On Wednesday's Backchat, cross-straits relations, and no vacancy tax.


In a visit to a military base in Guangdong Xi Jinping has called on troops to 'put all their minds and energy on preparing for war'.


Last week Hong Kong air traffic controllers told Taiwan there was danger until further notice on a flight path to Taiwanese-controlled islands in the South China Sea, a case that has raised fears Beijing may try and blockade the islets. Meanwhile the White House is moving forward with more sales of sophisticated military equipment to Taiwan amounting to perhaps US$5 billion.


Is invasion of Taiwan possible, or likely, or this more sabre rattling? Is Taiwan drifting away from the Mainland politically? What would the US do if there were conflict? How would people in Hong Kong react? What actually happened in Fiji?


From 9:15am-9:30am, we'll be discussing the government scrapping plans for a vacancy tax in Hong Kong.


8:30-9:15 Cross-straits relations
8:30-9:00 Alexander Huang, Professor, Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies at Tamkang University in Taipei and former deputy minister at Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council.
8:30-9:20: Josef Gregory Mahoney, Professor of Politics, Director, International Graduate Program in Politics, East China Normal University
9:00-9:20 David Zweig, Director, Transnational China Consulting Limited, Professor Emeritus, Division of Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology



9:20-9:30 Vacancy tax
Phone: Edward Yum, Political commentator and managing director of Ayasa Globo, a subsidiary of a main board listed company