#Hong Kong risk governance

[darkautomaton]

Integrating Risk Management into Corporate Culture in Hong Kong

As regulatory complexity and economic uncertainty continues rising across Hong Kong and mainland China markets, establishing risk-aware cultures has become pivotal for corporations seeking to embed resilience against crises. Beyond building risk monitoring systems, companies today need to drive mindset shifts from the leadership down to infuse vigilance and responsibility towards hazard identification at all levels.

Cultivating Risk Intelligence Starts at the Top

For most organizations, the cultural transformation necessary to view enterprise risk oversight as a shared culture rather than just a compliance activity starts with Asia regional leaders and Hong Kong senior executives. This means not only investment into formal governance through appointing Chief Risk Officers but also having CXOs like Chief Finance, Information and HR Officers spearhead training to their teams around prevailing risk landscapes and vigilance necessary in day-to-day decision making.

Incentivizing Risk Reporting from the Ground Up

Middle managers and frontline analysts will then carry this risk-aware DNA through the organizational bloodstream into daily processes. This demands establishing transparent reporting channels, securing anonymity and anti-retaliation policies to encourage surfacing of suspected risks through what-if questioning or flagging incidents that seemed“off” without fear. Especially around integrity hazards like fraud/bribery, safety hazards like harassment or mental health situations, or regulatory hazards like IP/data transfer violations, removing stigma is key.

Aligning Strategy and Operations with Risk Perspectives

Ultimately, for a risk-informed culture to stick, considerations around financial, reputational and regulatory exposures should drive strategy planning as well as operational enhancements across everything from supply chain design to cybersecurity to financial controls. Key risk indicators must be integrated into dashboards at multiple levels with drilling down to understand root causes. Frameworks like ISO 31000 or COSO provide blueprints here from setup to ongoing assessments into mitigation tracking.

With leadership setting the tone, transparency enabling ground up risk reporting without repercussions, and strategy/operations reflecting risk learnings - global companies can align around managing uncertainty as Hong Kong/China markets, regulations and technologies rapidly evolve. Risk management thereby transforms from restrictive compliance activity to enabler of sustainable advantage and resilience.

[panchitacarmensita]

How Corporate Secretary Helps Compliance with Changing Laws

In the ever-evolving business world, the role of a Corporate Secretary is increasingly significant, especially when it comes to compliance with changing laws. This holds particularly true in dynamic business environments like Hong Kong, where legal and regulatory landscapes are in constant flux.

At the forefront of their responsibilities, Corporate Secretaries in Hong Kong ensure that companies adhere to current laws and regulations. Their expertise lies in interpreting legal mandates and translating them into actionable corporate policies. This role is crucial as non-compliance can lead to severe legal consequences and reputational damage.

Corporate Secretaries also play a vital role in monitoring and anticipating changes in legislation. Their ability to foresee potential legal shifts and prepare the company accordingly is invaluable. They keep a close eye on developments in corporate law, financial regulations, and other relevant legal areas, ensuring that the company is always a step ahead.

In addition to keeping the company compliant, Corporate Secretaries serve as the bridge between the company and regulatory authorities. They maintain open channels of communication, ensuring that any changes in laws are understood and implemented effectively. This role is particularly challenging in a diverse market like Hong Kong, where laws might be influenced by both local and international factors.

Corporate Secretaries also have the crucial task of educating and advising the company's board of directors and management. They provide insights on how legal changes impact the company's operations and strategic direction. This involves not only understanding the letter of the law but also grasping its practical implications for the business.

Moreover, Corporate Secretaries contribute to risk management strategies. By identifying areas where legal changes could pose risks, they help the company to mitigate potential legal and compliance risks. This foresight is essential in maintaining the integrity and reputation of the business.

Finally, Corporate Secretaries are instrumental in implementing and updating compliance programs. They ensure that all aspects of the company's operations align with the latest legal requirements. This includes revising internal policies, conducting training sessions, and ensuring that all employees understand their compliance obligations.

In conclusion, the Corporate Secretary's role in ensuring compliance with changing laws is multifaceted and indispensable, particularly in a complex and rapidly changing legal environment like Hong Kong's. Their expertise not only safeguards the company against legal pitfalls but also positions it to navigate the legal landscape proactively and strategically.

[mariacallous]

One month has passed since U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the virtual demolition of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees congressionally funded but editorially independent news outlets such as Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

I spent the past nearly four years reporting on press freedom at VOA, where I documented threats facing journalists all over the world as well as in the United States. Now, it is my outlet that is targeted by a government—and my colleagues whose lives and livelihoods are endangered as a result.

At least 84 U.S.-based journalists worked at USAGM outlets on visas and could face deportation if they lose their jobs. A series of ongoing lawsuits has so far kept that from happening. The stakes are particularly high for at least 23 of the journalists, who are at risk of being arrested and imprisoned over their work if forced to return to their home countries, according to Reporters Without Borders.

VOA journalists from places including Belarus, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Russia, and Vietnam would likely face imprisonment if they were forced to return. Meanwhile, journalists at Radio Free Asia from countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam also risk arrest if they go back. Many of these journalists moved to the United States to pursue the kind of reporting on sensitive issues that is difficult to do in their home countries. Now, they risk persecution because of it.

“Many of them report knowing that they put themselves and their families at huge risk,” said VOA’s press freedom editor—and my boss—Jessica Jerreat. “Anyone who is lucky enough to hire someone who’s willing to make those sacrifices does have a moral obligation to ensure that they’re treated fairly and that they’re protected.”

The fates of these journalists could be decided as part of a broader battle over the future of VOA and its sister news outlets, which collectively reached a weekly audience of more than 420 million people last year in some of the most censored countries around the world.

On March 15, USAGM terminated the grants that fund Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Both outlets are fighting the orders in court. A Washington-based federal judge already sided with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, but the outlet, which is headquartered in Prague, is still waiting to receive its funding.

Also on March 15, around 1,300 VOA staffers, myself included, were placed on administrative leave and ordered not to work. Jerreat is part of a group of VOA journalists that filed a lawsuit in federal court contesting the moves. Two unnamed foreign journalists on temporary visas are also plaintiffs in the case. If deported, one could risk imprisonment for more than 10 years over his work at VOA, and the other could be in “physical danger,” according to court filings.

On March 28, a judge issued a temporary restraining order that halted all moves to dismantle VOA, including what was supposed to be the March 31 termination of around 500 VOA contractors, including myself and several journalists on visas.

Although the court order offers a reprieve for these at-risk journalists, it may only be temporary. Depending on how ongoing legal battles over the future of VOA play out, those journalists could still lose their visas and face jail time if they are forced to return to countries whose governments seek to imprison journalists and other critics.

It’s not just visa holders whose safety is now in question. Ten journalists from VOA, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty are currently jailed or imprisoned over their work around the world in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Myanmar, Russia, Russian-occupied Ukraine, and Vietnam. Some have been detained for under a year, while others are serving sentences as long as 12 years.

The U.S. government has previously protected USAGM journalists. U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration brokered a historic prisoner swap last year that secured the release of Russian American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva—who worked at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty—as well as Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich from wrongful detention in Russia.

In February, the Trump administration secured the release of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty contributor Andrey Kuznechyk from Belarus, where he had been jailed on politically motivated charges since 2021. But it’s unclear what the bulldozing of USAGM will mean for the 10 other reporters who remain in prison for doing their jobs.

The U.S. State Department has said that it is coordinating with USAGM about the imprisoned reporters and that it condemns wrongful jailings of journalists. But questions remain over what will happen to them if Trump manages to dismantle their outlets or USAGM altogether. Working for USAGM-funded outlets is what put targets on these journalists’ backs in the first place; if these organizations are shuttered, the journalists will no longer have employers that can report on their cases and advocate on their behalf.

This month, 37 free speech and rights groups called on Congress to protect the visa holders and the imprisoned journalists, including by pushing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to expedite immigration applications for the former group.

“Ensuring journalists’ safety is a moral imperative but it also sends a strong signal about the United States’ resolve to defend the principles of democracy and free expression,” the groups said in a joint letter on April 1.

Still, that resolve may be waning. The Trump administration’s attempted demolition of USAGM illustrates its disdain for critical media—and its desire to abdicate the United States’ longtime role as a global leader press freedom and democracy.

“It signals a retreat from the defense of democracy that the United States has been committed to since World War II,” said Clayton Weimers, the U.S. director of Reporters Without Borders.

As the home of the First Amendment, the United States has long been considered a champion of press freedom domestically and abroad. But that status is now in peril.

The Trump administration is fighting the U.S. press on multiple fronts, through mechanisms such as lawsuits against and investigations into critical media. It is precisely the kind of assault on press freedom that VOA and its sister outlets were designed to combat abroad. The fact that the White House might abandon USAGM journalists to their fates underscores its wanton disregard for the value of a free press in democracy.

The international implications are vast. For decades, VOA, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have delivered independent, fact-based, and balanced news to countries such as China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, where governments repress independent media. Without these outlets, hundreds of millions of people will lose access to not only a source of independent news, but also a model of what a free press looks like.

“By completely upending USAGM, it signals that freedom of the press, and with it, democracy more broadly, is no longer quite as important of a focus for the United States,” said Katherine Jacobsen, the United States, Canada, and Caribbean program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists.

It’s no wonder that state media in countries such as Russia and China celebrated the fact that the Trump administration was working to dismantle the outlets that broadcast independent media to their populations.

This jubilation is bad news for my colleagues around the world who are imprisoned or at risk of being jailed. It’s also bad news for democracy in the United States.

[follow-up-news]

Forty-five ex-lawmakers and activists were sentenced to four to 10 years in prison Tuesday in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case under a Beijing-imposed law that crushed a once-thriving pro-democracy movement. They were prosecuted under the 2020 national security law for their roles in an unofficial primary election. Prosecutors said their aim was to paralyze Hong Kong’s government and force the city’s leader to resign by aiming to win a legislative majority and using it to block government budgets indiscriminately. The unofficial primary held in July 2020 drew 610,000 voters, and its winners had been expected to advance to the official election. Authorities postponed the official legislative election, however, citing public health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Legal scholar Benny Tai, whom the judges called the mastermind, received the longest sentence of 10 years.

[tomorrowusa]

Rodrigo Duterte, autocratic former president of the Philippines, has been arrested and is being flown to The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity. 👍🏼

Philippine police have arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity over his deadly "war on drugs". The 79-year-old was taken into police custody shortly after his arrival at Manila airport from Hong Kong. He has offered no apologies for his brutal anti-drugs crackdown, which saw thousands of people killed when he was president of the South East Asian nation from 2016 to 2022, and mayor of Davao city before that. [ ... ]

The ICC earlier said that it has jurisdiction in the Philippines over alleged crimes committed before the country withdrew as a member. But activists called the arrest a "historic moment" for those who perished in his drug war and their families, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) said. "The arc of the moral universe is long, but today, it has bent towards justice. Duterte's arrest is the beginning of accountability for the mass killings that defined his brutal rule," said ICHRP chairman Peter Murphy. Duterte had been in Hong Kong to campaign for the upcoming 12 May mid-term elections, where he had planned to run again for mayor of Davao. Footage aired on local television showed him walking out of the airport using a cane. Authorities say he is in "good health" and is being cared for by government doctors.

Holding rogue leaders accountable is essential if there is to be such a thing as the rule of law. The arrest of Duterte is a major step forward.

Duterte's arrest marks the "beginning of a new chapter in Philippine history", said Filipino political scientist Richard Heydarian. "This is about rule of law and human rights," he said.

As president he may have killed as many as 6,000 people without trial. And that doesn't count his time as mayor of Davao.

Duterte served as mayor of Davao, a sprawling southern metropolis, for 22 years and has made it one of the country's safest from street crimes. He used the city's peace-and-order reputation to cast himself as a tough-talking anti-establishment politician to win the 2016 elections by a landslide. With fiery rhetoric, he rallied security forces to shoot drug suspects dead. More than 6,000 suspects were gunned down by police or unknown assailants during the campaign, but rights groups say the number could be higher. A previous UN report found that most victims were young, poor urban males and that police, who do not need search or arrest warrants to conduct house raids, systematically forced suspects to make self-incriminating statements or risk facing lethal force. Critics said the campaign targeted street-level pushers and failed to catch big-time drug lords. Many families also claimed that the victims - their sons, brothers or husbands - were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Investigations in parliament pointed to a shadowy "death squad" of bounty hunters targeting drug suspects. Duterte has denied the allegations of abuse. "Do not question my policies because I offer no apologies, no excuses. I did what I had to do, and whether or not you believe it... I did it for my country," Duterte told a parliament investigation in October.

Duterte took the law into his own hands. Now he's in the hands of the law.

Donald Trump can't be too happy about the arrest of Duterte and that of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea.

Duterte idolized Trump and Putin and appeased China.

His populist rhetoric and blunt statements earned him the moniker "Donald Trump of the East". He has called Russian President Vladimir Putin his "idol" and under his administration, the Philippines' pivoted their foreign policy to China away from the US, its long-standing ally. Marcos restored Manila's ties with Washington and criticised the Duterte government for being "Chinese lackeys" as the Philippines is locked in sea dispute with China.

Duterte's daughter Sara is the current vice president of the Philippines. She is being impeached for corruption and for making death threats against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr..

Philippines feud escalates as lawmakers vote to impeach vice-president

The arrest of wannabe dictators should make Trump look over his shoulder more often.

[goosersellpapes]

DAY 3

Hi! Today is Day 3 of the series, and we (@maolonq and I)will be discussing mooncakes! Mooncakes are eaten during Mid-Autumn(duh), and the most famous traditional ones usually have a lotus paste, and/or red bean paste and a salted egg yolk with a crunchy outer shell. It’s a sweet and salty treat enjoyed usually when looking at the moon. Mooncakes are said to have been an accomplice in overthrowing the Yuan government as well. By hiding the messages of warfare inside the mooncakes, the Ming dynasty officials were able to pass messages discreetly

Courtesy of @maolonq

In 1960, a new type of mooncakes was invented. Snowskin mooncakes were a low fat, sweeter type of mooncakes, traditionally made of a glutinous rice crust and a fruit center. Now, fillings of ice cream or different flavours of paste and no center are common as well, as seen in different catalogues online(such as mango, green tea, red date etc).

Courtesy of @maolonq

Now that we’ve looked at the traditional-ish ones, let’s look at the unconventional mooncakes!

1. Char Siu Mooncakes.

Char Siu Mooncakes are a controversial type of mooncake that has a red bean paste mixed with sweet barbecue pork bits with a salted egg yolk in the middle. It is NOT common in Hong Kong or other places as it is not popular.

2 Durian Mooncakes.

Durian is a well-selling fruit in Hong Kong, which translates to its Mooncake counterpart, usually consisting of a durian paste and durian filling with a traditional or snow skin crust. It has gained legendary mooncake status as Hongkongers grow to like durian more and more.

3. Pineapple Mooncakes

Like the Taiwanese pineapple tarts, pineapple mooncakes bear the same egg coated crust and pineapple filling their cousins do, just with a salted egg yolk. They are well received.

Now for the REALLY unconventional ones!

1.pistachio

2. Egg Waffles(NOT A POP IT WAFFLE I SEE YOU ONLINE RETAILERS)

3 Sichuan Peppercorn

4 Gin

5 Yuzu

6 HAM.

7 CAVIAR?????

Anyways, look them up or try them at your own risk. Have fun!

[darkautomaton]

Best Practices in Corporate Risk Management in Hong Kong

With an increasingly complex legal, regulatory, economic, and technological environment, effectively managing organizational risks is critical for companies striving towards sustainable growth in Hong Kong. By taking a strategic approach to identifying key risk exposures and establishing governance policies to address vulnerabilities, both local and multinational corporations can enhance resilience.

Conduct Extensive Risk Assessments

The foundation for building robust risk oversight is to regularly conduct enterprise-wide assessments, tapping perspectives from leaders across functions on risks emerging within main business units, as well as at the corporate level. Special focus should be placed on emerging risks - from supply chain disruptions to fast-evolving cybersecurity threats. Risks posed by Hong Kong regulations and legal responsibilities around data, employment, IP, taxation and import/export controls should also be incorporated.

Appoint Centralized Risk Leadership

While business heads are accountable for risks within their domains, oversight at the core by a Chief Risk Officer and/or risk management committee provides critical independence and cross-functional coordination. Responsibilities span creating risk reporting procedures to keeping senior leadership and board directors appraised, to aligning mitigation plans with corporate strategy. Risk managers also liaise with insurance providers to secure proper coverage against financial hazards.

Implement Key Risk Policies

Findings from risk assessments should drive key policy changes, be it business continuity planning to address operational crises, instituting ethics training to reduce fraud and corruption, or enacting information handling protocols to avoid data leaks, hacking and illegal trading incidents that would undermine Hong Kong stock listings. Anti-money laundering and sanctions/export controls compliance also need special attention in Hong Kong as a gateway between China and global trade.

Monitor External Signals

In addition to internal risk monitoring, closely follow legislative or law enforcement policy shifts, as well as economic/political disruptions arising locally as well as in mainland China that stand to impact operations. Participate in trade groups and maintain contacts in agencies like InvestHK to receive critical market updates. Regular stress tests help evaluate Hong Kong megaprojects like the Greater Bay Area growth plan or One Belt One Road initiative - and gauge ensuing risk reprioritizations.

By approaching risk oversight as an integrated corporate capability monitoring both internal weaknesses and external threats, companies gain enhanced visibility into vulnerabilities which allows preemptively strengthening of operations against cascading Hong Kong/China hazards - thereby boostinglong-term performance and valuation for shareholders.

[panchitacarmensita]

Aligning Corporate Strategy with Legal and Regulatory Standards in Hong Kong

When establishing and growing a company in Hong Kong, it is vital that business leaders factor in the region's complex legal and regulatory environment into strategic planning. Failure to adhere to employment ordinances, tax codes, intellectual property laws and other standards can undermine your entire China/HK growth agenda. This article provides best practices on aligning organizational strategy with key compliance benchmarks.

Start by Building a Legal/Regulatory Risk Profile

Gather input from your Hong Kong legal advisors on the primary laws and regulations that will impact core business functions based on your growth roadmap. Recruit specialists for insights across domains – an employment lawyer to advise on ordinances around pay, working conditions and termination requirements; a corporate attorney familiar with documentation needs as outlined under the Hong Kong Companies Ordinance and Securities and Futures Ordinance (SFO); and a team with nuanced understandings around taxation in Hong Kong/Mainland China.

Emphasize Governance and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

With your risk map complete detailing major compliance pressure points around formation, sales, trading, hiring, operations and more, use this framework to drive governance moves that harden the organization against illegal or unethical actions. Expand procedures around everything from acquiring entities in China to information sharing standards that prevent insider trading incidents that might imperil your HK stock listing. Appoint board oversight committees on ethics and regulatory policy.

Monitor Regulatory Trends Proactively

Laws and policies do not remain static – from 2023 increases to statutory severance pay to tightening rules against monopolistic practices among Mainland businesses by the State Administration for Market Regulation, regulations shift frequently. Continuously follow key policy proposals and moves by agencies like InvestHK, while participating in trade associations that can help represent your interests in government discourses.

Align Business Objectives with Compliance Mandates

Finally, let mandatory requirements guide corporate strategy itself by identifying opportunities. With crackdowns on corruption and tax evasion, build competitive advantage via best practices in transparency and disclosure around transactions, modeling anti-bribery across China operations. Where competitors resist minimum wage increases or workplace improvements, embrace these to attract top talent across Hong Kong and Shenzhen centers tapping young professional desire for purpose-driven leadership.

By viewing ongoing legal and regulatory reform as intrinsic to strategy rather than counterweights to growth, foreign companies can sustainably thrive across Hong Kong and mainland China's vast ecosystem, while accelerating competitive edge, financial performance and positive societal impact.

[the50-person]

The risk goes beyond formal arrest and extradition. The bounties on offer may encourage vigilantism, and sympathetic governments may turn a blind eye to or even facilitate extra-legal rendition of the eight exiled activists.

.

This is illustrated by the 2015 case of the five Hong Kong booksellers who disappeared from various locations, including Thailand, and later showed up in China where they “confessed” to crimes in the state media.

[hong-kong-art-man]

What Is So Special About The Dance Drama Wing Chun (詠春) As An Art Furore ? Will The Competition From Shenzhen Force Hong Kong To Do Our Cultural Best?

In the Western world, martial art is the art of motion. For the Chinese, martial art is more than that. It is a master’s philosophy and use of his body to accomplish visual art result.

Success is no accident. Many in the art world just want to follow success and not create it. Great stage works never come from comfort zones. The real risk facing the performing art circles in Hong Kong is the lack of enough top-notch breakthroughs and talented persons, apart from the usual problem: insufficient financial resources to make a big dream possible.

The world has changed. Home cinema, home video game and home audio are the kinds of ‘home entertainment’, because of their instantly accessible enjoyment, are replacing the traditional places like theatres, movie houses and concert halls. Determining what play or dance to go to watch in a theatre can be exorbitant these days, especially when you have to take into account travelling expenses, parking and dinner, apart from the expensive tickets. Making the overall trip ‘worth it’ obviously favours the large budget stage productions these days.  

For the above reasons, the new dance drama Wing Chun (詠春), produced by the young city of Shenzhen (深圳) in China, has been extremely popular in the country for more than a year since 2023. The show went to Asian cities. Some said, “What a grand show! Almost 80 dancers perform on stage!” Some said, “The electrifying movements and gravity-defying choreography performed by the dancers create a visual spectacle that keeps us glued to the stage!” Some said, “The variety of striking scenes is another thing that makes me excited. Nobody performs ordinarily!” Some said, “The dancers, male or female, are good-looking, powerful and extremely stunning! They express their performing passion glamorously!” 

The story of Ip Man (葉問) who created the famous martial art of Wing Chun (詠春) is well-known among the Chinese. Ip man was born in 1893 and died in 1972. He developed the great martial art of Wing Chun when he was 20. He had a famous legendary student Bruce Lee (李小龍). After the Second World War, Ip left Foshan (佛山) for Hong Kong. The dance performance was chiefly about how he was struggling for a living in Hong Kong, bullied by the gangsters, training his students, sparring with other martial art masters and deserted by his loved wife. His life has an unbroken line of unusual events and emotions, resulting in a successful and yet regretful life.

The production is high-quality but a bit expected. It is said that the investment was fuelled by the Shenzhen government. The stage design, lighting, audiovisual engineering, music and costumes offer their best, though the show are somehow not good enough if it wants to be at the top of other top dances. The truly excellent ones in this case are the dancers. The physically captivating dancers have no stuntman. I can feel that they sometimes risk their bodies to complete dangerous movements. These marvellous performers make the show absurdly beautiful because it is the most rigorous job for a dancer to be equally capable of the best martial art skills at the same time.  

The southern island of Baoan (寶安) County became the British Hong Kong after the Opium Wars more than 100 years ago, while the primitive small village of Shenzhen was ignored on the border. In 1979, Shenzhen was suddenly made an Economic Zone for the ambitious economic developments of China. After about 40 years, the young au courant city managed to produce this art show that shocks the Asian art world. Hong Kong has a much longer cultural history and up to now, there has been no such comparable achievement. We should feel downcast by the scale of the threat that we see from this pioneering city neighbour.

The Chief Executive of Hong Kong announced in 2023 that Hong Kong, with the government’s help, will be able to produce big stage shows for large-scale long runs or re-runs. The ‘Signature Performing Arts Programme’ will provide a subsidy of up to Hong Kong $10 million, a matching funding of up to $5 million to match private sector funding and venue support so that these Hong Kong performances can become world-class art productions and the international cultural brand that can represent Hong Kong. This is surely a piece of exciting news. But, the local performing art sectors are too used to government’s money as their major source of funding. How to make profits is right now a big lesson for the local art groups to learn. Money can be a good reason for success. They must realize that there are 10,000 ways that make things not work. Complacency, inertia and lack of business sense are the imminent hurdles that they must overcome. 

We all do better when we can gather the most talented people from a larger pool to work together. The population of Hong Kong is just about 7 million. That of Chinese mainland is around 1.41 billion. A top-class performing art team must be made of many gifted artists, from front and back stage. It is almost a necessity that in order to accomplish the ‘signature stage projects’ of Hong Kong, we cannot work alone or simply let a few big stage groups determine the scene. Joint productions of Hong Kong and Chinese mainland will be the sensible path, and I am sure we can find and manage a right path. It is going to take some time, though. Flexibility is the art of creating way outs within the cul-de-sac, as a Turkish playwright pointed out. 

Maurice Lee

Chinese Version 中文版: https://www.patreon.com/posts/hong-dong-ya-de-98447537?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link 

Wing Chun Dance Drama

Acknowledgement-CultArts x Creative

Wing Chun Dance Drama

Acknowledgement – 生活生活

Wing Chun Dance Drama Interview

Acknowledgement – 香港商報

[gaybd1]

Thoughts on the situation between Taiwan and China?

ohhhh my god how much time do you have lmao

Actually I’m not even sure what the average person from other countries even knows about the situation so here’s a VERY basic overview (like so basic pleas just Google it if you really wanna know):

Basically in the early 20th century China as we know it was the Republic of China (ROC) but then there was a civil war because the communist People’s Republic of China (PRC) tried to take over and effectively ended up chasing the ROC out of China to Taiwan. For a while both of them were like “We are the real China and we lay claim to ALL of this!” (China and Taiwan)

Anyway eventually the UN and all the other counties shifted from recognizing the ROC as China to recognizing the PRC which they still do today. So today we know the PRC as China and the ROC as Taiwan which have their own governments, currency, everything

People in China still learn and believe that Taiwan is a province of China. Taiwan is like “we are basically our own country, just leave us alone” but now there’s this threat that China is building up to take Taiwan back by force, which Western media loves to sensationalize.

Here’s the thing. Everything on the ground in Taiwan is just Business As Usual.

Are things more tense between the two countries than they’ve ever been? Yeah.

Is Taiwan buying up A LOT of military equipment to defend itself? Yeah.

Are military drills ramping up on both sides? Yeah.

Is my mom calling me every day to try to get me to leave this place? Yeah.

Are there signs for air raid shelters popping up in more and more places on the streets of Taiwan? Yeah.

Has China been sending their planes into Taiwan’s airspace every day for years now because they know that Taiwan will have to spend money and energy to send planes up to meet them? Yeah.

BUT do I think there’s ever gonna be an actual invasion? A lot of people do but I actually don’t.

1. Chinese people think Taiwanese people are Chinese. If the PRC invades or bombs or whatever, and Taiwanese people die, the Chinese people might turn against their government and be like “wtf are you killing us for??” I think there is risk there

2. A sea invasion is not practical because of the conditions of the Taiwan Strait. There are only like two narrow windows each year where the seas aren’t too choppy to send boats over, and there aren’t even a lot of beaches great for landing on

3. Technically America says they would defend Taiwan which honestly I’ll believe it when I see it but China really might not want to risk that

4. Another reason they wouldn’t bomb- the semiconductor industry here is SUPER important and basically powers the whole world, they couldn’t risk destroying that

I do think they could try other things, like I think cyber warfare is gonna be huge. They could easily take down the whole power grid, or cut off the internet, for example. Either of those things would create a lot of chaos. They could run misinformation campaigns or interfere in elections. I think if anything does happen it would be more in the sneaky back door style like how they took down Hong Kong

but even if there were an invasion, I’d stay and fight. This is my home, and I don’t think the Taiwanese people would make it easy on them

[rushikesh-d]

Train Seat Market Size, Analyzing Trends and Projected Outlook for 2025-2032

Fortune Business Insights released the Global Train Seat Market Trends Study, a comprehensive analysis of the market that spans more than 150+ pages and describes the product and industry scope as well as the market prognosis and status for 2025-2032. The marketization process is being accelerated by the market study's segmentation by important regions. The market is currently expanding its reach.

The Train Seat Market is experiencing robust growth driven by the expanding globally. The Train Seat Market is poised for substantial growth as manufacturers across various industries embrace automation to enhance productivity, quality, and agility in their production processes. Train Seat Market leverage robotics, machine vision, and advanced control technologies to streamline assembly tasks, reduce labor costs, and minimize errors. With increasing demand for customized products, shorter product lifecycles, and labor shortages, there is a growing need for flexible and scalable automation solutions. As technology advances and automation becomes more accessible, the adoption of automated assembly systems is expected to accelerate, driving market growth and innovation in manufacturing. Train Seat Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Train Type (High-speed Train, Passenger Train, Light Train, Tram, Monorail), By Seat Type (Regular Seat, Recliner Seat, Folding Seat, Dining Seat, Smart Seat), By Railcar Type (Overland, Subway, Long Distance, Others) And Regional Forecast 2021-2028

Get Sample PDF Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/105952

Major Train Seat Market Manufacturers covered in the market report include:

Major players operating in the global train seat market include Magna International Inc., Freedman Seating Co. Ltd., Magna International Inc., Saira Seats, Sears Manufacturing Co., Automotive Seating, Harita Seating Systems Ltd., Wise Company Inc., Transcal Ltd., C.E White Co., Fenix Group LLC, Camira Fabrics Ltd. and USSC Group among others.

The increased demand for new trains and increased investments made by the government in the implementation of high-speed trains are some of the major factors driving the growth of the market. Also, the rise in safety concerns in the high-speed railways is expected to drive market growth. However, the train seat market is directly related to the adoption of new trains, and the introduction of high-speed trains require large capital which is one of the major factors restraining the growth of the market. Also, the lack of proper railway infrastructure is one of the major restraints of the market.

Geographically, the detailed analysis of consumption, revenue, market share, and growth rate of the following regions:

The Middle East and Africa (South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, Egypt, etc.)

North America (United States, Mexico & Canada)

South America (Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, etc.)

Europe (Turkey, Spain, Turkey, Netherlands Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Russia UK, Italy, France, etc.)

Asia-Pacific (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Australia).

Train Seat Market Research Objectives:

- Focuses on the key manufacturers, to define, pronounce and examine the value, sales volume, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis, and development plans in the next few years.

- To share comprehensive information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (opportunities, drivers, growth potential, industry-specific challenges and risks).

- To analyze the with respect to individual future prospects, growth trends and their involvement to the total market.

- To analyze reasonable developments such as agreements, expansions new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.

- To deliberately profile the key players and systematically examine their growth strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

► What is the current market scenario?

► What was the historical demand scenario, and forecast outlook from 2025 to 2032?

► What are the key market dynamics influencing growth in the Global Train Seat Market?

► Who are the prominent players in the Global Train Seat Market?

► What is the consumer perspective in the Global Train Seat Market?

► What are the key demand-side and supply-side trends in the Global Train Seat Market?

► What are the largest and the fastest-growing geographies?

► Which segment dominated and which segment is expected to grow fastest?

► What was the COVID-19 impact on the Global Train Seat Market?

FIVE FORCES & PESTLE ANALYSIS:

In order to better understand market conditions five forces analysis is conducted that includes the Bargaining power of buyers, Bargaining power of suppliers, Threat of new entrants, Threat of substitutes, and Threat of rivalry.

Political (Political policy and stability as well as trade, fiscal, and taxation policies)

Economical (Interest rates, employment or unemployment rates, raw material costs, and foreign exchange rates)

Social (Changing family demographics, education levels, cultural trends, attitude changes, and changes in lifestyles)

Technological (Changes in digital or mobile technology, automation, research, and development)

Legal (Employment legislation, consumer law, health, and safety, international as well as trade regulation and restrictions)

Environmental (Climate, recycling procedures, carbon footprint, waste disposal, and sustainability)

Points Covered in Table of Content of Global Train Seat Market:

Chapter 01 - Train Seat Market for Automotive Executive Summary

Chapter 02 - Market Overview

Chapter 03 - Key Success Factors

Chapter 04 - Global Train Seat Market - Pricing Analysis

Chapter 05 - Global Train Seat Market Background or History

Chapter 06 - Global Train Seat Market Segmentation (e.g. Type, Application)

Chapter 07 - Key and Emerging Countries Analysis Worldwide Train Seat Market.

Chapter 08 - Global Train Seat Market Structure & worth Analysis

Chapter 09 - Global Train Seat Market Competitive Analysis & Challenges

Chapter 10 - Assumptions and Acronyms

Chapter 11 - Train Seat Market Research Methodology

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[mariacallous]

In 2024, increased adoption of biometric surveillance systems, such as the use of AI-powered facial recognition in public places and access to government services, will spur biometric identity theft and anti-surveillance innovations. Individuals aiming to steal biometric identities to commit fraud or gain access to unauthorized data will be bolstered by generative AI tools and the abundance of face and voice data posted online.

Already, voice clones are being used for scams. Take for example, Jennifer DeStefano, a mom in Arizona who heard the panicked voice of her daughter crying “Mom, these bad men have me!” after receiving a call from an unknown number. The scammer demanded money. DeStefano was eventually able to confirm that her daughter was safe. This hoax is a precursor for more sophisticated biometric scams that will target our deepest fears by using the images and sounds of our loved ones to coerce us to do the bidding of whoever deploys these tools.

In 2024, some governments will likely adopt biometric mimicry to support psychological torture. In the past, a person of interest might be told false information with little evidence to support the claims other than the words of the interrogator. Today, a person being questioned may have been arrested due to a false facial recognition match. Dark-skinned men in the United States, including Robert Williams, Michael Oliver, Nijeer Parks, and Randal Reid, have been wrongfully arrested due to facial misidentification, detained and imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. They are among a group of individuals, including the elderly, people of color, and gender nonconforming individuals, who are at higher risk of facial misidentification.

Generative AI tools also give intelligence agencies the ability to create false evidence, like a video of an alleged coconspirator confessing to a crime. Perhaps just as harrowing is that the power to create digital doppelgängers will not be limited to entities with large budgets. The availability of open-sourced generative AI systems that can produce humanlike voices and false videos will increase the circulation of revenge porn, child sexual abuse materials, and more on the dark web.

By 2024 we will have growing numbers of “excoded” communities and people—those whose life opportunities have been negatively altered by AI systems. At the Algorithmic Justice League, we have received hundreds of reports about biometric rights being compromised. In response, we will witness the rise of the faceless, those who are committed to keeping their biometric identities hidden in plain sight.

Because biometric rights will vary across the world, fashion choices will reflect regional biometric regimes. Face coverings, like those used for religious purposes or medical masks to stave off viruses, will be adopted as both fashion statement and anti-surveillance garments where permitted. In 2019, when protesters began destroying surveillance equipment while obscuring their appearance, a Hong Kong government leader banned face masks.

In 2024, we will start to see a bifurcation of mass surveillance and free-face territories, areas where you have laws like the provision in the proposed EU AI Act, which bans the use of live biometrics in public places. In such places, anti-surveillance fashion will flourish. After all, facial recognition can be used retroactively on video feeds. Parents will fight to protect the right for children to be “biometric naive”, which is to have none of their biometrics such as faceprint, voiceprint, or iris pattern scanned and stored by government agencies, schools, or religious institutions. New eyewear companies will offer lenses that distort the ability for cameras to easily capture your ocular biometric information, and pairs of glasses will come with prosthetic extensions to alter your nose and cheek shapes. 3D printing tools will be used to make at-home face prosthetics, though depending on where you are in the world, it may be outlawed. In a world where the face is the final frontier of privacy, glancing upon the unaltered visage of another will be a rare intimacy.

[saltlakritsegott]

Covid-19 has quietly re-emerged as a growing concern in parts of Asia, notably Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Thailand, with a sharp rise in infections and severe cases.

According to Thansettakij, the Covid situation in Hong Kong is once again under close scrutiny. The Centre for Health Protection reported that the rate of positive results in respiratory samples has reached its highest level in over a year.

In the week ending May 3, there were 31 severe cases reported—a 12-month peak. Additionally, wastewater surveillance has revealed a marked increase in viral concentration, indicating that community transmission is expanding.

Beyond the healthcare system, the entertainment industry has also felt the impact of this new wave. Prominent Hong Kong singer Eason Chan cancelled his concert in Taiwan after contracting Covid-19, further raising public awareness of the lingering risks and the ongoing importance of maintaining health precautions.

In Singapore, the Ministry of Health revealed that Covid-19 cases in the week ending May 3 rose by 28%, reaching approximately 14,200. Hospital admissions due to the virus also increased by about 30%. 

Notably, this marks the first time in nearly a year that the Singaporean government has released official figures in this manner—an action typically reserved for situations considered particularly concerning.

Despite the increase, Singapore has not identified any new, more severe variants. Authorities believe the primary cause is waning immunity among the population, following a prolonged period without booster vaccinations or exposure to the virus. 

As a result, the government is urgently advising high-risk groups—especially the elderly and those with underlying health conditions—to receive booster shots as soon as possible.