The mass resignation of Hong Kong's democrats last week was the end of a long road to disillusionment. To understand the move, you need to put it in context of what's happened since 2016. Here's my explainer for The Lowy Institute's Interpreter: lowyinstitute.org/the-interprete…

how am I in my early twenties feeling like I’m failing at life because I don’t own my own house or earn 100k a year

If you think about it, HK is now just Shenzhen but with Facebook, Whatsapp, and Google. And fewer people pissing on the streets.

The actual priorities

@StandNewsHK That responsibility continues in those of us, in the press and otherwise, who have the relative privilege of freedom.

The pro-democracy online news platform in HK, @StandNewsHK, will shut down immidiately after its current and past directors were arrested for alleged violations of the National Security Law. This is the largest arrest of a news organization since the forced closure of Apple Daily

“Fifteen years ago, if I talked to Western colleagues about the negative aspects of China, I was treated as a right-wing, China-hating, Japanese scholar. Now, people listen to us.” economist.com/asia/2021/12/2…

P.J. O'Rourke, renowned political satirist and journalist, dies age 74 reut.rs/3sILbW6

People trekking to the Hong Kong airport not to catch flights abroad or meet loved ones but to receive COVID tests is a nice summation of where Asia's World City™ is currently at.

we now go live to downing st:

No’r your right, I saw 👀 her go off but I thought she was going shopping 😂🤣

Don't forget the tofu as well. Vegetarians are loving this

Lettuced: Verb Def: to last so short a time that you couldn't even last as long as a head of lettuce Example: "fam, given how hard Sam f**ked up this piece of work, he'll definitely get lettuced"

The The Wall Street Journal raised a lot of eyebrows with its earlier prediction that Li Qiang, Shanghai's top party official who oversaw its months-long covid lockdown, would make the Standing Committee. We were right. Incredible scoop from the team.

In China’s new leadership, pro-market economic pragmatists are gone -- a true changing of the guard in China’s orientation to the rest of the world, especially the U.S.-led West. My latest on how Xi has changed China 🧵wsj.com/articles/china… via The Wall Street Journal

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10 must-know Japanese concepts that will improve your life:

Hong Kong held an election on Monday—but you'll be forgiven for not noticing. The Arts Development Council (ADC) controls over HK$100 million in annual funding, and it just held a race using new rules that emphasise national security. Our AFP News Agency story: bit.ly/3TWrtlO🧵