CRISIS: China Blocks Hong Kong Democracy Igniting Protests

BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Pro-democracy activists vowed on Sunday to bring Hong Kong’s financial hub to a standstill after China’s parliament rejected their demands for the right to freely choose the former British colony’s next leader in 2017. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) endorsed a framework to let only two or three…

Hong Kong police used pepper spray to disperse pro-democracy activists who stormed past a security check-point at a venue where a senior official from China’s National People’s Congress, or NPC, Standing Committee was addressing a gathering, Reuters reported Monday. As Fi Fei, the deputy secretary general of the NPC Standing Committee, explained the Chinese government’s decision…

China’s legislature has ruled against allowing open nominations for the election of Hong Kong’s chief executive. The standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress ruled candidates must be approved by more than half a nominating committee. “Since the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and the sovereignty, security and development interests of the country are…

China has warned against any foreign interference ahead of a crucial ruling on the city’s political future on Sunday, saying Beijing will not tolerate the use of Hong Kong “as a bridgehead to subvert and infiltrate the mainland”. China’s largely rubber-stamp parliament is set to meet on Sunday, when it is expected to limit 2017 elections…