china

August 10, 2020

Pro-democracy media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai arrested in Hong Kong

Hong Kong-based media entrepreneur and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai was arrested by police in Hong Kong on the morning of Monday, August 10. Lai has been charged with “collusion with foreign powers,” according to Next Digital executive and Lai’s aide Mark Simon. Continue Reading...

July 24, 2020

China: Remove pictures of Jesus or lose government aid

The Chinese government demands a small price in exchange for your monthly check: apostasy. Chinese Communist Party officials have ordered impoverished Christians to remove pictures of Jesus from their walls or lose the government aid that’s keeping them alive. Continue Reading...

July 23, 2020

Hong Kong and the enduring value of the Declaration of Independence

American exceptionalism cannot be appreciated without contrast. Compare these two scenes: On Wednesday night throngs of rioters rampaged through Seattle’s Capitol Hill district, inflicting “massive amounts of property damage, looting,” and “arson” without sustaining a single arrest. Continue Reading...

July 21, 2020

Culture matters: China’s pre-revolutionary remnants

In our efforts to reduce poverty and spur economic growth, it can be easy to be consumed with top-down policy solutions and debates about the proper allocation of resources. Yet as many economists are beginning to recognize, the distinguishing features of flourishing societies are more readily found at the levels of culture – in our attitudes, beliefs, and imaginations. Continue Reading...

June 24, 2020

Acton Line podcast: The story of Jimmy Lai’s fight against Chinese oppression

At the age of 13, Jimmy Lai escaped China to experience freedom in Hong Kong and grew to be one of Hong Kong’s highest-profile media moguls. Through his work, Lai founded the anti-Beijing newspaper Apple Daily and became an outspoken critic of the People’s Republic of China, solidifying him as one of Hong Kong’s most important pro-democracy voices. Continue Reading...

June 05, 2020

‘Little England’ comes to Hong Kong’s rescue

As U.S. cities seek to rebuild from chaos, Hong Kong continues to resist the imposition of order—a draconian order emanating from Beijing that will crush freedom of thought and expression. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has intervened with an historic proposal: He would allow nearly half the citizens of Hong Kong to immigrate to the UK. Continue Reading...