a Bangkok-based security analyst with IHS Jane's.
"What's happening in Hong Kong allows the protesters to learn and they're developing skills," he said. "They're becoming in a sense, an organised army, which they certainly weren't in the first phase."
They might be an "army", but their equipment is mostly improvised, with one recent tool of choice coming straight from the kitchen.
When police fired tear gas at residents in the working class neighborhood of Wong Tai Sin, a local grabbed a cheap aluminium wok lid to snuff out the gas.
The cooking lids have now become standard issue for some protesters -- part of an arsenal that also includes umbrellas and even swimming goggles to protect against pepper spray.
While tear gas is a common crowd control method worldwide, it had rarely been seen in Hong Kong before the latest protest movement.
Its use during the Occupy Central blockade of city streets in 2014, the city's last period of civil unrest, caused widespread outrage.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
BEIJING - China warned Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters Tuesday that "those who play with fire will perish by it", a day after the most widespread unrest of the 2-month crisis.
In its harshest warning yet, Beijing said the immense strength of the central government should not be underestimated, while police in the semi-autonomous city announced they had arrested almost 150 people in connection with Monday's violence.
The global financial center has been plunged into chaos by weeks of protests triggered by opposition to a planned law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China. The protests have since evolved into a wider movement for democratic reform and the protection of freedoms.
At a press briefing in Beijing, Yang Guang, spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, said the "radical protests... have severely impacted Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, pushing it into a dangerous abyss".
Yang said the government still "firmly supports" both the Hong Kong Police Force -- who have been criticized for their handling of the protests -- and Carrie Lam, the city's pro-Beijing leader who protesters want to resign.
"We would like to make it clear to the very small group of unscrupulous and violent criminals and the dirty forces behind them: Those who play with fire will perish by it," Yang said.
"Don't ever misjudge the situation and mistake our restraint for weakness... Don't ever underestimate the firm resolve and immense strength of the central government."
In the latest clashes, on Tuesday night police fired tear gas at protesters and residents who had gathered outside a police station in the neighborhood of Sham Shui Po after the arrest of a student.
Police told reporters the student was arrested for possession of offensive weapons after officers found him carrying 10 18-centimeter-long (7-inch) laser pointers in a plastic bag.
Student unions said the police were "fabricating a charge" and accused "the Carrie Lam regime and its lackeys" of "attempting to silence the opposing voices".
Police said 148 people were arrested during running battles with protesters on Monday as the city buckled under a general strike followed by clashes at more than a dozen locations in the former British colony.
Police stations were a particular target, with protesters hurling stones, eggs and bottles, and using giant improvised slingshots to catapult bricks over walls.
An apartment complex that houses police officers and their families also came under attack.
CONCERN IN THE CAPITAL
Superintendent John Tse told reporters that police fired about 800 tear gas rounds -- almost as many as the 1,000 rounds they said they had fired throughout the last 2 months.
In Beijing, the press conference held by China's cabinet-level State Council was the second about the unrest in as many weeks, highlighting concern in the capital.
The clashes have piled pressure on Chinese President Xi Jinping, and led to speculation that Beijing might be forced to intervene in some capacity, even militarily.
Yang, however, seemed to downplay any idea of mainland police or military helping with law enforcement, saying the Hong Kong government was "fully capable of punishing the violent crime in accordance with the law", and of restoring order and stability.
The protests on Monday paralyzed the subway system during morning peak hour, led many shops to close and delayed scores of international flights.
Lam warned the city was nearing a "very dangerous situation" as she framed the protests as a challenge to China's sovereignty.
Three masked youngsters from the largely leaderless movement took the unusual step on Tuesday of holding a press conference to demand democracy, liberty and equality, and condemn the city's pro-Beijing leaders.
Dressed in the movement's signature yellow construction helmets and hiding their identities with face masks, the two young men and one woman billed their gathering as a civilian press conference "by the people, for the people".
"We call on the government to return the power back to the people and to address the demands of Hong Kong citizens," they said.
The democratic call received backing from powerful US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"The Legislative Council must finally take long-overdue measures to meet the legitimate democratic aspirations of the Hong Kong people," Pelosi said late Monday.
She reiterated a call for Washington to suspend sales of munitions and crowd control gear to Hong Kong's police.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Hong Kong's unrest spread more widely throughout the financial hub Monday as riot police clashed with pro-democracy protesters at multiple locations and the city's leader warned of a "very dangerous situation".
The third consecutive night of police-protester confrontations occurred after a rare strike caused transport chaos.
Activists disrupted vital rush-hour commuter train service, held multiple rallies, besieged police stations and launched projectiles at the legislature, while the general strike affected dozens of flights at one of the world's busiest airports.
Police fired tear gas in at least 11 areas across the city, battling to disperse crowds of demonstrators in the most widespread unrest seen during the 2 months of increasingly violent protests.
The demonstrations were triggered by opposition to a planned law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but have evolved into a wider movement for democratic reform and a halt to eroding freedoms.
Earlier Monday, Hong Kong buckled under the strike urged by protesters who wanted to emphasize they still had broad public support.
In a rare public appearance since the crisis began, chief executive Carrie Lam warned protesters she would not cave to their demands.
"(They) have seriously undermined Hong Kong's law and order and are pushing our city, the city that we all love and many of us helped to build, to the verge of a very dangerous situation," Lam said.
She later referred to chants by protesters for a "revolution", describing this as a challenge to the "one country, 2 systems" framework under which Hong Kong has been ruled since it returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
"I dare say they are trying to destroy Hong Kong," said Lam, who was appointed by a pro-Beijing committee.
China's cabinet-level State Council said it planned to hold a press conference on Tuesday.
During Monday's widespread unrest, activists descended on subway stations at morning rush hour, deliberately keeping open doors to stop trains departing and paralyzing large parts of a network that millions of people use daily.
They later held simultaneous rallies at 7 locations and besieged multiple police stations, stretching the resources of a force that has become a lightning rod for public anger.
The most sustained clashes occurred outside the city's parliament where protesters used giant slingshots to launch bricks and the working class area of Wong Tai Sin, with tear gas fired throughout the day.
In the evening, a group of men armed with long sticks, clashed with protesters in North Point, a neighborhood where many Chinese migrants live and is known for its strong Beijing ties. They chased and beat protesters, who threw traffic cones and barricades in return.
PROTESTERS UNBOWED
In a briefing that highlighted the longevity of the protests, police said they had fired more than 1,000 rounds of tear gas and 160 rubber bullets since rallies began on June 9, with 420 people arrested and 139 officers injured so far.
But the protesters remain unbowed.
"Support for the political strike today seems strong and it has been bolstered further by the escalating violence between the police and protesters," political analyst Dixon Wong told AFP.
The strike -- a rare occurrence in the finance hub where unions traditionally have little sway -- hit the vital aviation sector.
More than 160 flights at the city's airport were listed as cancelled on Monday. Many were with Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong's flag carrier.
The airline did not give a reason for the cancellations, but its flight attendants union confirmed some of its members had walked out.
Some major roads were also blocked and many shops across the city were shuttered, including big-name fashion outlets in the central commercial district.
The strike led to some scuffles between angry commuters and protesters at crowded subway stations.
One video, verified by AFP, showed a car smashing its way through a protesters' roadblock in the northern town of Yuen Long.
Another showed a taxi ramming protesters who hurled projectiles.
But while some locals were angered by the disruptions, others said they supported the action.
"As long as the government doesn't respond then for sure the movement will escalate," a civil servant, who gave his surname as Leung, told AFP as he tried to make his way to work.
Dozens of protesters have been charged with rioting, which carries a jail term of 10 years.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong erected barricades in a popular tourist district and briefly blocked a major tunnel Saturday evening, defying increasingly stern warnings from China over weeks-long unrest that has plunged the city into crisis.
The semi-autonomous southern Chinese financial hub has seen two months of protests and clashes triggered by opposition to a planned extradition law that quickly evolved into a wider movement for democratic reforms.
Authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing this week signaled a hardening stance, including with the arrests of dozens of protesters, and the Chinese military saying it was ready to quell the "intolerable" unrest if requested.
But protesters have remained unyielding, vowing to hold multiple occupations and rallies into next week, sending tensions soaring once more.
On Saturday they embraced their mantra "be water" -- a philosophy of unpredictability espoused by local martial arts legend Bruce Lee -- in a bid to keep police guessing.
Throughout the evening they put up makeshift barricades across multiple roads in Tsim Sha Tsui, a popular shopping and tourist district on the harbor front, where many luxury malls and hotels shut their doors.
They also blocked one of the three cross-harbor tunnels connecting to the main island, causing widespread traffic chaos, before disappearing after half an hour.
"We will fight as guerrillas today and be water," a masked and helmeted 19-year-old, who gave her surname Lee, told AFP.
In a statement, police called on protesters to "stop their illegal acts" and told members of the public to avoid the area.
- City-wide strike -
Many of the chants and graffiti tags that were thrown up called for residents to join a planned strike on Monday.
"The more the government suppresses us, the more we will come out until the government responds to our demands," protester Ah Kit, 36, told AFP.
Two marches are also planned for Sunday -- one on Hong Kong island and the other in the Tseung Kwan O district -- as well as a city-wide strike on Monday and rallies in seven locations.
The call for strike action appears to be gaining more traction than previous walkouts, with a host of organisations and unions vowing to join.
Hong Kong has witnessed eight consecutive weekends of huge rallies -- often followed by violent clashes between police and small groups of hardcore protesters.
Under the terms of the 1997 handover deal with Britain, the city has rights and liberties unseen on the Chinese mainland, including an independent judiciary and freedom of speech.
But many say those rights are being curtailed, citing the disappearance into mainland custody of dissident booksellers, the disqualification of prominent politicians and the jailing of pro-democracy protest leaders.
Public anger has been compounded by rising inequality and the perception that the city's distinct language and culture are being threatened by ever-closer integration with the Chinese mainland.
On Saturday evening, protesters tore down the Chinese flag from a pole on the waterfront and threw it in the harbor.
- Violence escalating -
The past two weekends have seen a surge in violence used by both protesters and police, who have repeatedly fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse projectile-throwing crowds.
A mob of pro-government thugs also attacked demonstrators, putting 45 people in hospital.
Hong Kong's police have increasingly adopted tougher tactics, including this week charging 44 protesters with rioting -- an offence that carries up to 10 years in jail.
Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam has made few concessions beyond agreeing to suspend the extradition bill and shied away from public appearances.
Protesters are demanding her resignation, an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested, a permanent withdrawal of the bill, and the right to elect their leaders.
Thousands of pro-government supporters also held a rally in a separate park on Saturday, many waving Chinese flags and chanting slogans in support of the police -- who have refuted allegations of using excessive force.
Beijing has increasingly pitched the anti-government protests as funded by the West.
China has provided little evidence beyond supportive statements from some Western politicians and critics say Beijing's accusations of foreign meddling ignore Hong Kongers' legitimate grievances.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
