Hong Kong; China buys US soybeans; ASEAN meetings; Measures to boost Consumption

China made a US soybean order and both sides will continue working-level talks through August. So for the next month at least perhaps the current trade status quo will be stable.

To celebrate the PLA’s 92nd birthday the Hong Kong PLA garrison released a video showing soldiers practicing shooting protesters (The Washington Post):

The soldiers, dressed in combat gear and holding shields, march forward and fire warning shots to disperse a pretend crowd in the streets. Some of the soldiers are carrying red banners that read, “Stop charging, or we use force,” in English and Chinese. 

The foreign minister of Taiwan, Jaushieh Joseph Wu, wrote on Twitter that “Beijing is celebrating Armed Forces Day in a most uncivilized fashion.” 

The caption on the video says: “The PLA’s Hong Kong Garrison is an important embodiment of China’s national sovereignty, a vital force of safeguarding the ‘One Country, Two Systems,’ and a cornerstone in maintaining Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability. What we have b…