China's control over Hong Kong accelerates as economy slows

Slowing economic growth. China’s economy grew 7.4 percent in 2014, the slowest growth in 24 years. While the growth rate well exceeds that of other nations, it’s a tumble from China’s 10 percent growth in 2010. President Xi Jinping called for a “new normal” of slow and steady growth, hoping to wean the country off dependence on government spending.

‘Something is better than nothing.’ British Foreign Office chief Hugo Swire made that statement concerning China’s new election rules for Hong Kong’s 2017 chief executive elections. The rules would allow a pro-Beijing committee the power to screen candidates, backtracking on a promise of full democracy. After a months-long protest in the streets of Hong Kong, democracy activists say the British are kowtowing to Beijing to ensure continued trade relations.

Silencing the press. A report by PEN American Center found a trend of declining press freedom in Hong Kong, as the owners of most media groups have close financial ties to the mainland. The region has enjoyed a relatively independent press in the past, although in the last few years, journalists have been physically assaulted, media outlets have practiced self-censorship, and companies have pulled advertising from papers critical of Beijing.

Web cleanup. On the topic of censorship, the Chinese government announced it deleted more than 1 billion “pornographic and harmful” posts from the internet in 2014. While the government claims the sweep aims to keep the internet clean, it’s also used to silence dissent and opinions outside Communist Party lines.

Old Glory snafu. The makers of the popular Chinese social media app Wechat apologized after users typing the words “civil rights” into their chat box found emojis of the American flag cascading down their screen. Tech company Tencent claimed it was supposed to be a special feature only for its American users to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

China Aid. The Christian Science Monitor recently wrote a profile of Bob Fu, the founder of Christian human rights group China Aid. Last May, Marvin Olasky interviewed Fu at Patrick Henry College about how his involvement in the Tiananmen protests led to his conversion.