IN THE NEWS - Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa

IN THE NEWS - Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Saturday, March 05, 2005

Jerilyn Watson

I'm Steve Ember with In the News, in VOA Special English.

All week there was discussion about the future of Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa. Mister Tung, in comments Friday, defended the record of his seven years in office. Yet there were reports that he had already resigned. He was in Beijing for the yearly meeting of the legislature, the National People's Congress.

Mister Tung has been unpopular. In two thousand three, a half-million people protested after he tried to establish a security law approved in Beijing. The demonstrators also were protesting the slow reaction to the spread of the lung infection SARS.

 
Tung Chee-hwa 
Tung Chee-hwa is sixty-seven years old. He earned millions of dollars in the shipping¹ business before he became chief executive of Hong Kong. He was the first leader chosen after British colonial rule ended in nineteen ninety-seven. Since then, China and Hong Kong have followed a policy known as "one country, two systems."

The territory's Electoral Committee appointed Mister Tung to a second five-year term in two thousand two.

Hong Kong law says that if the chief executive leaves, the temporary replacement² is the chief secretary. That job is held by Donald Tsang.

Local media say Chinese officials may want the next chief executive to serve a full five-year term, instead of just the next two years. If that happens, reports say hopes of democratic reforms could be pushed back at least until two thousand ten.

Pro-democracy politicians in Hong Kong want changes before elections planned in two thousand seven. These politicians want all citizens to have the right to elect their representatives directly. In two thousand, business leaders and professionals chose members of the Hong Kong legislature. Almost seven million people live in Hong Kong. Only about one hundred sixty thousand of them were able to vote.

In Washington this week, there was discussion of another issue involving China. American officials oppose efforts to end a European ban on weapons sales to that country. Some European Union nations have already begun to sell military supplies to China. The ban came after Chinese troops crushed pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in nineteen eighty-nine.

President Bush discussed American concerns during his recent visit to Europe. Reports said he made little progress on this issue with European leaders. The president says easing the ban could, in his words, "change the balance of relations between China and Taiwan." China sees Taiwan as a rebellious³ province.

This week, the American State Department released its yearly report on human rights around the world. Again, it listed many efforts to suppress dissent⁴ in China. And again China reacted with its own report on what the Chinese condemned⁵ as United States offenses⁶. These included the mistreatment of prisoners by American soldiers in Iraq.

In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Steve Ember.

1 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

2 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

3 rebellious   

adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的

参考例句：

• They will be in danger if they are rebellious.如果他们造反，他们就要发生危险。
• Her reply was mild enough,but her thoughts were rebellious.她的回答虽然很温和，但她的心里十分反感。

4 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

5 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

6 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法