Thought I would chop this post off before the month ends:
"Big turnout in Hong Kong political poll" Associated Press June 30, 2014
HONG KONG — An informal referendum aimed at bolstering support for greater democracy in Hong Kong wound down Sunday after drawing nearly 800,000 votes and the ire of Beijing, which denounced it as a political farce.
Hong Kong residents used the straw poll to express their desire for greater say in choosing their leader.
The vote is part of a campaign by activists in the southern Chinese city to ratchet up the pressure on authorities that could ultimately lead to a mass protest paralyzing the city’s financial district.
Smells like agenda-pushing assets to me.
Hong Kong, a freewheeling capitalist enclave of 7.2 million, passed from British to Chinese control in 1997 with the promise that it could retain a high degree of control over its own affairs under the principle of ‘‘one country, two systems.’’
Beijing has pledged to allow Hong Kong residents to elect their next leader in 2017 but is balking at letting them nominate candidates.
--more--"
Related: China Transformed!
So has Taiwan:
"Protesters lob paint at China diplomat
TAIPEI — A Chinese envoy on a historic visit to Taiwan on Saturday canceled two events after protesters, who are opposed to closer ties with Beijing, threw paint on his motorcade. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office minister Zhang Zhijun skipped visits to a fishing harbor and another village but kept the rest of his schedule. His visit marks the first time a ministerial-level Chinese official has visited the self-governing island since the Chinese civil war 65 years ago (AP)."
