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As Hong Kong prepares to mark 20 years since the handover those who left before 1997, fearful of life under Beijing, are reflecting on their decision to abandon the home they loved.<br><br>In the years leading up to the return of Hong Kong to China by Britain in 1997, thousands of residents fearful of the future under Beijing jumped ship to start a new life abroad.<br><br>As the semi-autonomous city prepares to mark 20 years since the handover and fears grow that China is tightening its grip, those who left are reflecting on their decision to abandon the home they loved.<br><br>Philip Fok moved to Australia in 1992 with his wife and two children because he felt unsure of what would happen after July 1 1997.<br><br>Fok says China's history under the Communist Party, including the Cultural Revolution which saw purges of political opponents in the 1960s and 1970s and the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, played on people's minds.<br><br>Philip Fok moved from Hong Kong to Australia in 1992 with his wife and two children because he felt unsure of what would happen after the handover back to China on July 1 1997.<br><br>Working as a mime artist at the time, he felt particularly vulnerable because of his need for freedom of expression.<br><br>"To be free, to the artist, is very important," the 69-year-old explains.<br><br>Before he emigrated, he performed a mime show at Hong Kong's City Hall theatre called: "The night before and after," dealing with pre-handover uncertainty.<br><br>Fok went to Sydney where he already had relatives, but says life was hard -- he struggled to get a visa, had very little English and lived on benefits for two years.<br><br>However, he eventually managed to set up a successful painting studio, which he ran until last year, and hosts a weekly Cantonese radio show in Sydney's north west, where he lives.<br><br>Fok says his worst fears for Hong Kong have not materialised and argues the city is freer now than in colonial times.<br><br>But he has no regrets about leaving.<br><br>Philip Fok was a mime artist in his youth in Hong Kong, he fled to Sydney with his family in the early 1990s fearing freedom of expression would be restricted when Hong Kong changed from British to China rule.<br><br>"In Australia nobody cares about your dress, nobody cares about your money," he says, adding that artists there are held in higher regard.<br><br>In contrast to the densely packed expensive high-rises of Hong Kong, Fok lives in a four-bedroom house and is proud of the vegetable patch in his backyard.<br><br>"If I have space I can think. If I have no space I can't think. I love Australia like that," he muses.<br><br>- 'Better to leave' -<br><br>There are no official emigration figures, but government estimates show hundreds of thousands leaving Hong Kong between 1990 and 1997, with the annual figure hitting 61,700 in 1990 and peaking at 66,200 in 1992.<br><br>Vancouver has a thriving Cantonese community and overall there are some 500,000 people of Hong Kong descent now living in Canada, according to government figures.<br><br>Australia, Canada and the United States were the top destinations and are still home to thriving Cantonese communities.<br><br>Whilst emigration has dropped dramatically, numbers have recently risen again, from 6,900 in 2014 -- the year of major pro-democracy rallies -- to 7,600 in 2016.<br><br>Herman Fu, 58, believes the political divisions and lack of opportunities for young people, with increased competition for jobs and salaries outpaced by the cost of living, make the situation "worse than he thought" it  [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gameking2017.kingrabbitsubwayrunner subway runner] would be when he left.<br><br>He moved to Toronto in 1987 with his wife and two-year-old son, launching a window covering business, dealing in curtains, blinds and shutters.<br><br>Fu originally planned to return once he had gained Canadian citizenship.<br><br>But the Tiananmen crackdown changed his mind.<br><br>"My idea of the Chinese government was too optimistic and I had to rethink my decision of going back," he says.<br><br>Vancouver has a dedicated China Town and Canada overall has been a popular choice for those emigrating from Hong Kong. The US and Australia are also popular destinations.<br><br>As Hong Kong boomed in the 90s, Fu felt pangs of regret as his friends rose through the ranks at their companies, but he believes overall the standard of living is better in Canada.<br><br>"I'm now living in a 3,600 square feet (330 sq m) house plus the basement, with a lawn. You can't get a lawn unless you're Li Ka-shing in Hong Kong," he explains, referring to the city's richest tycoon.<br><br>Fu insists he still loves Hong Kong as the place of his birth but argues it may be better for youngsters to move.<br><br>He adds: "If they can't survive in their environment, or they find it hard to improve themselves, better to leave."<br><br>- Next generation -<br><br>Even for the children of Hong Kong's emigres, there is still a bond with the city.<br><br>Justin Fung, 37, was born and raised in Vancouver after his parents were among the first wave of Hong Kongers to move there.<br><br>"As a father with a young child at home, I don't know if I'd want her growing up in that system," Justin Fung tells AFP of his fears for Hong Kong's future. His parents were among the first wave to leave for Canada prior to handover.<br><br>They went to study in the late 1960s and 70s and decided to stay. Fung says the prospect of a change in China's relations with Hong Kong was causing "rumblings" even back then.<br><br>The vast majority of his high school were ethnic Chinese students and there was always easy access to Cantonese food and culture.<br><br>Fung refers to Hong Kong as "back home" and spent two years living and working in the city.<br><br>But as the handover anniversary looms, he says he would hesitate to relocate permanently as concerns grow over Beijing interference.<br><br>He says: "For myself as a father with a young child at home, I don't know if I'd want her growing up in that system."<br><br>dc-dkj-at-lm/lto
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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - Struggling to advance his agenda in Washington, President Donald Trump traveled to the Midwest for a raucous rally with his loyal supporters - the kind of event he relished before winning the White House.<br><br>Trump touched down Wednesday evening in rainy Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and headed to a local community college, where he got a look at agriculture technology innovations before leading a campaign-style rally.<br><br>He reveled in Georgia Republican Karen Handel's congressional victory in an election viewed as an early referendum on his presidency.<br><br>President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. This is Trump's first visit to Iowa since the election. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)<br><br>"We're 5-0 in special elections," Trump said in front of a boisterous crowd that packed a downtown arena. "The truth is, people love us ... they haven't figured it out yet."<br><br>He also applauded Republican Ralph Norman, who notched a slimmer-than-expected win in a special election to fill the South Carolina congressional seat vacated by Mick Mulvaney, his budget director, and mocked Handel's challenger, Jon Ossoff, saying the Democrats "spent $30 million on this kid who forgot to live in the district."<br><br>Trump, no stranger to victory laps, turned his visit to a battleground state he captured in November into a celebration of his resilience despite the cloud of investigations that has enveloped his administration and sent his poll numbers tumbling.<br><br>With the appearance in Cedar Rapids, he has held five rallies in the first five months in office.<br><br>The event underscores Trump's comfort in a campaign setting. He laughed off the occasional heckler, repeated riffs from last year's rallies and appeared far more at ease when going after Democrats in front of adoring crowds than trying to push through his own legislative agenda from the confines of the White House.<br><br>Trump's aides are making a renewed push to get the president out of Washington. The capital is consumed with the investigation into Russian meddling in last year's election and Trump's firing of his FBI director.<br><br>Campaign rallies energize Trump by placing him in front of supporters who have stuck by him and are likely to dismiss the investigations as Beltway chatter.<br><br>Iowa, with its large share of independent voters, could be a proving ground for whether Trump can count on the support of voters beyond his base. Unaffiliated voters - or "no party" voters, as they are known in Iowa - make up 36 percent of the electorate, compared with 33 percent who register Republican and 31 percent who register as Democrat.<br><br>Self-identified independents in Iowa voted for Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton by a 13-percentage-point margin last year, according to exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks. That margin helped Trump take the state by nearly 9 points after Barack Obama won it for Democrats the previous two elections.<br><br>Trump held a Des Moines rally in December as part of his transition-era "thank you" tour of states he had won, but has not been back to Iowa since.<br><br>Wednesday night, he touted his administration's efforts to roll back regulations, mused about putting solar panels on a Mexican border wall, derided wind power for killing birds in a state that uses a lot of it and revealed that he urged the Senate to create a health care plan "with heart. Add some money to it!"<br><br>He avoided any discussion of the scandals surrounding his presidency, other than one brief reference to the "witch hunt," which is what he has dubbed the probes into his campaign's ties to Russia.<br><br>Trump's evening in Iowa began with a tribute to former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, whom he appointed the United States' ambassador to China. He hailed Branstad, the longest-serving governor in the nation's history and an early Trump backer, as "a legend" and "one great man."<br><br>Trump's stop at Kirkwood Community College was intended to draw attention to the school's advancements in high-tech agriculture, but he resisted sitting behind the wheel of a virtual reality device that simulated a giant combine harvester. He was joined by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross as part of the administration's latest theme week, this time to highlight the importance of technology. He later touted the wealth of Ross and chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, saying: "Those particular positions, I just don't want a poor person. Does that make sense?"<br><br>But much of Trump's attention was on the suburbs of Atlanta, in the 6th Congressional District race.<br><br>Democrats had lavished attention and money on Tuesday's special election, hoping for a victory that would underscore Republican worries about Trump and serve as a harbinger of a Democratic wave in 2018.<br><br>Instead, Handel's victory, in a traditional Republican stronghold that rarely produces a competitive contest, was met with a sigh of relief among the GOP.<br><br>Trump tweeted several times during the night and capped the night off with a text message to supporters referring to his "Make America Great Again" slogan:<br><br>"The MAGA Mandate is stronger than ever. BIG LEAGUE."<br><br>___<br><br>Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.<br><br>___<br><br>Follow Lemire on Twitter at website<br><br>President Donald Trump arrives on stage to speak at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. This is Trump's first visit to Iowa since the election. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)<br><br>President Donald Trump walks on stage to speaks at Kirkwood Community College, which is recognized by the White House as a major center of agricultural innovation, during a visit to the campus in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. This is Trump's first visit to Iowa since the election. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)<br><br>President Donald Trump shakes hands with former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Ambassador to China as he speaks at Kirkwood Community College, which is recognized by the White House as a major center of agricultural innovation, during a visit to the campus in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. This is Trump's first visit to Iowa since the election. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)<br><br>President Donald Trump talks with  [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gameking2017.kingrabbitsubwayrunner subway runner] former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Ambassador to China as they walk off of Air Force One at Eastern Iowa Airport, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. Trump is visiting Iowa for the first time since the election. He will visit Kirkwood Community College which is recognized by the White House as a major center of agricultural innovation and speak at a rally. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Revision as of 20:12, 9 March 2018

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - Struggling to advance his agenda in Washington, President Donald Trump traveled to the Midwest for a raucous rally with his loyal supporters - the kind of event he relished before winning the White House.

Trump touched down Wednesday evening in rainy Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and headed to a local community college, where he got a look at agriculture technology innovations before leading a campaign-style rally.

He reveled in Georgia Republican Karen Handel's congressional victory in an election viewed as an early referendum on his presidency.

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. This is Trump's first visit to Iowa since the election. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

"We're 5-0 in special elections," Trump said in front of a boisterous crowd that packed a downtown arena. "The truth is, people love us ... they haven't figured it out yet."

He also applauded Republican Ralph Norman, who notched a slimmer-than-expected win in a special election to fill the South Carolina congressional seat vacated by Mick Mulvaney, his budget director, and mocked Handel's challenger, Jon Ossoff, saying the Democrats "spent $30 million on this kid who forgot to live in the district."

Trump, no stranger to victory laps, turned his visit to a battleground state he captured in November into a celebration of his resilience despite the cloud of investigations that has enveloped his administration and sent his poll numbers tumbling.

With the appearance in Cedar Rapids, he has held five rallies in the first five months in office.

The event underscores Trump's comfort in a campaign setting. He laughed off the occasional heckler, repeated riffs from last year's rallies and appeared far more at ease when going after Democrats in front of adoring crowds than trying to push through his own legislative agenda from the confines of the White House.

Trump's aides are making a renewed push to get the president out of Washington. The capital is consumed with the investigation into Russian meddling in last year's election and Trump's firing of his FBI director.

Campaign rallies energize Trump by placing him in front of supporters who have stuck by him and are likely to dismiss the investigations as Beltway chatter.

Iowa, with its large share of independent voters, could be a proving ground for whether Trump can count on the support of voters beyond his base. Unaffiliated voters - or "no party" voters, as they are known in Iowa - make up 36 percent of the electorate, compared with 33 percent who register Republican and 31 percent who register as Democrat.

Self-identified independents in Iowa voted for Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton by a 13-percentage-point margin last year, according to exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks. That margin helped Trump take the state by nearly 9 points after Barack Obama won it for Democrats the previous two elections.

Trump held a Des Moines rally in December as part of his transition-era "thank you" tour of states he had won, but has not been back to Iowa since.

Wednesday night, he touted his administration's efforts to roll back regulations, mused about putting solar panels on a Mexican border wall, derided wind power for killing birds in a state that uses a lot of it and revealed that he urged the Senate to create a health care plan "with heart. Add some money to it!"

He avoided any discussion of the scandals surrounding his presidency, other than one brief reference to the "witch hunt," which is what he has dubbed the probes into his campaign's ties to Russia.

Trump's evening in Iowa began with a tribute to former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, whom he appointed the United States' ambassador to China. He hailed Branstad, the longest-serving governor in the nation's history and an early Trump backer, as "a legend" and "one great man."

Trump's stop at Kirkwood Community College was intended to draw attention to the school's advancements in high-tech agriculture, but he resisted sitting behind the wheel of a virtual reality device that simulated a giant combine harvester. He was joined by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross as part of the administration's latest theme week, this time to highlight the importance of technology. He later touted the wealth of Ross and chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, saying: "Those particular positions, I just don't want a poor person. Does that make sense?"

But much of Trump's attention was on the suburbs of Atlanta, in the 6th Congressional District race.

Democrats had lavished attention and money on Tuesday's special election, hoping for a victory that would underscore Republican worries about Trump and serve as a harbinger of a Democratic wave in 2018.

Instead, Handel's victory, in a traditional Republican stronghold that rarely produces a competitive contest, was met with a sigh of relief among the GOP.

Trump tweeted several times during the night and capped the night off with a text message to supporters referring to his "Make America Great Again" slogan:

"The MAGA Mandate is stronger than ever. BIG LEAGUE."

___

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow Lemire on Twitter at website

President Donald Trump arrives on stage to speak at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. This is Trump's first visit to Iowa since the election. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Donald Trump walks on stage to speaks at Kirkwood Community College, which is recognized by the White House as a major center of agricultural innovation, during a visit to the campus in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. This is Trump's first visit to Iowa since the election. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Donald Trump shakes hands with former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Ambassador to China as he speaks at Kirkwood Community College, which is recognized by the White House as a major center of agricultural innovation, during a visit to the campus in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. This is Trump's first visit to Iowa since the election. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Donald Trump talks with subway runner former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Ambassador to China as they walk off of Air Force One at Eastern Iowa Airport, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. Trump is visiting Iowa for the first time since the election. He will visit Kirkwood Community College which is recognized by the White House as a major center of agricultural innovation and speak at a rally. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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