The Hong Kong stock market is grappling with the relentless grip of a bear market as foreign funds make a hasty retreat, counterbalanced by an influx of Chinese funds. This complex interplay has cast a shadow over market sentiment, leading to a palpable decline in enthusiasm among investors. As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) follows a suspected policy of “keep Hong Kong but not its people,” observers note that foreign investment, human freedoms, and human capital are leaving the city. Their place is being filled by Chinese investment and repressive rule. The Hang Seng Index, following its descent below the critical 18,000-point threshold on Aug. 18, embarked on a seven-day consecutive decline, followed by faint signs of an upward trajectory....Read more https://www.theepochtimes.com/china/analysis-hong-kong-stock-market-challenged-as-bear-market-persists-part-1-of-2-post-5484737
The federal government has tapped Quebec Court of Appeal Justice Marie-Josée Hogue to lead the public inquiry into interference by foreign states, according to several reports. Media outlets have reported the news, citing anonymous sources, but have indicated that Minister Dominic Leblanc is expected to make the official announcement on Sept. 7. Mr. Leblanc, who is responsible for Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, said during the Liberal cabinet retreat at the end of August that parties were “real close” to finding the right candidate. The minister had refused to confirm rumours the hold-up was due to several sitting or retired judges refusing to take the role.... 
Since Japan initiated the release of treated nuclear wastewater into the ocean on Aug. 24, it has faced an onslaught of harassing calls from China. The situation has led telecom companies in Japan to set up specialized emergency hotlines. While this wave of calls has baffled and frustrated many Japanese citizens, businesses based in Japan but operating in China are also contending with boycotts. Harassment Calls Disrupt Lives of Regular Japanese Citizens These unsolicited calls have targeted a broad range of sectors in Japan, from government agencies to corporations, non-profits, restaurants, and health care facilities. However, the brunt of these calls is borne by ordinary citizens who have no direct connection to the wastewater discharge issue....
The former head of a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) department responsible for engaging with foreign political parties met with multiple federal cabinet ministers and the national security adviser to the prime minister during a 2018 visit to Canada. This CCP department was recently designated an “intelligence service” by a German federal intelligence agency. The International Department of the Central Committee of the CCP, also known as the International Liaison Department (ILD), operates “de facto as an intelligence service of the People’s Republic of China and is therefore part of the Chinese intelligence apparatus,” says a “Safety Notice for Politics and Administration” in German....