The Latest on the 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule in China (all times local):Beijing’s historic Tiananmen Square is awash in lights for an outdoor gala celebration of 70 years of Communist rule in China.To get more china local news, you can visit shine news official website.
With a smiling President Xi Jingping looking on, the festivities began at 8 p.m. on Tuesday with a fireworks show over the square and along the long thoroughfare that passes by it.Thousands of participants performed a synchronized dance, holding up lighted boards to make various formations including the Chinese flag.The evening celebration followed a daytime parade in which China showcased both its military and its achievements since the Communist Party came to power.
Tiananmen Square is both where leader Mao Zedong declared the
founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and where
pro-democracy protesters rallied in 1989 before being quashed by the
military in a bloody crackdown.
U.S. President Donald Trump has tweeted his congratulations to China on
70 years of Communist Party rule.The U.S. leader wrote “Congratulations
to President Xi and the Chinese people on the 70th Anniversary of the
People’s Republic of China!”Trump has generally spoken favorably about
Chinese leader Xi Jinping, though relations between the two countries
have deteriorated since he took office.
Trump has launched a trade war with China and his administration has been critical of China’s repression of Uighur Muslims and other minorities.Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protested on Tuesday against mainland Chinese control.
A Hong Kong police official says a pro-democracy protester was shot when an officer opened fire with his revolver during clashes Tuesday. It was the first time a protester has been shot, in an escalation of the monthslong unrest that has rocked the city.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release information, confirmed the incident in the Tsuen Wan area but couldn’t immediately provide further details.
A video of the incident, shot by the City University Student Union and shared on social media, shows a dozen black-clad protesters hurling objects at a group of riot police pursuing them. One officer, who was surrounded, drew his revolver and pointed it at the group. He fired and one protester collapsed on the street while others fled.
A military parade marking the 70th anniversary of Communist rule in China wasn’t open to the general public, but many gathered outside Beijing’s train station to watch military jets fly overhead.
Some waved Chinese flags and cheered when the planes flew by Tuesday, leaving colorful trails of smoke.Mo Can from Shanghai was excited to see the planes as she exited the station. She said, “the rainbow-like smoke is fantastic,” showing videos she shot on her smart phone.
Tao Xingui said he read about weaponry on apps such as “Study and Strengthen the Nation” as he rode the train from Jiangxi province. He called the army’s tactical missile force his favorite part, saying “it’s a good example to show our great national power and make our voice heard on international platforms.”
Riot police have fired tear gas to disperse pro-democracy protesters in several districts in Hong Kong amid multiple rallies challenging the Chinese Communist Party as it marks its 70th year of rule.
Dozens of police officers formed a security cordon, backed by a water cannon truck, to prevent protesters from advancing to Beijing’s liaison office in the city.
Battles between hundreds of black-clad protesters and police occurred in multiple locations, turning streets into battlefields. Police fired multiple rounds of tear gas at the Wong Tai Sin, Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun areas as protesters hurled gas bombs, bricks and other objects in their direction.
Police said protesters used corrosive fluid in Tuen Mun, injuring officers and some reporters.The city was already under tight security, and more subway stations were shuttered as the violence spread.
Protesters are paving the streets of central Hong Kong with fake bank notes they usually use at funerals, tossing wads of them into the air as they march in black.
The notes, many marked “Hell Bank Note,” were a vivid expression of what many protesters say feels like a day of mourning for them as Communist leaders in Beijing celebrate 70 years in power.
Like outsized confetti, tens of thousands of the notes covered a broad thoroughfare where a vast and swelling crowd tens of thousands strong marched, shouting “Fight for freedom.”
Protesters brought shopping bags full of giant wads of the notes and passed them out in the crowd.Marcher Ray Luk said as he and his mother tossed notes into the air, “The leaders who won’t listen to our voice, this is for them.”In the crowd, a protester also blew a bamboo trumpet traditionally heard at funerals and weddings, leading the crowd as it sang “Glory to Hong Kong,” an anthem of the protests.
Multiple rallies are taking place in Hong Kong in defiance of a police ban as pro-democracy protesters vent their anger at China’s central government, which they say is chipping away at freedoms in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
The biggest march took place in central Hong Kong, with thousands clad in black covering a broad thoroughfare and chanting slogans denouncing China’s Communist Party as it marked its 70th year in power Tuesday. Some carried Chinese flags defaced with a black cross.
King Chan, a 57-year-old homemaker who came out to protest with her husband, said, “They are squeezing our necks so we don’t breathe the air of freedom.”Several smaller rallies are taking place in further districts. In at least three areas, riot police chased off hundreds of protesters, but the demonstrators later regrouped.
