The meeting of about 3,000 delegates in the Great hall of the people began with a minute of silence for the victims of the pandemic. In the people’s Republic have died according to authorities, around 4600 people to the consequences of infection with the novel Coronavirus. The pandemic seems to be in the people’s Republic, however, to be for weeks, largely under control, the official Chinese statistics indicate, at least.
The annual session of the people’s Congress had been postponed because of the pandemic by two months. It was shortened from the usual two weeks to one week. The people’s Congress is the highest legislative body of China. To travel its meetings, delegates from all over the country. Most of the delegates in the Great hall of the people wore on the Friday of respiratory protection masks. Head of state Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang refused, however, to the fact. dpa/Gregor Fischer/Reuters protesters sit on a wall, which has been described with a Graffiti (“Free Hong Kong”).
“This is the end of Hong Kong”
In his opening speech, Li announced that China “plans to strengthen the legal system and the mechanisms for the protection of national security” in Hong Kong. The new law is to be achieved, according to the leadership in Beijing, the implementation of Hong Kong’s constitutional article against “Subversion”.
“This is the end of Hong Kong,” said the opposition Deputy Dennis Kwok. Also from Washington, the massive criticism of the law came to projects. US President, Donald Trump has threatened a “strong” reaction of his government.
The law should provide for the implementation of article 23 of the Hong Kong Constitution. This provides that the special administrative region of betrayal by means of their own laws “to prevent schism, sedition, (and) Subversion” against the government in Beijing. The article was applied due to resistance in the Hong Kong population never. Conflict to the former crown colony in the Overview – Even armed US warships: these interests of the Hong Kong-turns-conflict
Hong Kong enjoys actually protection status
The financial capital was granted at the time of their Handover to China by Britain in 1997 under the official motto “One country, two systems” for 50 years a special status, citizens ‘ rights, such as freedom of expression and Assembly includes.
In the past year, there had been in Hong Kong for over seven months, mass demonstrations against the growing influence of Beijing in the special administrative region. In the case of these protests, it came again and again to violent confrontations between protesters and the police.
the defence budget is rising
at the beginning of the session of the people’s Congress, the government announced that, in spite of the economic consequences of the Corona pandemic, as well as of the trade conflict with the United States, the defense budget for the current year will significantly increase. It is planned, therefore, an increase of 6.6 percent. However, this is a lower increase than last year, as the Highlight, it was swollen to 7.5 percent.
The announcement of the new defence budget took place against the Background of in recent years, growing tensions between China and several neighboring countries, as well as the United States because of Beijing’s raised territorial claims in the South China sea.
In the economic and political part of his speech, acknowledged Li, that the country is as a result of the Corona-pandemic “enormous” economic challenges “great uncertainty”. In a highly unusual move, the head of the government announced that no growth target for the current year. China’s economy had contracted in the first quarter to 6.8 percent, it was the first decline in gross domestic product for decades.
Dramatic scene: police officer shoots 18-year-old protesters in the breast, FOCUS Online/Wochit Dramatic scene: police officer shoots 18-year-old protesters in the chest
kas/dpa
