Did the Hong Kong protests overshadow China’s 70th birthday celebrations? Foreign Correspondent in Seoul, Milana Nikolova, discusses the Hong Kong protests and their impact in tandem with the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Communist state. One, is that this time around, celebrations were even more magnificent than usual, considering this year is the 70th Anniversary […]
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Hong Kong and pro-China students protest on campus
Hong Kong students and allies protested perceived unfair treatment of Hong Kong by the Chinese government outside the Forum on Tuesday, 1 October. Students were shortly joined by pro-mainland China counter-protesters and the two groups faced off in front of the Forum for at least an hour. The two groups exchanged chants before being asked […]
Africa: Continent at the Crossroads
Online Features Editor Bryan Knight reports on the recent political developments in Africa and assesses the threats faced by the continent. In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced an ambitious initiative that would revamp an ancient trade network that connected the Eastern world with the West. This ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, as it is commonly […]
Citizens to be ranked by national loyalty: China’s new Social Credit System
Our fast-paced contemporary age has loaded pop culture with every dystopian tale imagination can conjure, from Orwell’s 1984 totalitarian nightmare, to the social credit-obsessed society of Black Mirror’s Nosedive. No longer are these fictional omens of times to come. With a vast Social Credit System scheduled for 2020, China’s government intends to implement a social reality uncannily […]
World War 3 – Should we be worried?
Ever since Kim Jong-Il threatened to withdraw North Korea from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in 1993, eventually leaving ten years later, in 2003, North Korea has been on a slow and steady trajectory towards nuclear weapons. This trajectory has been continued, if not quickened, by Jong-Il’s son Kim Jong-Un. The reality of this ambition has […]
Ten Tips To Explore China
I was in China for 12 months on an exchange at Peking University, looking back at my travel experiences now, I wish I had known a couple of things before adventuring around China. Here is what I learned from my China travel experiences: Research thoroughly before going My first piece of advice would be to […]
Politicising Campus Space: the meaning of anti-Beijing art at Hong Kong University
If you have been to the campus of Hong Kong University (and you definitely should: the university is set into a mountain and overlooks Victoria Harbour) you will likely have walked past a big, orange pillar outside the main MTR exit and Student Union canteen. It is unlikely that, as a visitor, you would have ventured into […]
What is wrong with democracy?
It goes without saying that politics in the West is perceived by many to be in a bad state. Recently, voters have been fed misinformation by an elite who pander to prejudices and emotions for power. Voters have felt disillusioned with the quick-fix promises offered by the last few decades’ canny politicians, they have felt disenfranchised with Liberalism, and […]
Beijing versus Hong Kong: my experience at a Hong Kong pro-democracy protest
The last few weeks in Hong Kong have been riddled with political turmoil following the election. This came to a head on the 6th November when protesters marched from Wan Chai to Sai wan in Sai Ying Pun district. The cause of this protest? Two of Hong Kong’s elected lawmakers are being barred from standing, […]
Nuclear Power: for or against?
For Nuclear power conjures up vivid imagery in some, evoking thoughts of mushroom clouds and radiation. Although a wonderful inspiration for writers, the truth is that nuclear power is safer and more environmentally friendly than most other readily available sources of electricity generation. Until such a time that renewable energy can reliably generate all of […]