Hong Kong’s last remaining free-speech outlet has been suppressed as Beijing exerted maximum political pressure on the most outspoken and popular newspaper Apple Daily. The assets were frozen, the founder and chairman, Jimmy Lai, is in prison on national security charges and a welter of public order offences and six staff have been arrested on suspicion of collusion with foreign powers to endanger national security. After Lai’s arrest, the company’s stock price surged 1,000% in two days. After the money tap was turned off, for its final issue, a million were printed, ten times more than normal, and Hong Kongers were queuing up to buy a copy.
There’s not much to add to last year’s post, see below. Hong Kong is facing a phase of several years ahead of loss of control and confusion as tr Pluto is conjunct the Solar Arc Midheaven this year and next and then the Neptune come 2023/24. Relations with China will worsen from this year through till 2024 and beyond with tr Pluto square the composite Neptune this year and opposition the Mars in 2023/24 when aggravation will be at its peak. 2024/2025/26 will be high-tension years with tr Pluto in hard aspect to the composite Saturn and Uranus.
China itself is due a revolution or major disruptive upheaval through 2022/23 with tr Pluto conjunct the China 1912 Uranus. Xi Jinping’s 2nd term chart, 24 October 2017 12.30pm, is also about to undergo a turnaround with Solar Arc Uranus opposition the Sun in mid 2022, but there is Jupiterian unearned good luck in there which may make the turbulence less damaging. Though there is also an uncertain tr Neptune square the Term Saturn now until early 2023.
Even if Xi Jinping fell off his perch there’s no saying any replacement would be better.
The Apple Daily chart, 20 June 1995, does have a Yod of Pluto sextile Neptune Uranus inconjunct a Gemini Sun which in turn squares Saturn – so it was always destined to be the one who walked alone and be regretful about the past. There is devastation and muddle written over its chart this year and for the next three years. I suppose it is too much to hope it might be revived in some form on the internet. Though journalism is becoming a dangerous occupation in the territory.
Xi Jinping was born 15 June 1953 (wiki) and is a Gemini with his Sun trine Neptune Saturn and sextile Pluto – so fitting into the megalomaniac, super-ambitious mould with Sun Neptune Pluto (see post below) and control-freaky as well with a focal point Pluto.
His Sun is conjunct Mars in Cancer making him assertive and emotionally volatile. Saturn Neptune can give him the impetus to work towards a better society though can also be neurotic/paranoid and in square to Uranus can be autocratic and fanatical. Tr Neptune is opposing his Sun now, on and off till early 2023 which will be indecisive and lacklustre. He has a catastrophic Pluto transit to a Mars midpoint through this July to mid August and again through this December. And mid October 2021 to mid January 2022 there’s another slipping and slithering disaster. Late 2022/early 2023 he’ll get a considerable jolt from his Solar Arc Uranus square his Sun which reflects the turmoil and disturbances on his Term chart. With 2023/4 looking especially fraught. But running a country the size of China will bring running crises and he lived through several in 2018/2019 when his Solar Arc Saturn and Neptune opposed his Sun – and survived those.
Where his relationship chart with China is showing strain is around 2025 with tr Neptune and Saturn conjunct the composite Sun and tr Pluto is opposition the composite Saturn.
Previous post: AUGUST 10 2020
Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong media tycoon and staunch pro-democracy activist has been arrested by under suspicion of colluding with foreign forces. It is the most high-profile arrest since Beijing’s national security laws were imposed on Hong Kong in late June. He has been arrested before but the fear this time is he will face an unfair judicial process, with potential transfer to mainland China for trial. Hundreds of police also raided Lai’s Apply Daily tabloid newspaper.
In June, he said the national security law would make the operation of a free press not just difficult but dangerous. “But we have no choice but to go on with it. We don’t think about the consequences, we just have to carry on what we are doing. If we let the fear frighten us we won’t be able to do anything.” Brave man.
Born 8 December 1948 on mainland China he fled for Hong Kong aged 12, worked in sweatshops, learned English, became a self-made entrepreneur in clothing before turning to journalism, establishing Next media and founding Apple Daily in 1995. He reportedly became politicised and a critic of Beijing after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
He’s a Sun Mercury in Sagittarius square Saturn in hard-working Virgo. He has a go-getting and risk-taking Mars Jupiter in Capricorn opposition Uranus; and his Pluto is in a determined trine to his Sun Mercury and squares his Venus in Scorpio.
When Tiananmen Square protests happened in 1989 and were brutally put down, tr Uranus was conjunct his Jupiter for a moment of enlightenment with his Solar Arc Jupiter opposition his Pluto for a surge of confidence. The tr Saturn Neptune in Capricorn were also moving to square his idealistic Neptune.
There’s nothing much ahead which looks optimistic. He will be determinedly cheerful through 2021/22 though it’ll be an uphill struggle. Where he looks to be running into more serious difficulties is in 18 months to 2 years’ time with a couple of worrisome and risky/blocked Solar Arcs and acute frustrations in 2022/23 and failed-plans after that.
His relationship chart with China 1949 is at a critical point now with the recent Eclipse conjunct the composite Uranus and aggravated in 2021/22/ It’s much the same with the China 1912 chart.
The Apple Daily tabloid newspaper was launched 20 June 1995, with a journalistic Gemini Sun on the focal point of a strained Yod inconjunct Pluto sextile the highly-strung Uranus Neptune in Capricorn; with Saturn square Sun and trine Pluto; and a focal point angry and argumentative Mars in Virgo square a Venus Mercury in Gemini opposition Jupiter in Sagittarius – not short of guts and strong opinions, but it was always going to have a difficult furrow to plough. Tr Pluto conjunct the Neptune Uranus this year and on till 2024 will rock it on its foundations; with tr Neptune bring major uncertainty 2022 till 2025 with tr Neptune conjunct the Saturn and then square the Sun. So nothing much of cheer until 2026 if it still exists then.
When you look at what happened to Tibet, there’s not much to give one hope of the Chinese becoming more civilized. Which makes his and the journalists’ stance all the more courageous.
Very interesting. And how will the Hong Kong Stock Market, which is paramount for China to establish its power, relate to this picture?
Larryc, Journalism has always been a dangerous profession!
Hello marjorie
What about the ” loan” that china gave to Montenegro to get hold of the country ? Any chance of help from the EU or the USA or even Russia to get out of the mess . Or am i beeing naive ?
” Though journalism is becoming a dangerous occupation in the territory.”
It is becoming a dangerous profession around the world!
Fortunate fellow!
I am not sure that Xi is necessarily narcissistic in the way that Trump clearly is, and Boris possibly is, but his fear of being laughed at shows a certain insecurity and a fear of not being taken seriously. It’s hard to set up an anti-corruption campaign or bestride the affairs of nations when your personal image is of a small, stout man. A wiser man might have made a joke of it, at least in the West.
I think he had such a tough upbringing during the Cultural Revolution, and has such a strong sense of his own destiny, that somehow a sense of humour got lost in the process. What Xi does seem to have is a conviction that all that he does is correct, and that history will judge him well. Mao had similar self-belief, but his legacy is now mixed. I shall be interested to see what Marjorie says of Xi’s prospects.
It would be interesting to see your views on Xi Jinping. You probably know that he has banned pictures of Disney’s Winnie-the-Pooh in his country because unkind people noticed a certain resemblance between a honey-eating cartoon bear and a power-mad chemical engineer. Sensitive soul.
What is it about these Geminian politicians ? A common theme seems to be few inner planets in water houses. Empathy not their strong point.
Isn’t it one of the markers of narcissistic personality traits – they can’t take a joke at their own expense? It’s recently been reported that Trump wanted to use the Justice Department to stop Saturday Night Live making fun of him. My cousin’s maternal grandfather was a German officer in WW2 and towards the end of the war he was reported by informers to have made a joke about Hitler in public and was sentenced to death and incarcerated. WW2 coming to an end saved his life.