Diplomatic Relations - Consular Relations

Hong Kong

So Hong Kong's next Chief Executive will be decided by the vote of the Belgian Consulate or the city representatives of Vienna? That's not some surrealistic fiction, but a possible (though unlikely) consequence of the bizarre concept of "functional constituency" in Hong Kong's current electoral system, whereby the above-mentioned foreign entities may, as members of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, vote in Hong Kong's elections. Hong Kong Government is reportedly trying to fix the problem.

Extradition

Hong Kong

A fugitive Hong Kong accountant (of Portuguese descent) was arrested in Spain on an Interpol warrant. As Hong Kong and Spain have no extradition agreement, Hong Kong may seek his transfer under multilateral treaties or Spanish domestic law.

International Watercourse

Amid criticisms of environmentalists, China made progress on the 7.5 billion yuan, 510 megawatt dam project over the Yarlung Zangbo River, which raised concerns in India that the dam would harm downstream flow and put India at a strategic disadvantage in the management of the waterway.

Dispute Settlement

Territory - Diaoyu Islands

An FM spokesman rebuffed an American offer to mediate between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands dispute and criticised the US position that the US-Japan security treaty applies to Diaoyu, calling it "very wrong". While the US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton later said the US offer still stands, the US might as well pretend at least to be a neutral third party not committed to use force to defend Japan's occupation of the islands.