Hong Kong

Interisland travel without quarantine is now underway. And on Friday, bars will be allowed to re-open on Oahu. Friday also marks a new phase for looser restrictions for two important economies in Asia.

The number of visitors to Hawaii has been creeping higher in recent weeks, and there’s a growing focus on how to enforce the 14-day quarantine. South Korea has been using a method for months that’s now moving to a new level.

As we come to the close of another week, more businesses are opening, but that does not include the travel industry. In Hong Kong, government officials say they’re looking at a possible return to travelers at some point this summer.

Attention is increasingly shifting to the cautious and limited re-opening of some areas around the world. And there’s great interest on research and development that can help with that goal. A lot of that work is being done in the Asia Pacific.

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Protests have continued this week in Hong Kong. And while demonstrators have gathered this week from the harbor side to shopping malls, there’s also a group that has moved to online video games.

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New Year’s celebrations in Hong Kong will be a bit more subdued than usual this year. A large show of fireworks over the harbor was canceled this week, because police say they are concerned about crowd safety. And if trends continue, there will be many fewer visitors.

Protests in Hong Kong are continuing this week. Although they’ve been smaller in scale and more peaceful than in recent weeks. But the economy continues to sputter, and city officials are spending more money to try to improve the situation.

China has protested U.S. support for demonstrators in Hong Kong. That support came in the form of a new law requiring an annual review of Hong Kong’s special trade status. Another measure bans the export of tear gas and other material to Hong Kong police. China’s response carries official anger, but the impact is mostly symbolic. 

While news from Washington has been dominated in recent days by the impeachment hearings, there is other activity as well — and some of it is even bi-partisan. That includes a pair of bills passed this week concerning Hong Kong.

There’s been another dramatic turn of events in Hong Kong this week — where about a hundred protestors remain surrounded by police on a university campus. Some have been arrested, while local media report dozens were able to escape from police. But there are other developments beyond the violence.

Hawaii tourism figures will soon be out for the month of September. So far this year, visitors have been increasing from the United States and dropping from the Asia Pacific. Part of that trend relates to slowing economies overseas. But within Asia, other tourism figures are being hit by political developments.

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Saturday will mark the 20th weekend in a row that protestors in Hong Kong take to the streets of the city. It follows another week of political controversy – both in Hong Kong and in the United States.

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Authorities in Hong Kong are bracing for another weekend of protests. It’s been the same pattern for several months, but this coming week will bring an especially sensitive time.

Protests in Hong Kong have marked another milestone this week. It’s now been more than a hundred days since street demonstrations began in the city. And the path to resolution still looks complicated.

As Hong Kong heads into another weekend, residents are bracing for more protests. But the city government is taking a different approach.

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