Jasper Martin Becker (born 19 May 1956) [1] is a British author, commentator, and journalist who has spent two decades as a foreign correspondent, mostly in China. [2]
In 1995, he joined the staff of the Hong Kong–based South China Morning Post . [3] He was later promoted to the senior position of Beijing bureau chief, which meant he was in charge of all mainland content. In 2002, he lost his job, in an experience he writes about in a Washington Post column headlined "Why I Was Fired in Hong Kong." [4]
Given his often critical views of China, his abrupt removal was considered by some to be a sign of deteriorating press freedoms in Hong Kong. [5] [6] Becker’s dismissal for "insubordination" was widely reported in the international media. He was fired after commenting that the paper was restricting his reporting and downplaying coverage on AIDS and labour disturbances on the Mainland.[ citation needed ]
Becker's books include:
Becker has published both reportage and commentary for many news publications, including The New York Times , the International Herald Tribune , The Wall Street Journal , The Washington Post, The Globe and Mail in Canada, Business Week , the London Review of Books and the Times Literary Supplement.
He is considered an expert in Asian politics, and has appeared as a commentator on CNN and the BBC. American television networks often use him as a guest expert. He discussed the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 with CBS's 60 Minutes and North Korea on ABC's Nightline with Ted Koppel , Primetime Live with Diane Sawyer, and ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. [7]
Between 2015 and 2019, Becker was elected as a Conservative councillor for the Widcombe ward of Bath and North East Somerset Council. [8]
Ta Kung Pao is the oldest active Chinese-language newspaper in China. Founded in Tianjin in 1902, the paper is state-owned, controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central Government after the Chinese Civil War. It is widely regarded as a veteran pro-Beijing newspaper. In 2016, it merged with Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po.
Jasper Tsang Yok-sing is a Hong Kong politician. He is the founding member of the largest pro-Beijing party the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) from 1992 to 2003 and the 2nd President of the Legislative Council from 2008 to 2016.
Allen Lee Peng-fei, CBE, JP was a Hong Kong industrialist, politician and political commentator. He was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, serving from 1978 to 1997 and was the Senior Member of the legislature from 1988 to 1991. He was also an unofficial member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong from 1986 to 1992. He was the founding chairman of the Liberal Party, a pro-business party in 1993 until he retired after he lost the 1998 election. After his retirement, he became a political commentator and hosted Legco Review, a RTHK weekly TV programme on the news about Legislative Council, among several other posts.
Radio Free Asia (RFA) is an American government-funded non-profit corporation operating a news service that broadcasts radio programs and publishes online news, information, and commentary for its audiences in Asia. The service, which provides editorially independent reporting, has the stated mission of providing accurate and uncensored reporting to countries in Asia that have poor media environments and limited protections for speech and press freedom and "advancing the goals of United States foreign policy."
The Hong Kong national football team represents Hong Kong in international football and is controlled by the Football Association of Hong Kong, China, the governing body for football in Hong Kong.
The 1967 Hong Kong riots were large-scale anti-government riots that occurred in Hong Kong during British colonial rule. Beginning as a minor labour dispute, the demonstrations eventually escalated into protests against the colonial government. The protests were partially inspired by successful anti-colonial demonstrations in Portuguese Macau which had occurred a few months prior.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP), with its Sunday edition, the Sunday Morning Post, is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained Hong Kong's newspaper of record since British colonial rule. Editor-in-chief Tammy Tam succeeded Wang Xiangwei in 2016. The SCMP prints paper editions in Hong Kong and operates an online news website that is blocked in mainland China.
Racism in China arises from Chinese history, nationalism, sinicization, and other factors. Racism in the People's Republic of China has been documented in numerous situations. Ethnic tensions have led to numerous incidents in the country such as the Xinjiang conflict, the ongoing internment and state persecution of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities, the 2010 Tibetan language protest, the 2020 Inner Mongolia protests, discrimination against Africans in particular and discrimination against Black people in general.
Phoenix Television is a majority state-owned television network that offers Mandarin and Cantonese-language channels that serve mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and other markets with substantial Chinese-language viewers. It is headquartered in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. It is also registered in Cayman Islands.
In Hong Kong, censorship, which refers to the suppression of speech or other public communication, raises issues regarding the freedom of speech. By law, censorship is usually practised against the distribution of certain materials, particularly child pornography, obscene images, sedition, separatism, state secrets, and reports on court cases which may lead to unfair trial.
Hungry Ghosts: Mao's Secret Famine is a book about the Great Chinese Famine by British author Jasper Becker, the former Beijing bureau chief for the South China Morning Post. Becker interviewed peasants in Henan Province and Anhui Province, both of which were significantly affected by the famine. Hungry Ghosts was the first major English book to provide a "comprehensive accessible account" of the man-made famine.
Uerkesh Davlet, commonly known by his pinyin name Wu'erkaixi, is a Chinese political commentator known for his leading role during the Tiananmen protests of 1989.
Kong Qingdong is a controversial Chinese academic, author, talk show host, and social commentator. Kong is a prominent Chinese media figure, known for his vulgar and often brusque critiques on political issues and various individuals and groups. Kong has often been portrayed in the media as a figure of the Chinese New Left, calling for a reversal of Chinese economic reforms and a return to Mao-style policies.
Melissa Chan is a Chinese American freelance journalist working in broadcast and print. Her works have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Washington Post, VICE News, POLITICO, and Foreign Policy. She has reported for VICE News Tonight, Al Jazeera English, and presents DW News Asia on Deutsche Welle TV. She has appeared as a guest on CNN and the BBC.
John Lee Ka-chiu is a Hong Kong politician and former police officer who is the fifth and current Chief Executive of Hong Kong.
The Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 was a proposed bill regarding extradition to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in relation to special surrender arrangements and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance so that arrangements for mutual legal assistance can be made between Hong Kong and any place outside Hong Kong. The bill was proposed by the Hong Kong government in February 2019 to establish a mechanism for transfers of fugitives not only for Taiwan, but also for Mainland China and Macau, which are currently excluded in the existing laws.
The 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 was principally events that occurred in China and elsewhere on 4 June 2019 - to commemorate the Chinese Communist Party's crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in which hundreds of people were killed.
The 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests were a series of demonstrations against the Hong Kong government's introduction of a bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in regard to extradition. It was the largest series of demonstrations in the history of Hong Kong.
Willy Wo-Lap Lam is a Hong Kong columnist, economist, newspaper editor, political commentator, political scientist, public policy analyst, sinologist, and writer. He is a frequent commentator on many major media networks regarding the current state of Chinese politics. He is currently a Jamestown Foundation fellow and an adjunct professor at the Centre for China Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong.
This is a list of domestic and international reactions to the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests.