Another Hong Kong news site shutters amid ongoing crackdown by Beijing
Hong Kong news site Citizen News will cease publication Tuesday as the Chinese Communist Party erodes press freedom in the formerly semi-autonomous enclave, the outlet's founders announced Monday.
According to The Associated Press, Citizen News is the third major outlet to close in recent months. Pro-democracy print newspaper Apple Daily closed its doors in June, and online publication Stand News followed suit last week.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Citizen News initially tried to soldier on, hiring many former employees from other publications and even offering to allow interns from shuttered outlets to finish their internships at Citizen News. Ultimately, though, founder Chris Yeung concluded that he had no choice but to close before Hong Kong's new CCP-aligned regime forced him to do so.
"At the center of a brewing storm, we found (ourselves) in a critical situation. In the face of a crisis, we must ensure the safety and well-being of everyone who are on board," a statement from Citizen News read.
The same day Citizen News announced its closure, a slate of 90 pro-Beijing lawmakers were sworn into Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) after an election last month that saw historically low rates of voter turnout, according to BBC. Only pre-screened, CCP-approved "patriots" were permitted to stand for election.
These electoral policies and crackdowns on freedom of the press are the latest steps in Beijing's campaign to bring Hong Kong, which had been a bastion of freedom within China since it ceased to be a British colony in 1997, into line with the rest of the nation. In 2019, the CCP imposed a strict national security law on Hong Kong, effectively ending the region's decades-long history of self-government.
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 – 30 JanuaryQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is China clearing out its generals?Podcast Plus, can the Conservatives win back the centre? And what’s gone wrong with Britain’s hearing aids?
-
The week’s best photosIn Pictures A Viking festival, an inky fingerprint, and more
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
What is at stake for Starmer in China?Today’s Big Question The British PM will have to ‘play it tough’ to achieve ‘substantive’ outcomes, while China looks to draw Britain away from US influence
-
‘It’s good for the animals, their humans — and the veterinarians themselves’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
