Hong Kong endured one of the most violent days in five months of protests today, with police shooting a protestor at close range, protestors lighting a man on fire, and Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam denouncing "enemies of the people."
Why it matters: More than 60 people were wounded, according to Lam, and tear gas filled the air in the Central business district in the middle of the work day. Chris Johnson, a former top CIA China analyst now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Michael Morell on the Intelligence Matters podcast that protest leaders realize violence by more "hardcore" elements risks sapping western support.
The U.S. and China may be on course for a “phase one” deal to prevent further trade war escalation — but a hardening between the world's two biggest economies could last far beyond the tariffs and truces of the Trump era.
Why it matters: Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister and current president of the Asia Society Policy Institute, fears talk of “decoupling” — in which the U.S. and China disentangle their economies and erect new barriers — will become a “self-fulfilling prophecy,” with drastic consequences.
A Hong Kong protester was shot by police who opened fire on demonstrators during clashes in the city at the start of Monday's rush hour, local media report. A hospital spokesman told the BBC the 21-year-old man had surgery and was in a critical condition.
Why it matters: The shooting occurred as demonstrators "blocked roads and scuffled with riot police officers," some of whom fired tear gas during a general strike across the city, per the New York Times. While there have been clashes between police and protesters for the past 24 weekends, it's unusual for it to happen on a working day.
Chung Eui-yong, South Korea's national security adviser, said on Sunday that the United States is “very actively” trying to convince North Korea to return to negotiations ahead of an unofficial deadline for dialogue, Reuters reports.
Background: North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un warned in October that the U.S. had until year’s end to take a "substantial step to make complete and irreversible withdrawal" of its "hostile policy." Chung said South Korea is taking North Korea's deadline "very seriously."
Rising levels ofpolitical disinformation and government surveillance are making the internet less free in the U.S., according to a new report by Freedom House, a democracy and human rights research group.
The big picture: Internet freedom is in decline around the world, according to the report, as governments increasingly use social media to monitor their citizens and spread disinformation at home and overseas.
Pro-democracy activists blocked roads, trashed shopping malls and vandalized public transportation across Hong Kong on Sunday, while riot police fired tear gas to break up demonstrations, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: Sunday's protests mark the 24th consecutive weekend of anti-government protests, coming just two weeks before the Chinese-controlled city holds district council elections.
