logo
HK Arrests 18-Year-Old for Writing ‘Seditious Words' in Bathroom

HK Arrests 18-Year-Old for Writing ‘Seditious Words' in Bathroom

Mint2 days ago
(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong police arrested an 18-year-old on suspicion he left what they called 'seditious' messages in a bathroom, adding to a recent series of national security actions that signal authorities' continued efforts to curb dissent.
The man is accused of being 'involved in writing seditious words in a commercial building toilet on three separate occasions,' the government said Wednesday. The content allegedly provoked hatred and disaffection against the government and incited others to defy the law.
The move is the latest in a flurry of enforcement actions against perceived threats to the Chinese state in the former British colony. Hong Kong is seeking to burnish its status as a finance hub after its image took a hit from strict pandemic controls and clampdown on political freedoms.
Earlier this month police arrested four men for allegedly advocating independence for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. In June, local authorities took their first known joint operation with Beijing's security officers to investigate a case of alleged foreign collusion.
Police also banned a Taiwanese video game that month for allegedly calling for armed revolution.
In its Wednesday statement, the National Security Department of the police charged the man for carrying out 'with a seditious intention an act or acts that had a seditious intention,' a crime that's punishable by up to seven years of imprisonment on first conviction.
The offense is defined in the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, commonly known as Article 23, which was fast-tracked into domestic law last year. It's been invoked in addition to the Beijing-imposed National Security Law of 2020, which authorities used to detain and imprison dozens of leading democracy activists.
The Hong Kong government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

China's new digital ID plan links every click to the Communist Party
China's new digital ID plan links every click to the Communist Party

Business Standard

time12 minutes ago

  • Business Standard

China's new digital ID plan links every click to the Communist Party

The scheme issues each person who registers a unique "internet code" and a digital certificate after submitting their national ID card and facial recognition data Abhijeet Kumar New Delhi Earlier this month, China rolled out a government-run national digital identity system for internet users, administered jointly by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). The age-old idea that 'someone is always watching' is no longer a metaphor. It's fast becoming a technical certainty in the 'communist' nation. With the rollout of a sweeping state-run digital ID system, every login, post, purchase, and comment made online could soon be tied directly to a government-issued certificate. What was once an abstract concern about surveillance, the architecture of total visibility is now being coded into the country's internet backbone — line by line and login by login. The scheme issues each person who registers a unique 'internet code' and a digital certificate after submitting their national ID card and facial recognition data. Initially optional, it already supports trials across major platforms like Taobao and Xiaohongshu and is expected to extend rapidly to the country's one billion internet users. What issues does China's digital ID system raise? The new system replaces platform-managed identity verification (via phone numbers or user IDs) with a centrally controlled database. While platforms lose access to raw identity data, authorities gain a unified view across all registered online accounts — potentially mapping a user's entire digital footprint within one system, The Washington Post reported. Although proponents point to enhanced data security, privacy experts have warned that consolidating sensitive biometric and identity data increases the risks of large-scale leaks. Like in 2022, when hackers reportedly exposed personal records for over one billion people from a Shanghai police database, including names, ID numbers, and phone data. Though the government describes the ID as voluntary, critics say it may become mandatory by default: access to essential online services (payment systems, messaging, commuting apps) could depend on possession of a digital ID. Once legal usage becomes compulsory, refusal would effectively block a citizen from daily life online. What does the Chinese government claim is the purpose? Chinese authorities have promoted the digital ID as a 'protective shield' — a measure designed to safeguard citizens' personal information from corporate misuse, fraud, and data leaks by reducing the need to hand over real-name credentials to myriad online platforms. According to an official statement, it supports convenience, privacy protection, and the healthy growth of China's digital economy. Why are critics slamming the move? Experts around the world contend the system will enable more precise surveillance — potentially leading to personalised censorship, tailored not by geography or platform, but by individual users. This means content, account access, or online presence could be restricted at the personal level. Additionally, the digital ID fast-tracks the erosion of what little anonymity remained under China's existing real-name laws. How does China's surveillance approach compare globally? China's surveillance matrix, which comprises the Great Firewall, Project Sharp Eyes video network, deep-packet inspection of internet traffic, mandatory real-name accounts on platforms like Weixin/WeChat, and widespread facial-recognition cameras, is among the world's most pervasive state systems. Human rights organisations have warned that China's internet ID model may become a template for other authoritarian governments seeking to formalise or intensify digital control. Organisations like Article 19 and Chinese Human Rights Defenders highlight an international concern: adoption of such systems elsewhere could erode online freedoms globally. Where does China's 'Hukou system' fit into the picture? China's legacy hukou household-registration system already divides citizens into rural or urban residence categories, restricting access to services, jobs, social benefits, and mobility. The digital ID scheme, layered atop hukou, will further deepen state tracing, tying together not only physical residency but digital presence to national identity. Citizens might find themselves cut off online if they migrate without hukou status updates, or face constraints in accessing local digital services outside their residential tier. This replicates the physical constraints of hukou in the digital realm, locking users to location-tied identity and reinforcing social hierarchy. How will Chinese companies interact with the digital ID system? Under the new rules, private companies will no longer manage identity validation themselves: they must accept the government-issued digital certificate for user login and verification. The CAC and MPS effectively sell or license identity-validation data — platforms 'buy' or process data via government channels rather than build their own user-ID infrastructure. This will potentially shift monetisation of identity control away from companies toward the state. In theory, it reduces third-party data aggregation by platforms — but it also removes one layer of separation between citizens and direct oversight by authorities. Firms will become more or less obliged to integrate with state-issued credentials rather than holding user identities themselves. What would life look like for ordinary Chinese citizens? In everyday terms, the digital ID system promises seamless access to online services without entering phone numbers or ID each time. But the trade-off is deeper: once registered, every post, comment, purchase, and login could be directly linked to one unique number traceable by the state. That raises concerns about digital exile — if someone loses or is restricted in their ID, they may be locked out of financial services, messaging apps, shopping portals, and transit systems. Content posting becomes riskier; users may avoid sensitive topics, lest their digitally authenticated activity draws attention. This intensified, centralised oversight mirrors the hukou system's control over where you live, work, or enroll in school. In the digital realm, that translates into control of what one says, where they browse, and which online services they can use — all connected by a single, state-issued ID.

Trump Is Shifting to Dealmaking Mode on China
Trump Is Shifting to Dealmaking Mode on China

Hindustan Times

time40 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Trump Is Shifting to Dealmaking Mode on China

As the U.S. heads toward fresh trade talks with China next week, President Trump is increasingly focused on trying to strike an economic bargain with Beijing, one that aims to open the Asian giant to more American business and technology. For much of this year, the administration has used the pressure of tariffs to redirect supply chains away from China. The goal has been to weaken Beijing's geopolitical influence and press American businesses to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. Now, people familiar with White House thinking said, he wants to do deals. The White House is now actively encouraging China to buy more American technology, underscored by the lifting of a ban this month on sales of Nvidia's H20 artificial-intelligence chips to Beijing, reversing a policy aimed at protecting U.S. national security. 'The president wants an economic deal, and he's pushing very hard to negotiate that deal' with China, said Stephen Biegun, who served as deputy secretary of state during Trump's first term. In response to questions from The Wall Street Journal, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said, 'President Trump's first instinct is always diplomacy, and as the 'Dealmaker in Chief,' he always wants to secure better deals for the American people.' She said the administration is 'working to level the playing field for American farmers and workers and build secure supply chains for American consumers,' adding that China is again shipping rare-earth magnets to the U.S. Beijing had restricted exports after Trump imposed steep tariffs on China. Right now the U.S. levies are in the range of 30% to 50% on Chinese imports—higher than the levels negotiated in recent days with Vietnam, Japan and Indonesia. And the administration has been pressuring countries to build a so-called tariff fortress against the rerouting of Chinese goods through their territories. Specifics on how the U.S. would police so-called transshipments from China through third countries couldn't be determined. China has said it would retaliate against any country that strikes trade deals with the U.S. at China's expense. Chinese negotiators, led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, leader Xi Jinping's economic right-hand man, will likely raise the issue in future discussions with the Trump team, according to people who consult with Chinese officials. A diplomatic push is already under way, as senior officials from both nations are in talks over a potential summit between Trump and Xi. One option would be meeting on the sidelines of an October gathering of Asia-Pacific leaders. Trump said Tuesday he could meet with Xi 'in the not too distant future.' Trump also said the U.S. is 'getting along with China very well. We have a very good relationship.' Now both sides are working to gain more time to negotiate a broad deal. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he would meet with his Chinese counterparts in Stockholm early next week to work on an extension of a tariff truce set to expire Aug. 12. He said a key element of a China deal involves the country's buying more American products. 'We want them to open up,' Bessent told Fox Business on Tuesday. 'They have 1.4 billion people with a very high savings rate. They have the potential for a big consumer economy.' So far, Xi has shown little interest in changing China's state-driven economic model, which encourages domestic overproduction and global exports. Instead, recent actions to boost sluggish growth have doubled down on the old playbook. These include continued infrastructure spending, highlighted by a new hydropower dam estimated to cost at least $170 billion, and a trade-in program that has helped appliance and electronics manufacturers clear excess inventory. That raises the question about whether the Trump administration can realistically get China to make significantly more purchases of agricultural and industrial products as the president's first-term trade deal with Beijing sought to do. China fell short of its purchase commitments for such products under that 2020 deal, known as 'Phase One.' The coming talks in Stockholm are the latest in a series of high-level meetings between Washington and Beijing. Discussions in Geneva in May resulted in a 90-day pause on steep tariffs. A follow-up meeting in London last month led both sides to ease some export controls. The U.S. relaxed restrictions on sales of jet engines and chip-design software, while Beijing renewed shipments of rare-earth magnets. The Trump administration's recent reversal of chip-related export controls has stirred up fear in Washington and elsewhere that it would negotiate away tools designed to protect national security. Rush Doshi, a former National Security Council official who is now at Georgetown University and the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said Trump seems to be at odds with some of his staff who are focused on ensuring the U.S. has long-term advantages over China. 'He appears focused on a deal with China and a meeting with Xi in the fall,' Doshi said. 'If the president keeps reversing his own policy, or decisions made by his staff, Beijing simply will not take us seriously,' Doshi said. In contrast to Trump's desire for a deal, Xi is more interested in playing for time to gain an edge in what he sees as a protracted battle with the U.S. To that end, Beijing is planning to dangle to the Trump team some more purchases of American farm, energy and other products and more Chinese manufacturing investments in the U.S., according to the people who consult with Chinese officials. That proposition could be attractive to Trump for his goal of reindustrializing America. In return, it will also make a case in the coming negotiations that China should be allowed to buy goods it really needs, such as American chips and other tech products that are now subject to U.S. export controls. 'China thinks this has been better than they had expected,' said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank, referring to recent developments in Washington. 'Trump wants a deal, and China is willing to play ball.' Write to Lingling Wei at

From one chaiwala to another: PM Modi shares ‘taste of India' with UK's Keir Starmer at Chequers
From one chaiwala to another: PM Modi shares ‘taste of India' with UK's Keir Starmer at Chequers

Hindustan Times

time42 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

From one chaiwala to another: PM Modi shares ‘taste of India' with UK's Keir Starmer at Chequers

During his visit to the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart Keir Starmer bonded over tea during a relaxed 'chai pe charcha' at Chequers, the British PM's countryside retreat. The best part is that the tea was made and offered by an Indian 'chaiwala'. Prime Minister Modi also shared the image of his encounter with Akhil on his X account. (PTI) The heartwarming encounter between Modi, Starmer and Indian seller Akhil Patel is now going viral. The visit, part of Modi's ongoing trip to the UK and Maldives, turned into a delightful detour when the two leaders were drawn to the inviting aroma of freshly brewed masala chai wafting from Patel's stall. Akhil, offered both leaders his signature masala chai and also shared the secret behind his special blend, explaining the mix of spices, brewing technique. On this, Modi looks at Starmer and say "you get the taste of India." In the now viral video, Akhil also wittily says from 'one chaiwala to another' while pouring a cup of steaming hot tea for PM Modi. The Indian Prime Minister also shared the image of his encounter with Akhil on his X account. The post also features Starmer seated comfortably with a teacup in hand. 'Chai Pe Charcha' with Keir Starmer at Chequers… brewing stronger India-UK ties!" Modi captioned the image. While Patel didn't post anything on his personal social media, he posted a video on his company's official Instagram page. The caption to the video read, "Just a casual Thursday serving chai for @narendramodi @keirstarmer What a crazy day! Beyond honoured. We'll be sharing the full story with you next week so keep your eyes peeled!' It shows the two world leaders enjoying tea served by Patel. Who is Akhil Patel? According to his LinkedIn bio, he studied at the University College School in Hampstead, London. Later, he pursued a Bachelor of Science (BSc), Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). While a student, he completed internships at various organisations before taking up a job as a data analyst after graduating. In 2019, he changed his career trajectory and founded Amala chai, inspired by his grandma.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store