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Countdown to 2047: The Death of Hong Kong?

Hmm, the Brookings Institute (which Barton is part of) usually pushes for engagement with China- which indicates that Trudeau and co. are still pushing for further economic appeasement- concerning, but not surprising.

Dominic Barton named Canada's next ambassador to China
Katie Simpson, Kathleen Harris · CBC News · Posted: Sep 04, 2019

The Trudeau government has picked a trusted economic adviser as its new ambassador to China.

Dominic Barton will be heading to Beijing to take on the role after the Chinese government formally accepted his appointment.

Barton serves as the chair of the finance minister's advisory council on economic growth and has helped the Trudeau government shape its economic policies and strategies.
Click to expand...
The federal government kept the selection process highly confidential due to the risk that Beijing, in the midst of a diplomatic standoff with Canada, might reject Ottawa's choice.

And while this appointment is taking place shortly before a federal election, two sources say Freeland did not consult opposition parties about it.
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During a news conference in Toronto, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland was asked about past controversies involving the company for which Barton worked.

The New York Times reported in December that McKinsey held its corporate retreat in Kashgar, China in 2018 — about four miles from where thousands of Chinese Muslims are locked up in an internment camp. The United Nations has denounced the mass detentions.

McKinsey also has advised many Chinese state-owned clients, including one that helped build China's artificial islands in the South China Sea, which is a major point of military tension with the U.S.
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Freeland said the appointment was carefully vetted to ensure there is no conflict of interest. Barton must step down from corporate boards, however, and ensure any decisions about assets he holds are not in conflict with his public service commitments to Canada.

Freeland said Barton's close personal connections to Trudeau and herself means he will have "close and direct contacts" that will help him do the job.
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Roland Paris, a professor of international affairs at the University of Ottawa, said he sees the appointment as a positive signal that a frosty diplomatic relationship may be thawing. Barton's background and understanding of China will help him navigate the complexities of China's governmental system, he said.

"He'll need that, because we're in a very serious standoff with China now over the detention of the two Canadians. I think he needs to focus first and foremost on the well-being of those two Canadians, and I'm sure he'll do that," he said.

Guy Saint-Jacques, who served as Canada's ambassador to China from 2012-2016, called Barton an "interesting choice."

"Trudeau wanted him to replace me in 2016 but he declined," he said.

"While he doesn't speak Mandarin, he had good contacts with Chinese leaders in his previous job. This being said, I don't think he will have better access than a career diplomat in present circumstances."
Click to expand...

Also, did Freeland essentially vet Barton through the Chinese Foreign Minster to see if he would be acceptable?

Sources say Freeland revealed that Barton was Canada's choice for the post during her one-on-one meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Bangkok last month.
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Several dozen Hong Kong retailers likely to fold as protests hit sales, leaving thousands unemployed
  • Hong Kong’s retailers are likely to miss out on the five-day golden week holiday sales bonanza in early October as mainland tourists stay away
  • A local employment agency says up to 30 per cent of the city’s retailers are now asking full-time employees to go on unpaid leave

www.scmp.com

Dozens of Hong Kong retailers to fold, leaving staff in the lurch

Hong Kong’s retailers are likely to miss out on the five-day golden week holiday sales bonanza in early October as mainland tourists stay away amid the ongoing protests.
www.scmp.com www.scmp.com
 
Sun Hung Kai’s hotel, shopping mall businesses take a drubbing as tourist numbers plunge amid Hong Kong protests
  • Hong Kong’s biggest developer has seen occupancy rates of its hotels fall as low as 50 per cent amid social unrest, says chairman Raymond Kwok
  • Its shopping centres are also struggling under the weight of a slump in footfall and spending exacerbated by the protests

www.scmp.com

Sun Hung Kai’s hotels ‘half empty’ as protests deter visitors

Hong Kong’s biggest developer has seen occupancy rates of its hotels fall as low as 50 per cent amid social unrest, says chairman Raymond Kwok
www.scmp.com www.scmp.com
 
Well put together article with infographics:

100 days of protests rock Hong Kong

BY PABLO ROBLES, DARREN LONG AND DENNIS WONG
SEPTEMBER 17, 2019

Hongkongers have taken to the streets to demonstrate against the extradition bill in huge numbers. The protesters and the government are in no mood to compromise and police have found themselves thrust into the front line

multimedia.scmp.com

Hong Kong: 100 days of protests

Hongkongers have taken to the streets to demonstrate against the extradition bill in huge numbers. The protesters and the government are in no mood to compromise and police have found themselves thrust into the front line
multimedia.scmp.com multimedia.scmp.com
 
Causeway Bay’s retail vacancy rate to soar, with one in 10 shops standing empty as Hong Kong’s street rallies enter their 15th week
  • As many as 102 shops stood empty out of 1,087 in August in the district, or a vacancy rate of 9.4 per cent, according to data by the real estate agency Midland IC&I
  • More than 600 shops may empty out by next year, according to forecast, putting hundreds of staff out of work

www.scmp.com

Causeway Bay’s vacancy rate to soar as one in 10 shops stands empty

Hong Kong’s retail sales fell 6.7 per cent in June, the fifth consecutive month of declines as protest rallies picked up pace.
www.scmp.com www.scmp.com
 
Is Singapore benefiting from Hong Kong woes?

At least one economic analyst says the island city state is getting a ‘HK Bump’ in real estate and investment

www.asiatimes.com

Is Singapore benefiting from Hong Kong woes?

Since the founding of Singapore, the country has been of strategic importance in the Asia-Pacific region, and a rival business hub to Hong Kong. The unrest in Hong Kong, compounded by the US-China …
www.asiatimes.com www.asiatimes.com
 
AlbertC said:
Is Singapore benefiting from Hong Kong woes?

At least one economic analyst says the island city state is getting a ‘HK Bump’ in real estate and investment

www.asiatimes.com

Is Singapore benefiting from Hong Kong woes?

Since the founding of Singapore, the country has been of strategic importance in the Asia-Pacific region, and a rival business hub to Hong Kong. The unrest in Hong Kong, compounded by the US-China …
www.asiatimes.com www.asiatimes.com
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Of course it is - but its' strength is also the major drawback - i.e. it isn't China.

AoD
 
Hong Kong was an unhappy city long before the anti-government protests divided us further
  • A creative and constructive force, but increasing inequality and other social issues have left us miserable and overshadowed some of city’s achievements

www.scmp.com

Opinion | Hong Kong was an unhappy city long before anti-government protests

A creative and constructive force, but increasing inequality and other social issues have left us miserable and overshadowed some of city’s achievements.
www.scmp.com www.scmp.com
 
Hong Kong airport feels unrest-related slump, set for 2 million fewer travellers in 2019
  • Whole-year drop estimated despite numbers being up in the first six months, before anti-government protests began
  • And August brought the biggest year-on-year decline in monthly travellers in a decade

www.scmp.com

Airport feels unrest-related slump, set for 2 million fewer travellers in 2019

Whole-year drop estimated despite numbers being up in the first six months, before anti-government protests began.
www.scmp.com www.scmp.com
 
Forever 21 shuts its last Hong Kong store as street rallies became the final straw that broke the fashion retailer’s back
  • The American fast-fashion chain has closed its Mong Kok store, pulling down the curtain on eight years in Hong Kong
  • The city’s massive protest rallies, now in their fourth month, have often targeted Hong Kong’s main shopping districts

www.scmp.com

Forever 21 shuts last Hong Kong store as rallies become the last straw

The American fast-fashion chain has closed its Mong Kok store, pulling down the curtain on eight years in Hong Kong.
www.scmp.com www.scmp.com
 
Hong Kong hoteliers issue SOS as plunging rates reach US$9 a night and occupancy hits 20 per cent amid protests
  • At monthly rate of HK$5,980, three-star Winland 800 Hotel in protest-hit Tsing Yi cheaper than subdivided flats
  • Government should allow long-term leasing and sale of hotel rooms as this would also solve housing problem, Best Western owner says

www.scmp.com

Hong Kong hotels issue SOS as rates hit US$9 a night, occupancy 20 per cent

Hong Kong hotel operators have called on the government to waive rents and even allow properties to offer empty rooms on long-term leases, or for sale, as a way of survival amid a steep decline in occupancy and rates brought on by 16 weeks of protests in the city.
www.scmp.com www.scmp.com
 
It is difficult to not be sympathetic to the plight of Hong Kongers. Unfortunately, they were always a colonial legacy, and the city's economic importance can always be shifted around the Pearl River Delta.
 
MTR ridership figures plunge by as much as 30 per cent in August amid Hong Kong protest crisis
  • High-speed rail link to mainland China hardest hit, posting lowest monthly figures since debut a year ago
  • Credit rating agency warns of more woes for operator if retail sentiment and tourism continue to be affected

www.scmp.com

MTR ridership figures fall by up to 30 per cent in August amid protests

High-speed rail link to mainland China hardest hit, posting lowest monthly figures since debut a year ago.
www.scmp.com www.scmp.com
 
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