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This article is written by a former Royal Hong Kong Police officer whose service included Special Branch engaged in counter-terrorism intelligence, and who is currently resident in Hong Kong. It offers a detailed chronological overview of the development of the 2019 protests in Hong Kong; analyses the problems with the political response on the part of the Hong Kong and Beijing governments; it also looks at the tactics employed by the protesters, and critically examines the tactical and strategic response to the protests by the Hong Kong police. It also discusses the broader social and economic causes of the protests, and how the Hong Kong government might best respond to these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triad and other secret societies have been mutual aid groups, personal networks amongst Chinese, organised criminal gangs, as well as associated with patriotism. The perceived patriotism of triads originated in the support of some for the restoration of the Ming Dynasty and overthrow of the Manchu Qing dynasty. The association of triads with patriotism continued as triad and secret societies used regimes for advantage and regimes likewise used them when in need of support. The Nationalists (Kuomintang), the Communists, and even the British have worked with or used triad or other secret societies when the need has arisen. The pretext of patriotism is a central factor in the durability of triad and secret societies in China. This article seeks to explain the frequent association of triad societies with patriotism and why this has contributed to the durability of the criminality of triads that overlooks their long-term criminality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2007, amateur on-line writer Kong Ergou’s triad novel series,Past Events of the Northeast: Twenty Years of the Triads, became a hit as a piece of network original literature. Five years later, the first volume of the book series was adapted into a network television drama of the same title. Focusing on the television drama, this paper examines three interrelated “dimensions” of the text. The first “dimension” relates to the correspondence between the inception and development of underworld gangs, and the vicissitudes experienced by the Chinese people during the harsh and unprecedented economic and cultural conditions that were introduced during the post-Mao era. A second “dimension” of this dramatic text finds that the nostalgia for and admiration of totalitarian times, together with a postmodern parody and deconstruction of Maoist society and its ideology, are juxtaposed in contemporary popular cultural products such asPast Events, thus demonstrating the complex and obscure emotions of ordinary Chinese people in relation to socialist revolutionary times. The final “dimension” compares the chivalrous spirit espoused by the gangsters with the ever-deteriorating morality and ethical values prevalent in present-day China. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper provides an introduction to the articles submitted to the special issue of Trends in Organized Crime bringing forward numerous empirical research findings and theoretical accounts on Chinese organized crime in China and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent events have shifted the way the Chinese state responds to organized crime and corruption. The re-definition of organized crime, improved judicial oversight and the re-assessment of 'strike-hard' style police campaigns are key reforms. This paper discusses the recent changes in law, practice and oversight in the context of a brief overview of criminal groups in China and the Chongqing policing model. Revisions to the criminal law are described and the likely outcomes are assessed in the context of the key struggle to contain corruption and organized crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the effects of dyadic ties and interpersonal trust on referrals and investment decisions of venture capitalists in the Chinese and Russian contexts. The study uses the postulate of transitivity of social network theory as a conceptual framework. The findings reveal that referee-venture capitalist tie, referee-entrepreneur tie, and interpersonal trust between referee and venture capitalist have positive effects on referrals and investment decisions of venture capitalists. The institutional, social and cultural differences between China and Russia have minimal effects on referrals. Interpersonal trust has positive effects on investment decisions in Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the time of the handover of Hong Kong to China (July 1997), open warfare erupted on the streets of Macao between elements of the South China underworld. This terminated abruptly roughly a month before the handover of Macao to China (December 1999). What and who was involved? The answer to this was never fully established. In this article I address the issue of what these events can tell us concerning a process that, outwardly and formally, presented itself as an instance of ‘decolonization’ - in fact, the last act of the former Portuguese Empire - but was, in reality, far more complex. In this way, I aim to show that the emphasis on the moment of ‘independence’ in the analysis of colonial and postcolonial processes tends to conceal the continuities and the complexities of political, social and economic processes that are best seen in a global perspective, rather than in terms of a localized relation between colonized and colonizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]