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Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law

reuters.com

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Re: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law

#191

Post by kenneth »

DaiPlusPlus wrote: post #120
jessaustin wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If any firm in history has ever been rich enough to weather a bit of a business setback, surely Apple would be?

Consider that Apple's supply chain is centered around the PRC - if Apple PR ever says the /wrong/ then then Foxconn would immediately find their factories closed and Apple wouldn't have their latest iPhone available come October - and Christmas. I'm surprised it took until very recently for Apple to start spinning-up alternative supply arrangements and manufacturing in other countries - I guess they expected that the…

One small possibility for hope: Foxconn is a Taiwanese company with factories around China but that has also no expanded to other countries. Apple can (and is slowly) work with Foxconn to progressively move bits of its supply chain out of the PRC. It's already producing some iPhone in India and some other devices in the USA. Given the current political climate, they really ought to diversify out of China as a sound business decision, even if they have no plans to take a stance.

Re: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law

#192

Post by jcytong »

ssalazar wrote: post #96
throwaway-semi wrote: post #36

Why are we empowering this regime? Shouldn't we force companies like Apple to make a statement of why they manufacture their goods in China? Apple is happy make a statement about BLM - it is cheap, doesn't cost them anything. But when it comes to things that actually harm profits and challenge shareholder responsibilities, they stay mum. We need to force Apple (and other giant corporations) to speak up about atrociti…

> But when it comes to things that actually harm profits and challenge shareholder responsibilities, they stay mum. Cynical but this is why- it would cost them a lot , at least today. The Chinese government has zero reservations about sandbagging US corporations that publicly critique it or otherwise don't fall in line - just ask Google, Facebook, or the Houston Rockets. You wont hear a peep out of Apple until they'r…

Apple last quarter generated 16% of their revenue in China. They've also cooperated with the HK/Chinese governments to pull police tracking apps[1] and VPN apps[2] from the App Store.

I'd say even if they relocate 100% of their manufacturing from China, they'd still stay silent because 10B of revenue per quarter is very significant to their top line.

[1]https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/apple-pulls-police-tracki... [2]https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-pulls-vpns-from-china-ap...

Re: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law

#193

Post by akiselev »

throwaway77643 wrote: post #76
actuator wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really don't see any change that can realistically take roots there. We have seen harsh sanctions fail to bring changes in a small poor country like NK where anyone looking South must be amazed at where they could have been. In case of PRC, forget a kinetic physical action. Their economy is so interconnected with every other major economy that no one can afford even actual sanctions.

In the 1920s, I don’t think any person could have imagined the progress in Civil Rights that would occur in America. And yet it happened. From racist Jim Crow laws to Gay Rights, the progress made in 100 years is astonishing. Give the PRC 100 years and who knows how it might change.

> In the 1920s, I don’t think any person could have imagined the progress in Civil Rights that would occur in America.

No one imagined it in the 1920s because they had already imagined it in the 1860s but got Jim Crow instead.

Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Re: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law

#194

Post by boraoztunc »

throwaway-semi wrote: post #36

Why are we empowering this regime? Shouldn't we force companies like Apple to make a statement of why they manufacture their goods in China? Apple is happy make a statement about BLM - it is cheap, doesn't cost them anything. But when it comes to things that actually harm profits and challenge shareholder responsibilities, they stay mum. We need to force Apple (and other giant corporations) to speak up about atrociti…

We are not, companies are empowering. Because it all about $. That's all, no human rights can surpass this. Books, shareholders revenues, expectations and the money flow to their bank accounts. All that matters.

But it is really disappointing to see all the brands I'm using are feeding this regime. So disappointing.

Re: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law

#195

Post by rasengan0 »

throwaway-semi wrote: post #36

Why are we empowering this regime? Shouldn't we force companies like Apple to make a statement of why they manufacture their goods in China? Apple is happy make a statement about BLM - it is cheap, doesn't cost them anything. But when it comes to things that actually harm profits and challenge shareholder responsibilities, they stay mum. We need to force Apple (and other giant corporations) to speak up about atrociti…

PRC will take a big bite out of the Apple and America will have no pie

Re: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law

#196

Post by bzb4 »

mtnGoat wrote: post #165
ktln2 wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fear is real - A lot of pro-democracy Hong Kong activists in US are harassed and threatened by PRC government agents, many of them Chinese students studying in US. [1] https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2019/08/30/hong-kong-activist... [2] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/26/us/hong-kong-protests-col...

We should treat those students as agents of a foreign government in that case.

Because there’s no chance they are just people with an opinion, right?

Re: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law

#197

Post by kenneth »

As an expat living in Hong Kong, I've noticed a clear change of mood since the ramming-through of the National Security Law last month. Protests have all but died, and people are genuinely aware of having lost their relative freedoms of speech and assembly. Businesses on the "yellow" (pro-protest) side are distancing themselves from their support of the movement. Politicians are quitting opposition parties because they're afraid of being disappeared. Individuals are afraid to go out and protest. A friend recently asked me to keep a hard hat for her because she was afraid that if she was caught with it at her house it'd be evidence she participate in the protests.

China has basically given up any semblance of autonomy for Hong Kong. It's clear who runs the show here. Carrie Lam is universally despised (her approval ratings make Trump look like Mother Theresa). Nobody respects authority anymore. It's clear in daily life.

Re: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law

#198

Post by TheSpiceIsLife »

mtnGoat wrote: post #157
TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What kind of excuse is that? Are you going to stick to that when one of your Nimitz class carriers is sitting on the bottom of the Pacific and China and Russia have occupying forces on mainland USA?

Reaching for the stars much? Russia nor China could get boots on the contiguous states. An ice cube has a higher chance of surviving in hell. Lol!

Every empire fails.

Re: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law

#199

Post by dontremeber »

abc-xyz wrote: post #179
DaiPlusPlus wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> BLM is easy to speak about and acts as good marketing for them. Considering a good chunk of the US population (15-30%?) is vocally "anti-BLM" - it is somewhat ballsy for a high-profile company to wear pro-BLM in their corporate messaging - I'm sure we've all seen people on Facebook vow to boycott Apple or other "liberal" organizations.

These boycotts have limited impact, or rather, their impact can be explained away by blaming other factors (see Blizzard, Disney, etc). This makes it a lot easier for companies to engage in this political marketing (lgbtq+/blm/etc). The reason they’re afraid to voice support for democracy in Hong Kong or human rights in a China, is not because they fear the Chinese people will individually boycott them, but rather th…

I’ve always wondered if, hypothetically, someone as huge in China as Apple takes a stance and publicly criticizes the CCP, and the CCP do completely block access to the market, how does CCP explain to their people they suddenly won’t be able to get Apple products anymore? Would that actually happen? What are China’s options? Can they seize factories, take over, and keep shipping like nothing’s wrong? Do they let Apple stay but make it hurt financially?

Re: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law

#200

Post by _-___________-_ »

khuey wrote: post #93
thaumasiotes wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

She's alleged to have been an officer in a company that disobeyed American prohibitions on trade with Iran. Calling it "bank fraud" is just a way of avoiding the question of what she did that was wrong. Who's arresting Anish Kapoor and his co-conspirators for committing fraud against Stuart Semple?

You really should go read the indictment.

I've read it, and just went and read it again. I agree with GP.
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