HONG KONG — A new high-speed rail link between Hong Kong and mainland China launched Sunday, a multi-billion-dollar project that critics say gives away part of the city’s territory to an increasingly assertive Beijing. Hong Kong also enjoys rights unseen on the mainland, including freedom of speech, protected by a deal made before the city was handed back to China by Britain in 1997. AFP journalists in the station Sunday could still access social media and websites, even when using a mainland Chinese WiFi provider. One arrival who gave her name as Mrs. Tian, 64, said it was her first time in Hong Kong. The hush-hush ceremony took place at midnight and was not announced by the Hong Kong government until it was over.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 23, 2018 04:30 UTC