Rebuke to Beijing

Balance of Power From FOLLOW US SUBSCRIBE   This is why China doesn't like elections. The people of Hong Kong delivered a stunning rebuke to Beijing yesterday, handing 85% of seats on local District Councils to candidates who favor greater democracy in the financial hub. Those championing closer ties with China won about 13% of seats, down from 65% in the last vote four years ago. While district councilors don't have much power, the result is nonetheless a rebuke for Beijing. It shows the city's 7.4 million people are still firmly on the side of the protesters after almost six months of increasingly violent demonstrations. It tells China that its strategy to wait out the unrest isn't working. Chief Executive Carrie Lam and her bosses in Beijing have consistently inflamed the protests. Now they have yet another chance to calm things down. The easiest concession would be an independent inquiry into police violence, which even pro-government figures are calling for. Much harder would be allowing Hong Kong to pick a leader who would stand up to Beijing. That's a red line China isn't willing to cross, no matter how many of the city's voters want it. — Daniel Ten Kate Local residents celebrate outside a polling station today. Photographer: Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images AsiaPac Global Headlines Decision time | House Democrats are starting to compress weeks of depositions, documents and testimony into a report almost certain to result in articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the White House is waging a campaign to discredit the investigation. Defense Secretary Mark Esper dismissed Navy Secretary Richard Spencer yesterday over his handling of the case of a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes in Iraq. Trump said he was "not pleased" with the way the case was dealt with.  Read more about how Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani discussed representing a state-owned Ukrainian bank in a legal dispute even while publicly pressing Kyiv on behalf of the U.S. president. New entrant | Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined a crowded field of Democratic presidential hopefuls, offering a mix of moderate policy stances and experience in business, government and philanthropy. His late candidacy faces difficulties as he seeks to build a campaign infrastructure and support in key states. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of the parent company of Bloomberg News. Playing it safe | U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson took no risks with his Conservative Party's election manifesto yesterday, hoping that a conventional center-ground package of tax cuts and spending on the national health service will keep the Tories in power. Opinion polls put the Conservatives 13 points ahead of the Labour opposition ahead of the Dec. 12 vote. Missile dispute | Turkey is testing a component of its newly acquired Russian air-defense system in a move that threatens to touch off possible sanctions by its NATO ally the U.S. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Trump earlier this month that his country wouldn't back down on its plan to deploy the systems. The S-400 during a military parade in Moscow in 2015. The system was designed to shoot down U.S. and allied aircraft at greater ranges and altitudes than older missiles. U.S. officials are concerned that sensitive technology in its advanced F-35 fighter plane designed to evade such a system could be compromised and used to improve Russian technology if Turkey has both. Photographer: AFP Tilt right | The ruling left-wing Broad Front in Uruguay is waiting on official results from last night's election as the vote count shows only a narrow loss to the conservative candidate Luis Lacalle Pou. The Broad Front's Daniel Martinez may have had a last-minute boost from a large influx of Uruguayans living abroad who came home to vote. What to Watch This Week The U.S. Supreme Court could act today on Trump's bid to block a House subpoena for his financial records while it considers whether to take up his appeal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to quash the first signs of rebellion in his Likud party, working to turn the timetable of a leadership race to his advantage. On Friday, BBC Television is holding an election debate with seven major parties in Cardiff. Italy may be willing to compromise on its holdout against a German plan for further integration of the European Union's banking system that includes setting limits on holdings of sovereign debt. Guinea-Bissau this week should learn the results of yesterday's presidential elections contested by a dozen candidates in the West African nation, which has a history of cocaine trafficking and coups. Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. And finally ... Italy's second major road bridge collapse in 15 months has put the safety of the country's aging infrastructure in the spotlight. No one was hurt when heavy rains set off a huge landslide that caused the bridge to buckle — last year a disaster in Genoa killed 43 people. While Italy's weak economy and massive debt have left little room for state spending to modernize the transportation network, private companies that run many of the largest roadways are facing new scrutiny over their maintenance. Firefighters work at the site of the bridge collapse in Savona, Italy, yesterday. Source: Vigili del Fuoco   You received this message because you are subscribed to the Bloomberg Politics newsletter Balance of Power. You can tell your friends to sign up here.   Unsubscribe | Bloomberg.com | Contact Us Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022