Blog Moved

This blog is now at www.hkcapitalist.com

A Great Leap Into The Unknown

After the WTO meeting, I have taken a great leap into the unknown and moved this blog to typepad. It is currently accessable at capitalistsolutions.typepad.com and we should have it set up thru www.hkcapitalist.com within the next 24-48 hours.

We will be closing all posts and comments to enable bigger and better things on typepad. Unfortunately I have not been able to migrate the comments here, so please feel free to access the same posts in the new blog to make any comments you might like.

I am going to start with a controversial post on the new site. So please feel free to visit.

Blog Maintenance

I am going to be doing some maintainance on the blog today. I am testing an upgrade to typepad, so this one might appear a bit different as I reformat the data into an exportable format.

Cartoon of the Week

The cartoon in today's Hong Kong Standard sums up the week pretty well. (They could have also put something about poor countries with highly regulated economies too.) The link is here.

WTO - The Conclusion

There has been some limited agreement amongst WTO members to end agricultural subsidies by 2013, the date delayed until then by French insistence on a later date. However there are still final gaps remaining and trade ministers need to fill these in before they can go ahead. According to the WTO website:

Hong Kong’s Commerce, Industry and Technology Secretary John Tsang, who chaired the conference, outlined the achievements in the declaration:
“We have secured an end date for all export subsidies in agriculture, even if it is not in a form to everybody’s liking.
“We have an agreement on cotton.
“We have a very solid duty-free, quota-free access for the 32 least-developed country members.
“In agriculture and NAMA (non-agricultural market access), we have fleshed out a significant framework for full modalities.
“And in services, we now have an agreed text that points positively to the way forward.”

This is a step forward but a very small step and there is so much further to go.

At the same time all countries should realize that they don't really need to get concessions from other countries to develop their own markets. They just need a free market and the rule of law. This worked for Hong Kong so well.

As to the protesters, they were a true disgrace and so were the press that encouraged them. At least one of their gang had the common sense to apologize for their actions.The SCMP reports one said :

"We're so sorry for what happened that night and the troubles caused, " the 45-year-old peasant said, stressing the point repeatedly. "

Indeed despite insistence by some in Hong Kong, the Korean farmers realized quickly that their actions were disgusting to those of us living in Hong Kong. The post goes on to report:

"But what worried them most was whether Hong Kong people disliked them after the protests. ... The farmers said they believed they had achieved their aims of letting Hong Kong people and the world know of the hardship they faced. "

What these hooligans don't remember is that Hong Kongers grew up with hardship during the 50's and 60's to grow into a world class economy. I doubt they will get too much sympathy.

Meanwhile organizations like the Asian Human Rights Commission put out a statement which includes the following:

Due to this excessive reaction, it was reported that some protesters removed some wooden fences on the streets, resulting in minor clashes between the protesters and the police. Despite the protesters being unarmed, the Hong Kong police Commissioner declared the peaceful demonstration as a violent riot against Hong Kong law and pledged to take serious action against the protesters.

Of course this organization is not the only one to say the clashes were minor and I belive their statement above about clashes being minor is wrong. My thoughts are, if the AHRC calls the visible violent demonstrations by the Korean nihilists as minor, what else are they getting wrong? Can they be believed about anything - especially when they are reporting on brutal regimes within the region.

The Anti-Free Trade Nihilists Are an Absolute Disgrace

I just made this post on the Hong Kong People’s Alliance on WTO blog. It is in response to their shameful appeal for support of the Korean farmers' disgraceful actions. It is awaiting moderation on their site.

"You and your people are an absolute disgrace to Hong Kong. I believe the police acted with proper restraint in protecting their lives and property. At the same time it detracts from the WTO where people in poor countries have a chance to improve their lives with less tariffs and subsidies - in the developed and less developed world.
People coming to Hong Kong should ask why has this city gone from a small fishing village to a world class economy - entirely because there are virtually no tariffs and virtually no subsidies. We have the rule of law - and it is working to arrest the troublemakers that were invited to Hong Kong (Did your organization bring them.)
For the sake of our prosperity I strongly urge you to end these protests and put pressure instead on ALL countries to end tariffs and subsidies. Urge governments to open up their markets and to set up systems that are built on the rule of law, not the rule of man. I.e. Capitalism!"

Negotiations Continue as Protesters Arrested

There are conflicting reports coming out of the WTO negotiations. Developing countries say that a deal is near whilst EU representatives say that it is not the case. It would be great if even one developing nation just turned around and said - we want to be like Hong Kong, we will lift all tariffs and subsidies.

Meanwhile, according to RTHK police have finally finally formally arrest hundreds of anti-free trade nihilists. Hopefully the police will throw the book at them and then quickly deport them out of this fair city.

Some quotes from reporters at curbside at WTO found via simonworld:

• 'Tomorrow my byline will fill the screen,' a cameraman holding a DV recorder said happily.
• These guys are awesome,' a photographer said after seeing the protesters breaking the road block.
• 'Damn it! My flash guy is out of order', said a photographer'Ah Wah, are you in the office? Get me a flash gun right now!' the reporter said.

Not all reporters were so blatant, but these kinds of comments do reflect badly on the motives of such people. Let's end with a quote attributed to the police:

'Be careful, there are reporters on the other side,' shouted a policeman.

Update on Protests

It appears there is now a standoff between the police and the ugly protesters in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district. The police have the protesters boxed in on four sides. A government press release was put out today with comments by Secretary For Security Ambrose Lee:

"This afternoon, the WTO demonstrators have shown their true colours by resorting to violence, breaking our law and order and disobeying the instructions of our Police officers. I condemn such illegal behaviour and I think the Hong Kong community will join me in condemning such irresponsible behaviour," Mr Lee said.

Police Release Tear Gas Again

From Hong Kong, live scenes wer just being shown on TV of police in full riot gear and gas masks while CS and pepper grenades were released into a crowd of about 1000 rioters. Police were also responding with large amounts of pepper spray onto protesters with heavily covered faces and umbrellas to deflect the spray. Indeed the barrage of spray is quite substantive and released as a continuous spray. The protesters are using barriers to try to break down police lines.

Dick Lee, Hong Kong's Chief of Police is now on TV explaining what happened. The gist of it was that around 4pm protesters charged police lines and started to attack police with hard objects and iron poles, attempting also to turn over police vehicles. He is assuring the public that the police will bring this matter under control. He is asking people to avoid Wan Chai and for people who know their family or friends might be there, to call them to advise them to return to their homes immediately.

The Principle Transport Officer Albert Su is also explaining that measures were taken to resolve traffic problems that started to arise around 5:3pm, but traffic except around Wan Chai were back to normal.

At this stage there have been 900 people rounded up by the police and 41 people have been injured including 38 men and 3 women. Five of them police officers with SLIGHT injuries (thankfully). Police are waiting for evidence for proper charges.

Press are asking if the PLA will be called in and Dick Lee is assuring that they won't be necessary.

WTO Protest Update

Hong Kong police have just fired tear gas onto the anti-free trade nihilists and appear to have the protesters boxed on four sides including Gloucester Road. The Convention and Exhibition Centre is also locked to prevent protesters from breaking through.

At this stage police on the current shift have been ordered to stay on whilst the next rotation will be joining them to control the situation. Most of Wan Chai is now in lockdown as the police handle the protesters and hopefully catch and arrest every protester they find.

No news so far on any trade talks update.

Police Fire Tear Gas, Warn "Don't Go to Wan Chai Tonight"

[Capitalist Solutions - Hong Kong.] According to TVB and RTHK it appears that the disgraceful acts of the anti-free trade nihilists have closed off the Wan Chai district in Hong Kong to the general public. Police have also quite rightly fired tear gas and used water canons to disperse the nihilists away from the WTO meeting itself.

At the same time, Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) has closed the Wan Chai station and police are currently near the corner of Fleming Road and Lockhart Road with shields ready and batons drawn.

On RTHK today, Secretary for Security, Ambrose Lee asked people to leave the Wan Chai area. He said that police will take robust actions to dispel the illegal acts and violence.

Around 27 people have already been injured (hopefully all of them protesters). I am sure I am not the only Hong Kong resident to commend the police to date and to wish them the best to protect the lives and property of those that live here and those people peacefully visiting this great city.

What the protesters are doing is distracting from the main negotiations. These seem to be going slowly with some sort of deal to remove all agricultural subsidies by 2010 possibly in the works. As I wrote in previous posts, individual countries can best benefit by removing all subsidies and all tariffs. If all countries did it at the same time, that would be all the better. Hong Kong did it long ago and is now a shining example to the rest of the world as to what can happen when these violations of the principle of free trade are lifted.

Impacting on France

Some of the French media picked up on the Lion Rock Institute's rally for free trade yesterday. The media include Le Figaro and the website Liberte Cherie Forum had some links too - as did other French websites. There might be a piece on French radio too.

I have heard it said, sometimes you don't know who picks up an idea an acts on it. At least the ideas now are in a major French newspaper and are there for people to consider. In a nutshell, the reason for France to eliminate tariffs and subsidies:

1. French taxpayers and consumers are being penalized because they are being forced to pay more tax and have less choice as a result. This is an reversal of the idea of justice where the productive should be rewarded
2. French people (like all people) are creative. By sticking to the past AND through the French governments many taxes and regulations, French citizens are denied the opportunity to create new and more wonderful products.

Capitalism is the Cause, Free Trade is the Effect

It was an interesting day at one of the chambers of commerce in Hong Kong. They had a number of speakers there today there who were allegedly in favour of free trade. One of the problems though is that some pro free traders want to separate out the issue of free trade from the issue of politics, or want to talk about globalization in isolation from ideology.

Free trade and globalization are both effects and to achieve these, one has to look at and support the causes and the morality of such causes. The cause of these are grounded in capitalism, which is moral because it allows the individual to be free to use his own mind to make decisions. The effect of capitalism is free trade and globalization.

At the same time, some people talk about the pain of going to free markets but they are mistaken. That pain is only felt by those that are seeking continued subsidies and tariffs, the ones that prefer parasitism to personal responsibility. The rest of the population, especially the most hard working can only gain because they have more choice and less taxes. This is a good thing and if something is good, we should get as much of it as we possibly can.

Money Badly Spent

Unfortunately the Jockey Club has decided to give $10 million dollars to WWF to set up a marine park reserve. At the same time, today's RTHK Backchat noted that a local rape crisis centre is being closed down because the Jockey Club is not going to fund its activities. I note that the club is giving about $16 million to Harmony House (a domestic violence crisis centre) and maybe that can be integrated into the rape crisis centre. However isn't it better for the Jockey Club as a charity to fund centres that help human beings - especially the one's mentioned above - rather than build a park for fish?

Press Coverage of Pro-Free Trade Rally In Hong Kong

Yesterday's free trade rally was picked up by British newspapers including The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. It is interesting to see the difference in how they reported the event and what they concentrated on. The links are:

Free Trade Supporters Hit Back - The Daily Telegraph
Suits and Ties Demonstrate on Opposite Side of Divide - The Guardian

Just from the headlines, it is not difficult to see the different views even before reading the articles. I will write more about this later. At this stage The Telegraph's article was probably the better one (although they made one factual error about me liking Adam Smith - I am much ore of a fan of Ayn Rand).

Anyway it's good to once again get the free trade and capitalist message out - especially to Guardian readers.

Violent Protests and The Role of the Media

Earlier this week when I was staging the very first event of the WTO meetings - a small event in favour of free trade - one of the reporters asked if I was going to debate with an anti-free trade protester - on the street. He wanted to send a photographer!

Later looking at the photos in some of yesterday's newspaper someone pointed out that there were 50 photographers and two Korean farmers kicking police shields and the farmers were getting a much deserved faceful of pepper spray. Let me re-emphasize that 50 photographers and two violent protesters.

There are a couple of more pieces to this jigsaw. Today, there were pictures of the Korean farmers giving back police shields. There were also reports that the protests went like this:

• Farmers told police they would kick shields for about 15 minutes
• Farmers kicked shields for 15 minutes under direction of their union leader
• Farmers stopped and then cleaned up any mess

It seems that someone is leading these farmers by the nose! Could it be that some in the media are asking the farmers the same kind of question that I was asked?:

• "Are you planning to confront the police? We will send a camera if you do."
• "Is there going to be any violence?"
• "Is anyone going to kill themselves?"

Maybe not the last directly, but these are leading kinds of questions. If some in the press have been asking them, then the question arises, "Are they now reporting the news, or are they creating the news?" "Are they reporting violence or indirectly instigating violence?"

There is an area to investigate more, the idea of journalistic responsibility in covering these kinds of events or more importantly holding out for the hope of some kind of violence - if they want staged violence they should go to World Wrestling Entertainment and not help fuel the idea for putting on a violent show.

It shows that ideas have consequences. In this case we should ask are some in the media planting the idea that violent activities will be rewarded with coverage and peaceful protests will get less coverage. If people hear this and decide to act on the idea, then the consequences are obvious. The media need to think about their role in these protests and ask themselves if their actions or questions are helping to contribute to this violence.

Free Trade Rally - Breaking Down The Barriers

From today's "Breaking Down The Barriers Rally". The first one is of me being interviewed by French radio. I explained that French taxpayers and consumers were losing out because they were having to support a large farming community and this also meant that they had less choice, especially with regard to agricultural products. I also met up with a French newspaper reporter and talked with him as well and put a similar view again.

The next is me with three of the Lion Rockers. Andrew Shuen is on the left and Simon Lee and Andrew Work are on the right. They did a lot of hard work to get this event going. Also there were one or two bloggers from Hong Kong.

The last photo is with a Guardian journalist who interviewed me about my free trade views. (With the rise of the blogs, the reporter is now being reported about!) I also met a Mirror reporter last Tuesday in Victoria Park. Both of them were thoroughly polite, maybe it is the sub-editors that take their work and turn it into the complete opposite! The Daily Telegraph was also there to take down a few words as well.

The important thing today is that a lot of media turned out to hear the free trade message loud and clear, with an emphasis on why free trade and capitalism are moral. Free trade is good and so why not get as much of a good thing that is possible.

Flagrant Harbour has some more pics.

Harbour Farce Investigation

I just heard Mike Rowse of InvestHK on RTHK today. I am wondering if there has been any final word on the Harbourfest expenditure.

Overdue Credits

Some long overdue credits:

Simon of Simonworld has continued to cover the conference daily - day 4 update is here, so too have Hemlock, and Flagrant Harbour . Tim Blair and Damian Penny have picked up on it internationally, as have others including the the blogger at the Guardian.

The original story from Reuters has been picked up by English news websites as well as German, French and even Vietnamese blogs and news websites:

Some include:

Boston Globe
CNN
ABC Australia
Vietnam

I am planning a review of the press and its effect on the anti-free trade protesters later today.

Iran Labelled An Axis of Evil - Quite Rightly Too

After calling for the destruction of Israel and attempting to build a nuclear bomb, the Iranians are now denying the holocaust ever existed. Further they want the Jews to leave the Middle East altogether and find a home in Europe, Canada or the US. They suggest Alaska as one possible place.

George Bush has rightly labelled Iran as an axis of evil, from Breitbart:

US President George W. Bush called Iran "a real threat," repeated his charge from 2002 that it is part of an "axis of evil," and urged Tehran to prove it does not seek nuclear weapons. Washington accuses the Islamic republic of using a civilian nuclear program to hide a quest for atomic weapons, and has charged that Iran is a destabilizing force in Iraq. Tehran has denied that it seeks nuclear arms.

However Bush does not go far enough and fails to back his words with action. It is quite clear that the Iranians are clearly a threat to themselves, the Middle East and the whole world. As the principle sponsor and instigator of terrorism, Iran's new leader is looking for confrontation. Iran not Iraq has always been the real threat, they hate the West and everything that it stands for - it's quite clear they will not stop until they see the flag of radical Islam flying in every world city.

There is an excellent editorial by the Ayn Rand Institute on the way to deal with Iran.

A Benefit Of Capitalism - The Ability to Reply

I want to pick up on something that appeared in the Guardian newsblog about 18 hours ago written by Simon Jeffery. (The Guardian is a left-wing or left-learning newspaper in the United Kingdom. Simon Jeffrey writes in his piece entitled One Man and His Blog:

"One of the best (and worse) things about blogging is it opens up a world of self-publishing potential to a lone poster with a computer, an internet connection and - hopefully - something to say. It is in this spirit that Capitalist Solutions in Hong Kong seems to be covering the World Trade Organisation's ministerial meeting in the city. It is usually the anti-capitalist/anti-globalisation end of the spectrum that does the better job of organisation demonstrations, and so it would appear to be in Hong Kong.

Before I critisize him, Mr. Jeffery at least used the story in his own blog so a genuine thank you is in order just for that. However the fact is that I put up a banner in favour of free trade by myself, I talked to a few reporters and suddenly there is a story on a Guardian reporter's screen. He could ignore it but he doesn't.

What is interesting is that nowhere has Mr. Jeffery critisized the content or the way I have put my arguments in my blog, he has only concentrated on the fact that I chose to use a method, which has proved very effective - it got his attention and suddenly a left-leaning newspaper is linking to a pro-capitalism blog, allowing me to put pro-capitalist views to Guardian readers. Many will just tut tut, but hopefully there are some who might say "hmmm, I never thought about capitalism like that before."

At the same time, whilst 10,000 (or maybe 3,000) people are making a noise in one direction, even Mr. Jeffery has helped one person walking in the other direction amplify his message. Maybe only one person came out on Sunday at dawn and Tuesday at noon, but there were many more that probably wished they could be there.

Let me end this on a positive note, again thank you to Mr. Jeffery for the link.

Bigger Free Trade Rally Planned for Hong Kong

There will be another pro-free trade rally, this time on Thursday in Tsim Sha Tsui and it is being organized by the Lion Rockers. This time, I hope people can come out and show their support for free trade. Details are below and the link is here:

Freedom to Trade Rally!

When: Thursday, December 15th, 2005
Time: Presentation: 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Where: Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong (Outdoors, on the Waterfront, near the Star Ferry)
Why: The Freedom to Trade Rally will take place on Thursday to send the message to trade ministers and the world that trade-blocking measures enacted by governments,captive to special interests, are a root cause of poverty and a breakthrough is a moral imperative at the WTO Ministerial Meetings in Hong Kong.
Who: Friedreich Naumann Stiftung, International Policy Network, The Evian Group, The Liberty Institute, Imani: The Centre for Humane Education, The Lion Rock Institute
Contact: Andrew Work, Executive Director, The Lion Rock InstituteMobile: 852 6010 0794

I'll be there to support free trade.

Quick Post On WTO

I will make a more detailed post this afternoon. Just a few brief points:

• First, well done to the police yesterday. They kept the nihilists under control and really had to put up with a lot. It was not surprising to see Long Hair get pepper sprayed. I was just so disgusted with what the protesters did - throwing stuff at the police and their violence in general. I met some of the police in Admirality before the start of the anti-free trade protest; they really don't deserve such treatment from the protesters.
• Second I have changed the word discretely to discreetly in the press release below. A couple of people pointed out the words have very different meanings.
• I will publish a list of links to this site and reply to some of the comments. At this stage thanks to Tim Blair, Simonworld, Hemlock, Damian Penny, Samizdata and even the one man and his blog at the Guardian (I will post a reply to what he says later.) - and Flagrant Harbour.

Branson signs up 38,000 people for commercial space flights

A welcome relief from the WTO protests. Breitbart news reports that Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic has signed up 38,000 people from 126 countries to go into space. Sir Richard was recently in Hong Kong where he announced a frequent flyer scheme for people to get free flights on Virgin Galactic.

According to Breitbart:

LONDON - Virgin Galactic, the British company created by entrepreneur Richard Branson to send tourists into space, and New Mexico announced an agreement Tuesday for the state to build a $225 million spaceport. Virgin Galactic also revealed that up to 38,000 people from 126 countries have paid a deposit for a seat on one of its manned commercial flights, including a core group of 100 "founders" who have paid the initial $200,000 cost of a flight upfront. Virgin Galactic is planning to begin flights in late 2008 or early 2009.

The full story is here. Go get 'em Sir Richard.

Photos From the Event Today

Photos from two WTO related events. The first, a peaceful pro-free trade event held by Simon Patkin wearing a Nike T-shirt and carrying a Nokia mobile phone. The other was held by the anti-free trade protesters before some of the protesters on the day apparently got violent.

The banner in the first picture says "We Love Hong Kong, We Love Free Trade." After putting up the banner I had lunch at McDonalds and then talked to reporters at Victoria Park. The last two photos are of South Korean farmers in Victoria Park. There have since been reports that some protesters have been pepper-sprayed after clashing with police and jumping into the freezing Victoria Harbour.

Australian Pre-empts Anti-Free Trade Protesters Again

Below is a press release sent out. I will add some photos soon.

Australian Pre-empts Anti-Free Trade Protesters Again
Claims one person can make a difference

[Hong Kong – 13 December 2005] For the second time this week, an Australian free trade supporter peacefully put up pro-free trade banners in Hong Kong, pre-empting protesters opposed to free trade ideals – this time at noon near the protest route in Admiralty.

Wearing a Nike T-shirt and carrying a Nokia mobile phone, Simon Patkin, Director of Capitalist Solutions, “I got a lot of international support when I stole the anti-free trade protesters’ thunder the first time and I thought it important to show again that one person can make a difference.”

After putting up the banners in favour of free trade Mr. Patkin went to have lunch at McDonalds. At 2:00pm he was in Victoria Park very discreetly handing out pro-free trade press materials and leaflets to overseas reporters including those from as Spain, Canada, England and Norway. Mr. Patkin said, “There were a lot of South Korean Farmers around so I had to be very careful not to draw their attention. I did manage to take a few photos of these protesters though.”

At the same time Mr. Patkin called upon the South Korean farmers to be peaceful, pointing out that they don’t represent all of the people that live there. He said, “Imagine what would happen if other countries closed their markets to Samsung phones and Hyundai cars. It would be very unfair and so too is it unfair for South Korean farmers to demand continued tariffs and subsidies.” He added, “South Koreans are paying higher taxes and higher prices to support inefficient farming practices.”

According to Mr. Patkin, two of the reasons that Hong Kong has gone from a fishing village to a world-class economy are the lack of tariffs and the strong rule of law. He said, “Protesters should ask if these conditions exist in their own countries before protesting against free trade.”

Mr. Patkin also urged protesters to put pressure on the European Union including France to remove all tariffs and subsidies. However he said this should be done through rational persuasion, not rioting in the streets. He added, “Mindless rioting would just distract from this message.” Mr. Patkin noted that previous WTO conferences in Seattle and Cancun were derailed in part by riots. He said, “Instead of focusing on the flawed arguments put forward by the European Union, the rioters let the EU delay the whole process.” He added, “As an example of what is possible, one can still use reason to call for the expulsion of France from the WTO.”

Even if there is no free trade agreement, Third World countries still have a chance. Mr. Patkin noted that Hong Kong transformed itself through market liberalization and no foreign aid. He said, “Maybe the protesters should ask ‘Why can’t their countries do the same?’”

Mr. Patkin is available for media interviews.

About Capitalist Solutions
Capitalist Solutions is a free enterprise think tank promoting the philosophy of rational self-interest in Hong Kong. For more information please go to http://www.capitalist-solutions.com/.
For WTO updates please go to http://www.hkcapitalist.com/
# # # END # # #

Update:

Changed the word discretely to discreetly

General Commentary

With the WTO meeting opening in Hong Kong today, I would like to highlight some different kinds of economies. These are just notes:

Hong Kong

• Virtually no tariffs or subsidies and free flow of foreign investment
• Went from a fishing village to a world class economy

France and EU - from The Economist

• 40% of total EU budget spent on farm subsidies - almost $50 billion per year
• 80% of subsidies go to richest 20% of farmers
• Farmers in France get 90% of pre-tax income from subsidies or around$12 billion per year in subsidies

Note: France wants to keep European Union subsidies in place until 2013.

China - Emerging Markets

• A ready supply of labour and opening up economy to foreign investment
• Emerging middle class with more money and expectations of more individual rights
• One generation away from being an advanced economy

Third World Countries

• Dependence on a single commodity
• High tariffs and barriers to entry
• Aid recipients but high corruption and little respect for rule of law
• Little chance for growth unless markets opened up to foreign investment and free trade

North Korea and Other Dictatorships

• Closed market with little foreign investment
• Single leader is the state and population subjicated to that leader
• Little hope for reform without regime change.

On a more general note Edwin Locke wrote an excellent article explaining the benefits of world trade here.

Closed for Business and Open for Business

Hong Kong's Wan Chai district is in final lockdown tonight as the area prepares for the opening of the WTO meeting tomorrow. Barriers were erected close to the centre and security was being tightened around the area with an vast increase in police presence.

Banks are being closed and bins have been removed from the Wan Chai MTR train station. Some businesses are still opening tomorrow and the police look like they mean business armed with flak jackets, N-95 masks and helmets.

These guys in the photo above are some of the many heroes that are going to protect Hong Kong against any of the rabble that might want to make trouble. There have already been reports that South Korean farmers are warning they will make such trouble and cannot rule out suicide bids. They also complain that they are unfairly portrayed as violent by the local media and might step up their action as a result.

This is an obvious tautology by the farmers. It's someone saying they will be violent because others have accused them of being violent. Whatever their tactics, let's hope the Hong Kong Police can handle it.

On a final note, the South Korean farmers are certainly not ambassadors of good will from their country and are parasites in their own country too. Hopefully there will be some voices from South Korea condemning these people - especially if the farmers act like animals during their stay in Hong Kong.

First Protester Sent Home

Good news from Chek Lap Kok airport, the first anti-WTO protester was sent home today. According to RTHK News:

"A well-known French anti-globalisation activist says he's been barred from Hong Kong. Jose Bove told a French phone-in programme that he had been detained at Chek Lap Kok, and was about to be put on a plane back to France. He said he had been declared persona non grata - even though he was accredited for the WTO ministerial meeting. The WTO's director-general, Pascal Lamy, promised to help Mr Bove. The activist rose to fame in the late nineties, and was jailed for six weeks in 2003 for smashing up a McDonald's restaurant. "

The disgusting part here is that Mr. Lamy has promised to help this man. What is there to help ... hopefully the only helping that was done, was the helping of Mr. Bove onto the plane out of Hong Kong.

Sometimes It Is Really Worth It

Thank you to Tim Blair of www.timblair.net for the kind comments.

Security Guard Uniforms and Gas Masks - Press Release

Press Release:

Calls for Anti-WTO Organizers to Investigate Security Guard Uniform Thefts and Gas Mask Purchases

If Whereabouts Known, Immediate Return of Items Is Urged

[Hong Kong – 12 December 2005] Following reports of mass gas mask purchases in Mongkok and the theft of security guard uniforms from laundry baskets, Simon Patkin, Director of Capitalist Solutions has called for WTO protest organizers to ensure that such actions were not take by WTO activists. He said that if protesters took such actions then the items should be returned immediately. At the same time Mr. Patkin acknowledged though that the WTO protest organizers might not know about these items or be involved and therefore no one should automatically be blamed for such actions.

Mr. Patkin said, “However given the previous history of violence in anti-WTO protests, organizers should investigate concerns they might be WTO related without delay. If they find anti-WTO protesters took the items, they should quickly expel those responsible from all further activities and report any findings about these matters to the police.”

Mr. Patkin also called for any stolen uniforms and purchased gas masks to be returned without delay. He further noted that the anti-WTO organizers may genuinely not know about these actions and that the actions might not be WTO related.

Mr. Patkin said, “If however organizers do know of the items whereabouts or possible use, I believe they have a moral responsibility to ensure that these items are not used during any protest.” He added, “If they find that these items are in the hands of anti-WTO protesters, then organizers should arrange for the handover of these items to the police before the start of their next rally on Tuesday.”

He also called for protesters to be rational and non-violent during their stay in Hong Kong.

Mr. Patkin is available for media interviews.

About Capitalist Solutions
Capitalist Solutions is a free enterprise think tank promoting the philosophy of rational self-interest in Hong Kong. For more information please go to http://www.capitalist-solutions.com/.
For WTO updates please go to http://www.hkcapitalist.com/ . Mr. Patkin also organized the first rally of the WTO meetings – a pro free trade rally at dawn on Sunday 11 December 2005 in Central.

# # # END # # #

Gas Masks Purchased, Security Guard Uniforms Stolen

Reports coming out from the SCMP are that WTO protesters may have purchased one hundred gas masks from a shop in Mongkok and stolen security guard uniforms from a laundry. The concerns are that they will use these to enter the main conference centre to cause major disrpution and possible violence at the opening of the WTO conference.

If they have stolen uniforms, my first question is who would be wearing these uniforms. Since Hong Kong is basically ethnically Chinese, it will be pretty hard for anyone but local Hong Kongers or overseas Chinese to really pull this off. (Imagine someone from the Philippines or Cananda trying to wear a guard's uniform.)

Should it be true that WTO protesters have been gathering up such equipment to disrupt the conference, I want to call upon WTO protest organizers to make sure that any security guard uniforms and gas masks they have are ALL returned before the main opening.

In the meantime I picked this up from the RTHK newsite.

NZ academic says anti-WTO protesters unfairly portrayed as 'rioters'

A law professor from New Zealand has accused the government of attempting to provoke violence among anti-WTO protesters. Jane Kelsey said the police force had been unfairly portraying activists as rioters.

This is far from true. The protesters themselves have a history of rioting in Cancun and Seattle. Let's call this another example of left-wing academics defending the indefensible.

More Photos - Stealing The WTO Protester's Thunder

Reuters has a better photo here and the ABC in Australia picked up on the story here.

Victoria Park At 1:30pm on Sunday 11 December.

Victoria Park at 1:30pm. Notice the slogan "smash the WTO and global capitalism". Some of the protesters were wearing t-shirts saying "We came, we saw, we junked the WTO". They really don't stand for anything except destruction. Free markets and free trade will mean more opportunity for people in both the third world and the developed countries.

WTO Rally: The Quiet Before The Mob

Outside Cheung Kong Centre in Admirality/Central at 6:30am

Stealing WTO Protesters Thunder!
I am now at Pacific Coffee at 8:20am having a tea - after an early breakfast at McDonalds (If only they would bring in more low carb alternatives.)

Walking around Central at 7am, after putting up the free trade banners, there was an eerie kind of silence before the impending mob. The security guards that first saw me putting up the banners seemed a bit bemused, even happy that there was a free trade voice.

Inside the Cheung Kong Centre in Admirality/Central, I could see the security guards being assembled at 7am - it seems that they are already preparing for lockdown. The guards outside are also getting a bit more wary - ready to expect trouble even in the early hours.

I will post more photos of the banners put up - there aren't many, but they do send a message on behalf of those that do support Hong Kong.

Press Release: Dawn Action in Favour Of Free Trade

Dawn Action in Favour Of Free Trade
Capitalist Solutions Make Pro Free Trade Voice Heard

[Hong Kong – 11 December 2005] Capitalist Solutions made the voice of free trade heard during the anti-globalization protests today. Under the slogan of “We Love Hong Kong, We Love Free Trade”, banners in favour of free trade were put up at dawn along the protest route.

Simon Patkin, Director of Capitalist Solutions a locally based think tank that organized the action said, “It is important that the pro-free trade voice is heard today, particularly as free trade is moral - it rewards the productive and forces the inefficient to become more efficient.”

At the same time Mr. Patkin called for rationality not riots during the WTO Trade meeting in Hong Kong. He urged WTO activists to take the time to look around the city to try to discover why Hong Kong has succeeded whilst so many third world economies have not.

According to Mr. Patkin, two of the reasons that Hong Kong has gone from a fishing village to a world-class economy are the lack of tariffs and the strong rule of law. He said, “Protesters should ask if these conditions exist in their own countries before protesting against free trade.”

Mr. Patkin also urged protesters to put pressure on the European Union including France to remove all tariffs and subsidies. However he said this should be done through rational persuasion, not rioting in the streets. He added, “Mindless rioting would just distract from this message.”

Mr. Patkin noted that previous WTO conferences in Seattle and Cancun were derailed in part by riots. He said, “Instead of focusing on the flawed arguments put forward by the European Union, the rioters let the EU delay the whole process.” He added, “As an example of what is possible, one can still use reason to call for the expulsion of France from the WTO.”

Even if there is no free trade agreement, Third World countries still have a chance. Mr. Patkin noted that Hong Kong transformed itself through market liberalization and no foreign aid. He said, “Maybe the protesters should ask ‘Why can’t their countries do the same?’”

Mr. Patkin is available for media interviews.

European Union Gets Hypocritical Again

There is no stopping the EU protectionist juggernaut. Well there is, but it requires a lot of hard talk. The latest news of the EU's plans for new tariffs was reported today in the SCMP under the headline "Shoemakers rally against threatened EU duties".

To quote from the article:

"The EU announced in July it would conduct anti-dumping investigations on shoes with leather uppers from China and Vietnam - which affects sports shoes that international brands such as Reebok and Nike source
from Asian factories; as well as safety shoes with protective toecaps from China and India. It will decide whether to impose anti-dumping duties by April."

Let me just emphasize, companies don't dump, only governments dump. That is governments subsidize inefficiency in order to prop up ailing industries; companies look for strategic opportunities and do this by sometimes pricing at better levels than their competitors. These kinds of duties that EU wants to impose go against the spirit of free trade and certainly should not be permitted by the WTO.

RSS Feed Added - Tracking WTO Activity in Hong Kong

To help readers keep up with the WTO meeting I have added an RSS feed for this blog. If you use it and have problems please let me know.

Update: It is atom, we will try to add an RSS feed in the next day or so.

Jail /Deport The Protesters

Whilst Amnesty has asked for amnesty for the WTO nihilistic, the Hong Kong Police should take a strict no violence approach to these protesters. There should be no tolerance of protesters just because they "feel" an irrational surge of anger.

At the same time let's hope the government is stopping the badder elements from coming into Hong Kong - particularly those South Korean farmers that are known to be trouble makers with criminal records. These people are not so much peaceful protesters but rather more like soccer hooligans.

Preparing for WTO Protesters

It looks like the WTO nihilists are indeed preparing to storm the opening of the WTO conference. According to the SCMP, police intelligence shows they are also planning to disrupt the opening ceremony.

The SCMP is also saying that the Hong Kong Jockey Club is dismissing concerns that protesters are planning to disrupt the Cathay Pacific International Races in Sha Tin on Sunday. In my opinion the Jockey Club is being very naive in its response:

"Club spokesman Wilson Cheng Kwok-ming said the information was incorrect and it was highly unlikely the races would be hit by protests "because everyone knows the good work the jockey club does for the community". "It is not correct because we support many charities and NGOs," he said. "The bottom line is we are a charitable organisation that supports Hong Kong life. Everyone is aware of this in Hong Kong, including the protesters. "I'm sure they will inform any international protesters of our role in society." "

The discussion about privatizing the Jockey Club should come at another day. It's a pity that the Club has to appeal to protesters in this way. It's like they are begging or grovelling to the protesters not to disrupt the meeting.

French Are The WTO Problem

The French are one of the big WTO problems that will derail the current WTO talks. The other major problem of course being the WTO protesters who are coming to try to stop the opening up of free trade.

The Washington Post reports that the French are now willing to make concessions, but this should be seen against the background of massive subsidies of over 40 billion dollars a year paid out to EU farmers. For example the newspaper reports:

"The European offer would reduce import tariffs on agricultural goods by an average 46 percent but, crucially, leaves room for "sensitive products" like beef and poultry to be partially exempt from the cuts _ helping EU farmers to remain competitive against lower-cost imports."

The whole purpose of free trade is to reward the efficient and these subsidies do the opposite. If the French continue to make things difficult by threatening to veto the talks or do everything they can to stop liberalization, then maybe it is time for WTO to politely ask France to leave.

At the WTO, it's time to focus on France and other countries that still want tariffs and subsidies.

Time for Rationality Not Riots

I sent out the following press release today

Time for Rationality Not Riots

WTO Activists Can Learn From Hong Kong’s Successful Trade Policies

[Hong Kong – 9 December 2005] Simon Patkin, Director of Capitalist Solutions a locally based think tank called for rationality not riots during the WTO Trade meeting in Hong Kong. He also urged WTO activists to take the time to look around the city to try to discover why Hong Kong has succeeded whilst so many other centres have not.

According to Mr. Patkin, two of the reasons that Hong Kong has gone from a fishing village to a world-class economy are the lack of tariffs and the strong rule of law. He said, “Protesters might want to ask if these conditions exist in their own countries first.”

At the same time Mr. Patkin urged protesters to put pressure on the European Union including France to remove all tariffs and subsidies. However he said this should be done through rational persuasion, not rioting in the streets. He added, “Mindless rioting would just distract from this message.”

Mr. Patkin noted that previous WTO conferences in Seattle and Cancun were derailed in part by riots. He said, “Instead of focusing on the flawed arguments put forward by the European Union, the rioters let the EU delay the whole process.” He added, “As an example of what is possible, one can still use reason to call for the expulsion of France from the WTO.”

Even if there is no free trade agreement, Third World countries still have a chance. Mr. Patkin noted that Hong Kong transformed itself through market liberalization and no foreign aid. He said, “Maybe the protesters should ask ‘Why’?”

Mr. Patkin said that Capitalist Solutions would be planning some street actions in favour of free trade and the ending of all subsidies and tariffs. Details will be sent to the media in due course.


About Capitalist Solutions

Capitalist Solutions is a free enterprise think tank promoting the philosophy of rational self-interest in Hong Kong. For more information please go to www.capitalist-solutions.com. For WTO upates please go to www.hkcapitalist.com

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