U.S. ends preferential treatment for Hong Kong and #Fulbright Scholar Programme.
American scholars informed to not visit Hong Kong

Many scholars visited Hong Kong through a well-know exchange program, Fulbright Scholar Programme every year. A professor of Government and Public Administration Department, Wilson Wong shared a post in FB today. A Fulbright Scholar informed him that they will not coming to Hong Kong next January as planned before because the U.S. government formally ended the Fulbright Scholar programme in China, including Hong Kong. And that they will seek other countries to visit.

In the statement of U.S. President Trump to China released earlier, it was mentioned that the U.S. government is taking steps to terminate the Fulbright exchange program with China and Hong Kong. Wilson Wong thought at first Trump might react slowly by just stopping new applications and therefore have no impact on approved cases. "Now, Trump is effective and takes immediate action."

Source: Stand News #Jul28

#Extradition #CCP
#Germany to Suspend Extradition Agreement with Hong Kong; #WhiteHouse Condemns Disqualifications and Election Delay

Germany Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after Carrie Lam postponed a Sept. 6 election to the Chinese-ruled city’s legislature by a year:

“The Hong Kong government’s decision to disqualify a dozen opposition candidates for the election and postpone the elections to the legislature is another infringement on the rights of the citizens of Hong Kong.

We have repeatedly made our expectation clear that China lives up to its legal responsibilities under international law”.

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany condemns Hong Kong's decision to delay election:

"This action undermines the democratic processes and freedoms that have underpinned Hong Kong’s prosperity.

This is only the most recent in a growing list of broken promises by Beijing, which promised autonomy and freedoms to the Hong Kong people until 2047 in the Sino-British joint declaration.”

Source: Reuters #Jul31

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#SOSGalápagos #Galápagos #Ecuador #China #Diplomacy
Huge Chinese Fishing Fleet Discovered off Galapagos Islands,
Ecuador Official: “A big threat and will request them to withdraw through diplomatic efforts”

The Ecuadorian Navy discovered a huge fleet of mostly Chinese-flagged fishing vessels around 320 kilometres from the Galapagos Islands. The fleet was made up of around 260 vessels. Former environmental minister of Yolanda Kakabadse, stated their presence has already raised the prospect of serious damage to the dedicate marine ecosystem.

The island's unique ecosystem and animal species intrigued Charles Darwin. Darwin's visit to the Galapagos Islands had a resounding impact on the formation of his Theory of Natural Selection. Due to the unique creatures of Galapagos Islands, the Ecuador government established the Galapagos National Park in 1959. In 1978, the islands were declared as the first Unesco World Heritage Site.

Kakabadse told The Guardian that about 260 ships were currently in international water just outside a 188-miles wide exclusive economic zone around the island. Also, the fleet's size and aggressiveness against marine species was a big threat to the balance of species in the Galapagos.

Kakabadse and ex-mayor of Quito, Roque Sevilla, were on Monday (July 27th) put in charge fo designing a "protection strategy" for the Galapagos Islands.

Source: Stand News #July28

Arm China CEO refuses to quit after removal by headquarters, accused of "creating a culture of fear"

In June this year, the UK-based chip designer Arm Ltd and the Chinese private equity firm Hopu Investments attempted to oust Arm China CEO, Allen Wu, after complaints of serious irregularities in his conduct.

Arm China published an open letter on Weibo accusing Arm Ltd of "threats and harassment" and attempting to cut Arm China's contracts with its business partners. It requested that the Chinese government intervene. In response, Arm Ltd blamed Wu for "propagating false information and creating a culture of fear and confusion among Arm China employees. It claimed that he "attempted to block the critical communication and support our China partners require from Arm for ongoing and future chip designs".

Wu currently owns 13.3% of Arm China's shares and has close ties with Huawei. He still holds the company's official seal and has used it to cancel his dismissal. Lawyers working closely with Arm China have expressed that China's complex seal system deterred confidence in foreign investors.

Sources: Yahoo Finance, (28-Jul); Apple Daily, (30-Jul); Reuters, (29-Jul)

Credit: Hong Kong Echo

#ArmLtd #Hopu #AllenWu #Finance #harassment #China