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Tag: Hong Kong National Security Law

Yahoo Hong Kong Scales Back the News

Written by Dalia Parete on . Posted in News and Trends. No Comments on Yahoo Hong Kong Scales Back the News

In a move management was careful to call a “downsize” and not a shutdown, Yahoo Hong Kong announced on March 17 that it would sharply scale back its news and finance operations beginning on April 1. The platform, which runs Chinese-language news, said it would dismiss an estimated two-thirds of its 30 to 40 full-time staff by the end of the month. In a transition period lasting through June, the announcement said, a skeleton crew would maintain the homepage. 

The cutbacks bear echoes of Yahoo’s actions in Singapore two years ago, when it laid off all of its journalists working on the editorial and social media teams. In Hong Kong, with no editorial team left to commission stories, curate coverage or produce video, the portal will effectively become a news aggregator only — running on autopilot. The timing of the cuts is also noteworthy. It was only in 2021, amid the implementation of Hong Kong’s national security law, and as a serious news gap was left by the shutdown of Apple Daily (蘋果日報) and Stand News (立場新聞), that Yahoo Hong Kong started producing original journalism. 

Game Gags

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Hong Kong authorities banned the Taiwanese mobile game “Reversed Front: Bonfire” (逆統戰：烽火) on June 10, marking the first time the city has publicly condemned a gaming application under national security laws. The National Security Department warned residents against downloading, sharing, or financially supporting the game, claiming it promoted Hong Kong and Taiwan independence while encouraging armed revolution against China’s government. Hong Kong security chief Chris Tang (鄧炳強) described the game, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA), as “quietly poisoning young minds” (悄然荼毒年輕人思想) with “extremely malicious” tactics.

Created by the Taiwan-based development team ESC (台灣境外戰略溝通工作小組), a civilian volunteer group, the strategy game allows players to control various factions, including those representing Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other regions in scenarios involving the overthrow of communist rule. An ESC spokesperson previously told BBC Chinese the group’s main work is to “contact overseas anti-communist organizations, and assist overseas allies in promoting propaganda and organizational work.” Following news of the ban, online searches for the game surged dramatically, according to Taiwan’s Up Media (上報). The app has been removed from local download platforms in Hong Kong.

More Targets for Chris Tang

Written by LS Staff on . Posted in News and Trends. No Comments on More Targets for Chris Tang

Hong Kong Security Secretary Chris Tang (鄧炳強) publicly criticized a social media-based publication called Edu Lancet (教育刺針) on March 30, 2025, for spreading rumors and “dividing society” after it raised questions — “sensationalizing,” Tang called it — about the death of a Hong Kong student during a Hangzhou exchange program. Tang also warned against “soft resistance” (軟對抗), a concept authorities in the city have increasingly used to describe acts of peaceful expression that allegedly undermine government authority. The case was covered by a number of outlets, including Points Media (棱角媒體) — a global media collective of former Hong Kong journalists.

This push against peaceful expression was reflected in a report last month by Amnesty International that showed that at least 16 people have been arrested in the past year under Article 23 — known as the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance — for actions such as wearing protest-slogan T-shirts.

At a symposium last month marking the one-year anniversary of the ordinance, officials warned that while “development is an unyielding principle” (发展是硬道理 ), “security is also an unyielding principle” (安全也是硬道理). In a rather stark illustration of China’s dominance of Hong Kong politics, this pairing was a direct copying of a phrase introduced on March 1 by Xi Jinping during a collective study session of the CCP Politburo. The first phrase, about development, echoes a core concept introduced in 1992 by Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平). The latter phrase is apparently Xi’s own recent elaboration, and likely speaks to the CCP’s sense of anxiety about the volatility of the present moment.