Rose Hanbury could be a main character in a dominant conspiracy surrounding the British royal family – and this time it’s not rooted in rumors of infidelity.

Hanbury, 40, is making headlines for her connection with Prince William if questions about Princess Kate Middleton‘s whereabouts continue to rise, but now some of her home furnishings appear to be in question.

Internet sleuths have unearthed several photo shoots of Hanbury and her husband. David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, posing in various rooms of their home in Norfolk, England, Houghton Hall. The images – mainly from May 2013 Vanity fair profile and May 2023 Financial times The piece shows the couple posing next to what appears to be several oriental set pieces reportedly looted from China during the Qing dynasty.

“So, because of the #KateGate / #WhereIsKate drama about Kate Middleton / Princess of Wales #Katespiracy, many people around the world have increased interest in Rose Hanbury and her mysterious connection to Prince William,” wrote an X user earlier this week she shared the photos of Hanbury and her husband. “Unfortunately, people in China looked a little too closely at this photo shoot of the Marquis and Marchioness of Cholmondeley in their beautiful stately home, and noticed that it is full of authentic Chinese furniture and artefacts. [sic] stolen from China during the fall of the Qing dynasty, and they are angry.”

The message continued: “Apparently the Marquis of Cholmondeley inherited these controversial pieces from his Sassoon side of the family, and the Sassoons acquired them by plundering Qing China while trading opium there,” the same X-thread read. “Now Chinese netizens spotted them in the background of their photo shoot at Houghton Hall.”

The Sassoon family reportedly ran a trading empire in the 19th century, trading goods in several countries, including China. It is unclear how the Sassons – and now the Marquis and Marchioness of Cholmondeley – acquired the items in question. However, Sybil Sassoon is Cholmondeley’s grandmother, so it seems there is a connection.

Former royal reporter for BuzzFeed Ellie Hall even weighed in on the new controversy, calling it a “favorite unexpected side-plot” of the ongoing royal family drama.

Hanbury’s connection to the royal family actually dates back many years. She even attended Kate and William’s wedding in 2011. Eight years later, affair rumors began swirling between Hanbury and William. (In 2019, multiple media outlets reported that Kate and Hanbury had a falling out over alleged infidelity.)

Royal Watchers recently raised the affair rumors when Kate’s whereabouts were questioned after she underwent abdominal surgery in January. Social media users went rogue with theories about the Princess of Wales’s well-being, with some claiming William and Hanbury’s affair was the reason she has not stepped out of the public eye.

“The rumors are completely false,” Hanbury’s lawyers reportedly said Business insider denied the affair earlier this week.

Editor-in-chief of True Royalty TV Nick Bullen told exclusively We weekly on Tuesday, March 19, that Hanbury is “very upset” by the infidelity rumors resurfacing.

“I know people who know the Marchioness of Cholmondeley very, very well, and she absolutely did not have an affair with the Prince of Wales,” Bullen added.

HUMANOID robots could be brought to ordinary people’s homes “soon,” according to a new robotics center in Beijing.

The robots, which use AI and resemble human bodies in shape, are expected to help China advance in its technology war with the US.

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Month-old robotics center Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center has so far provided minimal details about its latest project to release a prototype humanoid robot for general use.

But it assured that the robot will be created “soon.” South China Morning Mail reports.

The machines are expected to replenish China’s shrinking workforce as the vast economy looks to upgrade its growth engines with new technology-led “productive forces.”

An unnamed source from the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center told the Beijing Youth Daily: “It is the dream of every humanoid robot company to bring humanoid robots into thousands of households.”

It comes amid China’s fierce ongoing technology war with the United States, and as China faces serious demographic challenges – including a rapidly aging population – and a real estate market crisis.

The center was reportedly established late last year and includes both private and state-owned robot manufacturers.

A source described as a “responsible person” said leading robotics industry experts and researchers at the center were seeking “a common technological platform, public service platform and regulatory standards for the humanoid robot industry.”

They added: “In the future, humanoid robots may enter the automotive industry, 3C manufacturing (computer, communications and consumer electronics) and other fields, further improving the industrial production level.”

There are fears that humanoid robots could be yet another kind of “disruptive innovation” like computers, smartphones and new energy vehicles.

But China hopes to turn the humanoid robot sector into “a major new engine of economic growth” by 2027, according to the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The center’s humanoid robots are intended to be a technological convergence of artificial intelligence and new materials, and China hopes to make the country more self-reliant – and competitive with the US.

American companies such as Tesla and OpenAI-backed Figure are already working on humanoid robots.

Tesla’s $20,000 (£16,000) Optimus robot, the prototype of which was unveiled in September 2022, was expected to be mass produced within three to five years.

According to a November report from the Research Institute of People’s Daily Online, China is currently the second-largest holder of patents on humanoid robots, with 1,699, after Japan.

The MIIT announced last year its plans to mass-produce humanoid robots by 2025 – about 500 robots per 10,000 employees.

The company believes the robots will be useful for industries such as healthcare, agriculture and logistics.

New plans suggest that China could soon replace human soldiers with robots in future war scenarios.

Advanced robotic soldiers and high-tech drones are expected to be sent to complex overseas missions within the United States next one 10 years.

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Chinese state media have seized on Paul Keating’s much-criticized meeting with the country’s top foreign affairs official, praising the Labor hero as an “insightful Australian”.

Mr Keating has become a prominent critic of Australia’s approach to the United States and China, speaking with the economic powerhouse’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, in Sydney during a diplomatic visit on Thursday.

Pictures of the pair’s meeting at the Chinese consulate were published last night, with the Chinese government claiming Mr Keating said ‘China’s development and revitalization cannot be stopped’.

“Keating said that China’s huge economic volume and vast space for development do not pose a threat to other countries and are conducive to regional peace and stability,” said a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.

“He expressed his full confidence in the prospect of Australia-China relations.”

In the footage, Mr Wang placed his hand comfortably on Mr Keating’s back and led the former prime minister into the meeting room.

Mr Wang described Mr Keating as a “world-renowned statesman” as the pair sat opposite each other in oversized armchairs with cups of tea.

In a separate article published by Global Times, China’s state-run newspaper, Keating was described as an “insightful Australian” for his vehement criticism of the AUKUS deal.

“Some insightful Australians have already realized that Australia is surrendering its sovereignty to the US,” the article reads.

‘Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating recently criticized the AUKUS deal as the ‘worst international decision’. Hopefully, such words can sound the alarm for countries interested in joining AUKUS, regardless of which pillar it may be.”

After the meeting, Mr Keating issued a statement praising the “very pleasant and engaging event” and accepting that Mr Wang’s meetings with government officials were productive.

‘Mr Wang Yi emphasized China’s ability to continue to grow strong and strong, pointing out that China is still only 55 percent urbanized – another 20 percent to go.

‘Mainly [it was] a major discussion about the geostrategic balances and influences in the world.

“He said the world will continue to benefit from China’s ability to provide relatively low-priced, high-quality goods, which will help raise living standards in the West.”

Mr Keating has repeatedly criticized the Albanian government’s approach to China, claiming Foreign Minister Wong had been co-opted into taking a “foolish pro-American stance”.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who has faced much of Keating’s criticism, released a statement noting that the former prime minister does not represent Australia or speak for Australia.

‘Mr Keating is entitled to his opinion. He does not speak for the government or the country,” Senator Wong said in an earlier statement to The Australian.

And opposition Foreign Affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham raised questions earlier this week about the format of Keating’s meeting.

‘Look what Paul Keating had to say about Penny Wong and the Albanian government. And he has been very critical of them,” Mr. Birmingham noted.

On Friday he doubled down on his position, describing Mr Keating’s “attitude towards the way we view regional security issues” as “misguided, ill-considered and downright dangerous”.

“In terms of what Paul Keating has to say and how this affects Australia, it is critical that Australian governments reject much of his vision and approach as it gives far too much gloss and ignores the real strategic challenges.

“Frankly, it was quite pointed of the Chinese embassy to seek and request that meeting, and somewhat insulting to Penny Wong and the Albanian government, of whom Paul Keating has been such a critic.”

At the opening of the Australia-China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue, Ms Wong reiterated her pledge to confront Chinese leaders on key issues.

She said she “looks forward to speaking candidly about Australians detained in China, human rights, maritime security and regional and international issues.”

Ms Wong spoke of China’s “unsafe conduct” in the South China Sea and urged the nation to adhere to international law.

Her input on the subject in the past has angered Mr Keating, who has emerged as an outspoken supporter of China and critic of the AUKUS deal.

Speaking at the ASEAN Summit, Ms Wong said: “We are facing destabilizing, provocative and coercive actions, including unsafe behavior at sea and in the air and militarization of contested features.

“We know that military power is expanding, but measures to limit military conflict are not – and there are few concrete mechanisms to avert this.”

Just a day later, Mr Keating criticized her comments, claiming that ‘it doesn’t take much to encourage Penny Wong, with her ‘deeply concerned’ frown, to rattle the China can.’

These comments prompted a swift response from Mr Albanese, who considers Ms Wong one of his closest confidantes.

‘Penny Wong is someone who gives Australia a lot of respect. “She is someone who is diligent, she is someone who is committed, she is someone who ticks all the boxes,” he said.

‘Paul is responsible for what he says, he knows that. But as far as Penny Wong is concerned, I think he is clearly wrong.”

Mr Albanese attended Ms Wong’s wedding to her long-time partner Sophie Allouache at the Bird in Hand Winery in the Adelaide Hills on Saturday.

Animal-to-human transplant science took a major step forward this week after surgeons transplanted a kidney and liver from pigs into humans.

In Boston, a sick 62-year-old man received a genetically modified kidney from a pig in a world first.

The new organ began producing urine almost immediately, Mass General doctors said, and the patient is already walking the hospital hallways. He may be fired soon.

At the same time, in China, a 50-year-old man became the first person to receive a genetically engineered pig liver – which was kept in his body for ten days.

Surgeons say the organ’s color and texture appeared “normal” when extracted, and it even secreted bile – a fluid that aids digestion – as a sign that it was working.

Both breakthroughs could offer hope for new ways to supply hospitals with organs for transplants, as the waiting list has been growing for years.

There are more than 100,000 patients on the waiting list for a new kidney in the US, while almost 12,000 are waiting for a new liver.

Patients on the kidney transplant list – such as those with kidney failure and advanced kidney disease – often have to wait three to five years.

During this time, many are in pain and need to use dialysis – a machine that filters waste products from the blood when the kidneys stop working.

For liver transplant patients – including those with liver failure or cirrhosis or scarring of the liver – patients may have to wait up to five years.

Every year, approximately 5,000 people on the kidney waiting list die before receiving the organ, while one in ten patients on the liver waiting list dies before their transplant.

It is hoped that animal transplants – medically called xenotransplantation – can help fill the gap and provide more organs to waiting patients.

Doctors say the patient who received the kidney transplant – named Richard “Rick” Slayman – was back to “his own self” just days after the operation.

“It’s remarkable,” said Dr. Winfred Williams, head of the hospital’s nephrology department. New York Times.

Mr Slayman has now come off dialysis and tests show that the new kidney also produces creatinine, a waste product.

He said in a statement: “I saw it not just as a way to help me, but as a way to offer hope to thousands of people who need a transplant to survive.”

Mr Slayman – who also has diabetes and high blood pressure – had been a regular patient at the hospital for 11 years before he was given the genetically modified pig kidney.

He was on dialysis for seven years after suffering from kidney failure before receiving a new human kidney in 2018.

But this failed within five years, after which Mr Slayman had to undergo dialysis again and was told he would have to wait five to six years for another organ.

But fears grew that he would not make it as he developed serious complications from dialysis, such as blood clots.

It was at this point that doctors offered the man, who worked in the state transport, the opportunity to undergo a pig kidney transplant.

“He became despondent,” Dr. Williams said. ‘He said, ‘I just can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep doing this.’

‘He would have to wait five to six years for a human kidney. He couldn’t have survived.’

After Dr. Williams had suggested the surgery, the couple had a lengthy discussion about the pros and cons before Mr. Slayman agreed to the procedure.

The pig kidney was developed by biotech company eGenesis. To edit the organ, they deleted three genes involved in the organ’s possible rejection. The scientists also inserted seven human genes to make it more compatible.

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Breaking News LIVE March 21, 2024: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has filed a fresh plea in the Delhi High Court, demanding that no coercive action be taken against him in connection with the excise policy case.

Breaking News LIVE March 21, 2024: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has filed a fresh plea in the Delhi High Court, demanding that no coercive action be taken against him in connection with the excise policy case. The division bench headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait will hear the case this morning. The Enforcement Directorate has so far sent him nine summons in the Excise case. While the international news has raised concerns, Israel’s Supreme Court has intervened to temporarily halt a government initiative aimed at returning to Gaza a group of Palestinian patients currently undergoing medical treatment in hospitals in East Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, reported CNN.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) monitored 32 Chinese military aircraft and five People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships from 6 a.m. on Wednesday, March 20, to the same time on Thursday (March 21).
Of these 32 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, twenty crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwestern, southeastern, and eastern Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

Breaking News live blog: Stay up to date with this LIVE Blog

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For some foreign expats, Hong Kong has lost its appeal as an international city and no longer feels like home since Beijing took a heavier hand in its governance. But for many former mainland Chinese, like Angelina Wang, it has become a more attractive place to live and work.

Ms. Wang, in her early 30s, felt stuck in her job at a state-owned finance company in Shenzhen, a mainland city just across the border, when she read about a Hong Kong visa for professional workers. She quickly applied. As soon as she got a job in Hong Kong – at a higher wage – she told her boss she was quitting her job and moving there.

“The salary in Hong Kong is higher than that in Shenzhen,” Ms. Wang said. “Much higher.”

Ms. Wang was among about 55,000 mainland Chinese who have been granted this new “top talent” visa since December 2022. Hong Kong’s semi-autonomous status within China means that Chinese citizens need a visa to live and work in the city.

Among visa holders now working in Hong Kong, many worked in financial, information technology and commercial services, according to a survey by the city government in November. They had a monthly average income of 50,000 Hong Kong dollars, or about $6,400, more than twice the median income in Hong Kong.

Mainland Chinese, interviewed by The New York Times, cited several reasons for applying for the visa. Some said Hong Kong offered better pay and career opportunities, as well as better schools, greater freedom and greater respect for women and people who are LGBTQ

The wave of working professionals is a welcome development for Hong Kong. Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the city in 2020 in response to pro-democracy protests, and on Tuesday Hong Kong’s government passed a new security law that gave authorities even more power to punish dissent. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Hong Kong imposed some of the strictest travel restrictions in the world, hurting its economy. According to city figures, about 200,000 people left the city from mid-2019 to the end of 2022. The population has since increased by about the same number to 7.5 million.

Penny Wong has issued some cautionary advice to China’s top foreign affairs official, in a move likely to further infuriate former Labor hero Paul Keating.

Australia’s foreign minister – hailed as the country’s most popular politician – drew Mr Keating’s ire over her handling of Australia’s relationship with China.

Mr Keating has repeatedly criticized Anthony Albanese’s government’s approach to China, claiming Foreign Secretary Wong had been co-opted into taking a “foolish pro-American stance”.

She met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday, but the official has also sought a meeting with Mr Keating, which will take place on Thursday.

‘Mr Keating is entitled to his opinion. He does not speak for the government or the country,” Senator Wong said in a statement to The Australian.

At the opening of the Australia-China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue, Ms Wong reiterated her pledge to confront Chinese leaders on key issues.

She said she “looks forward to speaking candidly about Australians detained in China, human rights, maritime security and regional and international issues.”

Ms Wong referred in particular to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the troubles in the Pacific and the conflict in the Middle East.

“I have emphasized that it is in all our interests to commit to preventive architecture to reduce the risk of conflict, and that communication should never be withheld as a punishment or offered as a reward,” she said.

‘Dialogue allows us to manage our differences; we both know it doesn’t eliminate them. Australia will always be Australia and China will always be China.”

Ms Wong spoke of China’s “unsafe conduct” in the South China Sea and urged the nation to adhere to international law.

Her input on the subject in the past has angered Mr Keating, who has emerged as an outspoken supporter of China and critic of the AUKUS deal.

Speaking at the ASEAN Summit, Ms Wong said: “We are facing destabilizing, provocative and coercive actions, including unsafe behavior at sea and in the air and militarization of contested features.

“We know that military power is expanding, but measures to limit military conflict are not – and there are few concrete mechanisms to avert this.”

Just a day later, Mr Keating reflected on her comments – which were widely praised – and claimed that ‘it wouldn’t take much to encourage Penny Wong, with her ‘deeply concerned’ frown, to rattle the Chinese tin can.’

Speaking to Sky on Tuesday morning, Opposition spokesman for foreign affairs Simon Birmingham asked questions about the optics of that meeting.

‘Look what Paul Keating had to say about Penny Wong and the Albanian government. And he has been very critical of them,” Mr. Birmingham noted.

He said that while the opposition “welcomes Wang Yi’s visit” and can recognize its importance, he considers the meeting with Mr Keating “pointed”.

“It is quite pointed and somewhat insulting to Penny Wong that the Chinese Embassy has sought this meeting with such an outspoken critic of Penny Wong.”

Mr Wang is the most senior Chinese official to visit Australia in seven years, a sign that tensions between the two countries are thawing after contact was lost during Covid-19.

He met with Ms Wong in Canberra on Wednesday, where they jointly held the China-Australia Foreign and Strategic Dialogue.

Ms Wong then gave a solo press conference, despite inviting Mr Wang to join her.

The meeting was followed by a planned sit-down with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The Australian newspaper reported on Monday that Keating will hold an “unofficial” meeting with Wang, likely in Sydney on Thursday.

Mr Keating has been highly critical of the Federal Government’s AUKUS nuclear submarine deal and has taken personal aim at Ms Wong.

These comments prompted a swift response from Mr Albanese, who considers Ms Wong one of his closest confidantes.

‘Penny Wong is someone who gives Australia a lot of respect. “She is someone who is diligent, she is someone who is committed, she is someone who ticks all the boxes,” he said.

‘Paul is responsible for what he says, he knows that. But as far as Penny Wong is concerned, I think he is clearly wrong.”

Mr Albanese attended Ms Wong’s wedding to her long-time partner Sophie Allouache at the Bird in Hand Winery in the Adelaide Hills on Saturday.

Wetgevers in Hongkong hebben met spoed een ‘draconisch’ wetsvoorstel aangenomen dat levenslange gevangenisstraffen zou opleggen aan ‘verraders’ en ‘publieke vijanden’, weken nadat topambtenaren van het vasteland van China hen onder druk hadden gezet omwille van ‘kernbelangen van de nationale veiligheid’.

Wetgevers in de Wetgevende Raad van Hong Kong, oftewel LegCo, hebben vandaag tijdens een speciale bijeenkomst de wet op de binnenlandse veiligheid aangenomen, slechts elf dagen nadat deze door de regering was gepubliceerd.

Verschillende politici vertelden de lokale media dat ze het wetsontwerp, dat is vastgelegd in de grondwet van de stadstaat, aan het eind van de dag unaniem wilden doorvoeren.

Het wetsvoorstel werd vrijwel unaniem aangenomen, waarbij 88 van de 90 vertegenwoordigers die namens de burgers van Hong Kong in de LegCo zitten, de kamer toespraken en hun steun betuigden voor het zorgwekkende stuk wetgeving.

Twee vertegenwoordigers van de Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), die het wetsvoorstel steunt, zeiden dat het het voor ‘verraders’ en ‘publieke vijanden’ moeilijker zou maken om met het Westen samen te werken om Hong Kong te ontwrichten.

Het komt slechts enkele weken nadat China’s vice-premier Ding Xuexiang Hong Kong bezocht en druk uitoefende op wetgevers om aan te dringen op het wetsvoorstel, waarbij hij beweerde dat het ‘nationale kernbelangen’ zou beschermen.

Xuexiang, de zesde machtigste persoon van het land, bezocht functionarissen in Hong Kong om hen onder druk te zetten om de wetgeving erdoor te drukken.

Uren na zijn bezoek op 7 maart zei de regering van de stad dat de wet op de nationale veiligheid was goedgekeurd door de Uitvoerende Raad. Een overheidsbron vertelde destijds aan de South China Morning Post dat het wetsvoorstel versneld zou worden doorgevoerd om ‘mogelijke manipulatie van het onderwerp tot een minimum te beperken’.

Het wetsontwerp, dat zich nu in de laatste fase bevindt, zou levenslange gevangenisstraffen introduceren voor Hongkongers die veroordeeld zijn wegens verraad, opstand, het aanzetten tot muiterij van een lid van de Chinese strijdkrachten, of samenzwering met een externe macht om de openbare infrastructuur te beschadigen of te verzwakken. bedoeling de nationale veiligheid in gevaar te brengen.

Het zou ook de maximumstraf voor opruiing, de misdaad waarbij mensen worden aangezet om tegen de autoriteiten in opstand te komen, ruimschoots verdrievoudigen, van twee naar zeven jaar.

Stadsleider John Lee zei: ‘Vandaag is een historisch moment voor Hong Kong.’

Eén politicus, die de financiële sector van de stad vertegenwoordigt, zei dat niemand die de regels overtreedt zich zorgen hoeft te maken over de wetgeving.

Bankier Chan Chun-ying van het Finance Functional Constituency zei: ‘Gezagsgetrouwe inwoners hoeven zich geen zorgen te maken dat ze per ongeluk de wet overtreden.’

Sarah Brooks, directeur van Amnesty International voor China, zei: ‘Met deze draconische wetgeving heeft de regering van Hongkong opnieuw een verpletterende slag toegebracht aan de mensenrechten in de stad. De autoriteiten hebben deze wet in een oogwenk uitgevaardigd, waardoor elk restje hoop dat de publieke verontwaardiging de meest destructieve elementen ervan zou kunnen tegengaan, is vernietigd.

‘Het aannemen van deze wet zendt de duidelijkste boodschap tot nu toe uit dat de honger van de autoriteiten van Hongkong om tegemoet te komen aan de wil van Peking alle eerdere toezeggingen op het gebied van de mensenrechten overtreft. De regering heeft de steeds urgentere waarschuwingen van VN-mensenrechtendeskundigen genegeerd dat haar benadering van de nationale veiligheidswetgeving onverenigbaar is met de internationale verplichtingen van Hongkong.

‘Dit is bovenal een verwoestend moment voor de bevolking van Hong Kong, van wie honderdduizenden eerder door de straten zijn gemarcheerd om te demonstreren tegen repressieve wetten, waaronder een incarnatie van deze wet in 2003. Vandaag zijn ze opnieuw een stukje van hun vrijheid kwijtgeraakt. – elke daad van vreedzaam protest is nu gevaarlijker dan ooit.

‘Het is nog nooit zo belangrijk geweest voor organisaties als Amnesty International om de Hongkongers te steunen die hun vrijheid blijven riskeren door simpelweg hun rechten uit te oefenen.

‘Wij dringen er bij iedereen die invloed kan uitoefenen in Hongkong op – van regeringen en bedrijven tot de VN en de EU – om de Hongkongers in hun tijd van nood niet te verwaarlozen, maar in plaats daarvan de druk op de autoriteiten van het gebied op te voeren om de mensenrechten te respecteren en de mensenrechten in te trekken. alle wetten die deze schenden.’

Het wetsvoorstel komt slechts een paar jaar na de vrijheidsprotesten van 2019-2020, waarbij miljoenen Hongkongers de straat op gingen om te strijden tegen een wetsvoorstel dat het gemakkelijker zou hebben gemaakt voor mensen om te worden uitgeleverd aan het vasteland van China, waar ze zouden worden uitgeleverd. Het land bood veel minder rechten en zou te maken krijgen met een duisterder rechtssysteem.

De wetgeving werd voor het eerst geïntroduceerd bij de LegCo in 2003, maar ruim een ​​half miljoen Hongkongers, die tot 1997 in een Brits afhankelijk gebied woonden toen de macht aan China werd overgedragen, gingen de straat op om te protesteren.

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, de politica die in 2003 gedwongen werd af te treden omdat ze leiding gaf aan de wet, zei dat ze ernaar uitkeek een ‘historische missie’ te volbrengen.

Ze zit nu in de Uitvoerende Raad, een adviesorgaan bestaande uit politici dat leiding geeft aan de Chief Executive van Hong Kong.

Ip zei dat als haar wetsvoorstel in 2003 was aangenomen, Hong Kong niet de golf van politieke activiteit aan de basis zou hebben gezien die het in 2019 en 2014 deed, toen een reeks sit-in-protesten plaatsvond na voorstellen die het vasteland effectief zouden hebben toegestaan China gaat kandidaten voor het leiderschap van de stadstaat vooraf screenen.

‘In 2014 zouden we de 79 dagen durende Occupy Central-beweging niet hebben gezien’, zei ze.

‘Het waren al enkele buitenlandse krachten die iets deden om de maatschappelijke orde in Hong Kong omver te werpen, zodat ze het overheidsbeleid omver konden werpen.

‘We hadden in 2019 ook de algemeen bekende gewelddadige activiteit om de regering omver te werpen en Hong Kong van China te scheiden.’