Would Britain allow separatists to give a speech in parliament? …well, yes!

Originally published by Hong Kong Free Press on 19/08/2018.

Whenever the issue of Hong Kong independence is raised there is a good chance that comparisons with other separatist movements will pop up in the debate. Scotland is just one of the more popular examples which can be used in this game of whataboutery.

The point is not even half as clever as those who use it think it is. The genuine and ever-expanding devolution settlement for the Scottish Parliament is a world away from the ever eroding ‘one country, two systems’ formula imposed on Hong Kong by China.

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Better Left Unsaid?

Originally posted on Medium on 13/08/2018.

A blog which pleases nobody.

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As Hong Kong’s freedoms fade, expect ‘business as usual’ from Britain’s new envoy Jeremy Hunt

Originally published by Hong Kong Free Press on 31/07/2018.

Mr Hunt went to China and little has changed.

When it came to Hong Kong, the new Foreign Secretary claimed to have had ‘extensive’ and ‘frank’ discussions about the implementation of One Country Two Systems. Such talk is welcome providing serious issues such as the banning of the Hong Kong National Party and the misuse of Public Ordinance Orders were wholeheartedly condemned. However, if it was part of a human rights box-ticking exercise then the British Foreign Secretary’s words are even more meaningless than they already appear to be.

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Trump’s playing a dangerous game in the Taiwan Strait

Originally published by Asia Dialogue on 26/07/2018.

Earlier in June 2018, the United States (US) government unveiled their new office compound for the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), their de-facto embassy. Despite the Trump administration’s propensity for upturning protocol it was uneventful. It was unlikely that the opening ceremony in Taipei was ever going to draw the attention of the world media away from the historic summit in Singapore between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un. While at this moment in time tensions on the Korean peninsula are in the international spotlight, the volatility of the Taiwan Strait should not be forgotten. What exactly would spark a crisis across the Strait is unknown, but Beijing persistently threatens retaliation against any act which pushes Taiwan further away from reunification with the mainland.

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Trump still a wild card for Taiwan

Originally published by The Taipei Times on 27/07/2018. 

Last week, US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver underlined Washington’s commitment to supply Taiwan’s security needs.

In a welcome speech for Taipei, Schriver stressed Taiwan’s importance as a partner in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific.

He branded China, which has stepped up military maneuvers toward Taiwan, as the “most aggressive” player in the Taiwan Strait and urged Beijing to renounce its use of force.

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