CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Friday, August 21, 2020 | 3 TOP NEWS HK court denies review Chongqing flooding considered over phone searches

By GU MENGYAN in Hong Kong among worst city has ever seen [email protected] 15 suspects Hong Kong’s High Court on face more than 60 charges in Li visits heavily Thursday dismissed a judicial relation to their roles in review sought by five local politi­ unlawful assemblies last year. damaged homes, cians who wanted to prevent fields, assures police from accessing their phones with court warrants. ble by up to two years’ imprison­ help on the way Phones of the five, including ment and a fine of HK$2,000 prominent opposition figures ($258). By TAN YINGZI in Chongqing Martin Lee Chu­ming and Ho Lai, 72, was accused of intimi­ and LI HONGYANG Chun­yan, were seized as part of dating a reporter for the local Chi­ evidence collection after they were nese newspaper Oriental Daily Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday charged with multiple offenses after an assembly in Causeway Bay encouraged Chongqing residents to related to several unlawful assem­ on June 4, 2017. rebuild flood­damaged homes as blies in the special administrative The journalist, who was only the city faces one of its worst floods region last year. identified as X at the West Kow­ in history. Rejecting the challenge, the loon Magistrates’ Court, said that Li, while visiting Shuangba vil­ court said the search warrant does after the assembly, Lai approached lage in Chongqing, said that Presi­ not grant police unrestricted pow­ him and pointed his right finger at dent Xi Jinping’s significant er to search for anything of inter­ his face, swearing at him. X added instructions on flood prevention est, as the five argued, because the he was frightened at the moment and post­disaster reconstruction warrant itself has requirements that he might get beaten or should be fully implemented, and that limit the search scope to only slapped by Lai. the safety of people’s lives and prop­ content valuable to the specified X was diagnosed with an adjust­ erty should be soundly secured. investigation. ment disorder with a depressed The entire village of 8,000 resi­ “We think that the executing mood after the incident and said dents, alongside the Fujiang River, officers will be able to understand he had to take tranquilizers. He a branch of the Yangtze River, was the object of the search and to com­ testified that Lai threatened to get hit by flooding and crops were prehend the limits to the scope of someone to “mess him up” and destroyed. the search, which has been autho­ warned that photos had been tak­ Li visited flooded houses, water­ rized,” High Court judges Alex Lee en of him. logged farmlands and shelters for Above: Excess water is released from the Three Gorges reservoir on the Yangtze River in Hubei province and Russell Coleman wrote. During a police interview, Lai displaced villagers. He said the Par­ on Wednesday. XIAO YIJIU / XINHUA Below: Firefighters rescue residents stranded at a hotel on Thursday The five are among 15 local peo­ conceded that he recognized the ty and government will help villag­ during floods in Chongqing. LIU CHAN / XINHUA ple, including media tycoon Jim­ defendant as a reporter who had ers overcome their difficulties, my Lai Chee­Ying, who face more covered him for years, and that he adding that he believes they can than 60 charges in relation to their was not being provoked before the rebuild if everyone works together. ing since it was built in 2003 roles in unlawful assemblies dur­ confrontation. On Monday, floods hit Chong­ because of the sustained heavy rain. ing the yearlong unrest triggered The trial, expected to last for qing for a fifth time this year after A strong subtropical high sta­ by a now­withdrawn extradition three days, will continue on Friday. recent heavy rainstorms in the tionary over the Yangtze River bill. On Aug 10, Lai, together with six Sichuan Basin in the upper reaches Basin has brought heavy, long­last­ Also on Thursday, Lai appeared others, was also arrested on suspi­ of the Yangtze. Its flood control and ing rains, causing 51 rivers to rise at another court hearing, where he cion of collusion with external for­ drought relief headquarters above their warning level in the denied one count of criminal ces under the new National upgraded its response to the high­ past week, the ministry said. That is intimidation, an offense punisha­ Security Law for Hong Kong. est level on Tuesday afternoon for the level at which the first warnings the first time ever. The flood’s peak are sent to residents to prepare for began passing through the city on possible flooding. Thursday. Water flow into the reservoir Ties: Ideological crusades Cuntan station on the Yangtze increased to an estimated 76,000 River in Chongqing saw its highest cubic meters per second on Thurs­ water level in eight decades on day, the highest rate ever at the res­ doomed to fail, envoy says Thursday morning, according to ervoir. That increased the the Chongqing Emergency discharge of excess water to about Response Bureau. 48,000 cubic meters of water per From page 1 repeatedly that external pressure “It is the highest water level since second, up from 44,000 cubic will only make China stronger and the Cuntan hydrographic station meters, the ministry said. Water Navarro told reporters on lead to the greater unity of its people. was built in 1939, and it is also the the Jialing and the Yangtze rivers to 250,000 people and relocated releases would be scheduled as Wednesday that China is now “bet­ For those who like the term largest inflow of floodwaters into the exceed levels considered safe, trig­ about 130,000 people by late Thurs­ appropriate and the best use would ting, putting their bet behind Joe “Cold War” and those bolstered by Three Gorges reservoir,” said Zhang gering a series of alerts. Maximum day, according to Xinhua News be made of all reservoirs along the Biden, and they’re going to wait their victory in the Cold War, Cui Shiming, director of the Upper water levels at major stations such Agency. river to reduce the impact of flood­ until after the election for any cautioned that they should not for­ Reaches Bureau of the Changjiang as Cuntan and Ciqikou exceeded The Ministry of Water Resources ing, it said. future negotiations; that’s very get the price the world paid for it Water Resources Commission. safe levels by 8 to 9 meters on said the Three Gorges reservoir in clear that’s what their strategy is”. over four decades. The flood has caused water levels Thursday. Hubei province was likely on Contact the writers at Tensions between the two coun­ In particular, he pointed out that at all hydrographic stations along Chongqing had evacuated over Thursday to see the heaviest flood­ [email protected] tries have run high this year, with the US and other countries paid a some US hawks promoting an alter­ bitter price in the two hot wars, the native view of bilateral relations — Korean War and the Vietnam War, that engagement was a mistake, and fought during the Cold War. they are obsessed with great­power “If the negative trend of China­ Frequency of China­US passenger flights will double competition and strategic rivalry. US relations is allowed to contin­ “Alarmingly, there are attempts ue, China might have to face more By WANG KEJU week, equivalent to the total num­ and United Airlines — voluntarily facilitate trade and travel. now to negate what has been built difficulties and challenges. But the [email protected] ber of flights now permitted by US halted their flights in early February. Under a guideline issued this up so painstakingly by generations initiators of the so­called New aviation authorities to Chinese car­ To lower imported coronavirus month by the State Council to sta­ of Chinese and Americans over the Cold War must weigh the costs China has reached an agreement riers, according to a US Depart­ risks, the CAAC ordered in late bilize foreign trade and invest­ decades and to deliberately push they have to pay and the conse­ with the United States to double ment of Transportation statement March that carriers could fly no ment, China would add more our two countries into conflict and quences for the world,” he said. the number of passenger flights on Tuesday. more than the number of flights flights with its major source coun­ confrontation,” Cui said, adding that “For whom the bell tolls, there will that each other’s airlines can oper­ Shortly after the announcement, they were operating between tries of investment while increas­ “I hope people will not try to negate be a day of reckoning.” ate between the two countries United Airlines said it will go from March 16 and 22, and it otherwise ing the total amount of all this and let the relationship go Cui said the US has to make a from four to eight per week, two to four flights per week limited foreign airlines to just one international passenger flights in a down a very dangerous path.” “fundamental choice” — whether it according to China’s civil aviation between San Francisco and Shang­ flight a week to China. phased manner provided that The Chinese ambassador said gets ready to work with China and regulator. hai starting on Sept 4. Delta Air Because US passenger airlines COVID­19 risks were held in check. none of the major international cri­ other countries to ensure the inter­ Under the agreement, Chinese Lines said it will add one more had stopped all flights before these The CAAC also said in June that ses in the 21st century — the terror­ national order and global system airlines that already fly to the US — flight each week between Detroit restrictions, they were no longer China could “modestly increase” ist attacks of Sept 11, 2001, the meet the needs of the entire world, Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and Shanghai and Seattle and allowed to fly to China. flights from some qualified coun­ global financial crisis of 2008, and or instead remains obsessed with a China Southern Airlines and Xia­ Shanghai, both via Seoul, as of In June, the Trump administra­ tries as long as the risks are con­ the current COVID­19 pandemic — zero­sum game and major­power men Airlines — will be allowed to Monday. tion threatened to suspend sched­ trolled and adequate capacity could be resolved with the toolbox competition, and lets the situation make eight weekly round trips Lin Zhijie, a civil aviation indus­ uled passenger operations of all exists to receive passengers. of great­power competition, as they spiral out of control and fall into instead of four, according to the try analyst and columnist at Car­ Chinese air carriers to and from With epidemic prevention and are all of a strategic nature. the “Thucydides Trap”. Civil Aviation Administration of noc, a Chinese civil aviation the US to pressure Beijing to let US control measures in place, China “It is natural for major countries “I just hope that they will free China. website, said that while the flight airlines resume their flights. recently has also allowed overseas to have differences and even compe­ themselves from the panic and China Southern has applied to volume remains far below pre­ To help more Chinese stranded and domestic carriers to add tition, but they do not justify con­ paranoia, which is costing them increase its flights to twice a week COVID­19 pandemic numbers, the in the US to return home, China inbound flights from countries frontation,” Cui said. “Stigmatization common sense in such a shocking from Guangzhou, Guangdong uptick marks a further easing of permitted the US carriers to including France, the Netherlands, will not make anybody great. Ideo­ way,” he said. province, to Los Angeles. Xiamen the air­service spat between the resume service to and from the Canada, Australia, South Korea logical crusades will not solve any Instead, people from all walks of Airlines wants to increase its world’s two biggest economies country. and Japan. problem in today’s world and are life in China and the US should flights to twice a week from Xia­ over recent months. “The bilateral deal on further As of Aug 12, China maintained doomed to fail.” remain guarded against “vicious” men, Fujian province, to Los Ange­ In late January, the White House increasing flights demonstrates regular passenger traffic with 50 He warned that it is “nothing but attempts to push the bilateral rela­ les. barred most non­US citizens from the tight economic ties and deep countries. A total of 93 airlines — 19 wishful thinking” to believe that tions to confrontation and conflict, The two US carriers currently entering the US from China, and people­to­people exchanges domestic and 74 foreign — have stoking confrontation could slow resist any resurgence of McCarthy­ flying to China — United Airlines three US carriers operating sched­ between the two countries,” Lin been operating 187 international down and contain China’s develop­ ism, and expand two­way exchanges and Delta Air Lines — would also uled US­China passenger flights — said, adding that it benefits the passenger routes, according to the ment and even bring about regime and cooperation to get the relations double their service to eight a American Airlines, Delta Air Lines people of both countries and will CAAC. change, as history has proved back on the right track, he said.

position over Hong Kong­related province on Thursday and Friday. issues and has explained multiple China and Pakistan are expected Beijing suspends Hong Kong pact with Washington times and through different per­ to focus on cooperation in tackling spectives why the legislation is COVID­19 and bilateral ties, and By WANG QINGYUN US to correct its wrong decision. persons and reciprocal tax exemp­ “The HKSAR government needed, Zhao said, adding that exchange views over international [email protected] Hong Kong affairs are entirely tions on income derived from the strongly objects to and deplores the countries that “wish to force the and regional issues. China’s domestic affairs, in which international operation of ships. US’ action, which is widely seen as Chinese government to change its As all­weather strategic partners, China has decided to suspend no foreign forces have a right to In a news release on Thursday, a move to create troubles in the position through so­called sanc­ China and Pakistan need to further the agreement on mutual legal interfere, Zhao said. He added that the government of the Hong Kong China­US relationship, using Hong tions” are “daydreaming”. enhance their communication and assistance in criminal matters the US should stop meddling in Special Administrative Region said Kong as a pawn,” the release said. cooperation to deal with external between Hong Kong and the Unit­ Hong Kong affairs and China’s it “strongly reprimands” the US The US announcement came aft­ Dialogue with Pakistan challenges together as the interna­ ed States in response to the unilat­ domestic affairs, and “not to walk over the decision. er Canada, Australia, the United Zhao also announced that State tional and regional situations are eral US decision to suspend or further down the wrong path”. Such a decision “reflects its disre­ Kingdom and New Zealand sus­ Councilor and Foreign Minister going through complicated changes terminate three bilateral agree­ In an announcement on Wednes­ spect for bilateralism and multilat­ pended their extradition treaties Wang Yi will co­host the second stra­ and the pandemic has changed the ments with Hong Kong. day, the US said the three agree­ eralism under the current with Hong Kong in response to Chi­ tegic dialogue between the foreign world profoundly, Zhao said. Foreign Ministry spokesman ments suspended or terminated administration and should be con­ na’s passage of the National Securi­ ministers of China and Pakistan The two countries launched the Zhao Lijian made the announce­ covered the surrender of fugitive demned by the international com­ ty Law for Hong Kong. with Pakistani Foreign Minister dialogue in Beijing in March of last ment on Thursday and urged the offenders, the transfer of sentenced munity”, the government said. China has a clear and consistent Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Hainan year.