The Pulse：CE & CS's visit to Beijing and discussion with David Zweig, 75th anniversary of Battle of

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is in Beijing on his final duty visit. As ever he met Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping. Everything went pretty much to form: President Xi said he respected and understood Leung’s decision not to seek a second term, and praised his work in fighting the idea of Hong Kong independence. With him in Beijing – but on different business – is Chief Secretary Carrie Lam who denies she’s there for a “job interview or job hunting”, nope – apparently she is solely there to discuss collaboration with the Palace Museum which will be making a contribution to mark the 20th anniversary of the HKSAR.
In a high profile and rare press conference at the Forbidden City, the Chief Secretary Carrie Lam signed an agreement with the Palace Museum to build a museum to house part of its collection in the West Kowloon Cultural District to mark the 20th anniversary of the HKSAR. Bypassing Legco, the Hong Kong Jockey Club will inject $3.5 billion to the project, and the museum is expected to be built in 2022. With us in the studio is David Zweig, Director of the Centre on China’s Transnational Relations at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to talk about that.
75 years ago Hong Kong was preparing for one of the darkest Christmas days the then colony had ever experienced. Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Japanese troops invaded Hong Kong. Vastly outnumbered, the Hong Kong forces managed to hold off for eighteen days, before the official surrender on Christmas Day. Thousands were killed, missing, and wounded. Many, combatants and non-combatants alike, were made prisoners of war. Japan occupied Hong Kong for three years and eight months.
And it’s very nearly the end of us for this year which, by any standards, has been both unsettling and turbulent for people in many parts of the world. But that won’t stop all of us at The Pulse, hoping you enjoy the Christmas vacation and, assuming you survive the festivities – we’ll see you next week!