 | ■ International
Hong Kong resentment against China grows
香港人對中國的憎恨與日俱增
Chinese shoppers latest target of Hong Kong protest anger
香港「反水貨客」遊行怒氣指向中國購物客 |
| Hong Kong police arrested nearly three-dozen people on March 1 after scuffles broke out in the latest protest against the growing influx of mainland Chinese shoppers. Police officers drew batons and used pepper spray on the crowds after the demonstration in a border town turned unruly. The protesters clashed with crowds of residents opposed to the event who taunted them along the route. Police said 38 people were arrested including a 13-year-old boy and 10 officers were injured. | 香港警方在三月一日的「反中國水貨客」遊行演變為互毆事件後逮捕逾卅名人士。在香港新界元朗舉行的這場遊行失控後，示威人士與不滿遊行且沿路辱罵的民眾爆發衝突，香港警方以警棍及向遊行群眾施放胡椒噴劑 控制局面。警方表示，共有包含一名十三歲男孩在內的卅八名人士遭到逮捕，也有十名警員因此受傷。 |
| Hundreds turned out for the third major protest in the past month targeting mainland shoppers, who have been blamed for voracious buying habits that distort the local economy. The protesters marched in the suburban district of Yuen Long, near the border with China. The route went through a neighborhood with dozens of pharmacies selling imported baby formula to cater to mainland shoppers. Chinese shun domestic brands after repeated food safety scares including a 2008 melamine-tainted milk scandal that killed at least six babies. Baby formula is such a hot commodity for mainland visitors that Hong Kong, which has a reputation for authentic and high-quality goods, restricts the amount people can take out of the city. | 這場遊行吸引數百名人士參與，更是香港在過去一個月來的第三次大型示威遊行，目的是抗議中國水貨客的大量購買行為已損害當地的經濟。示威者在靠近中國邊界的元朗區展開遊行，並行經多家販賣進口嬰兒奶粉給中國購物客的藥房。在二○○八年三聚氰胺毒奶粉事件造成六名嬰兒死亡等多起食安危機爆發之後，中國消費者便對國產奶粉避之唯恐不及。而一向以貨真價值、品質優良產品著稱的香港則受到中國消費者的青睞，嬰兒奶粉更成為了熱門商品，導致香港政府必須限制旅客攜帶奶粉出境的數量。 |
| Smartphones, cosmetics, medicine and luxury goods are also popular purchases in Hong Kong, where a lack of sales tax makes them cheaper. The shoppers, usually seen in big groups with wheeled suitcases, often work for shadowy networks that organize the resale of the goods across the border for a profit, in what's known as parallel trading. "There is a lot of anger from other people toward Chinese smugglers because we just don't like how they drive up all the prices, drive up everything, create a lot of chaos, and we aren't benefiting from it," said protester Kelvin Lee, who was with Hong Kong Indigenous, one of two groups that organized the demonstration. | 智慧型手機、化妝品、藥品及奢侈品等都是陸客購買的熱門商品，然而，這些商品在香港卻因為不須加上額外的消費稅而價格便宜許多。拖著行李箱的陸客經常成群結隊前往香港消費，且經常透過攜帶在當地消費的大量產品出境、再另行販賣的黑市交易模式以賺取價差，也就是所謂的低價買進、高價賣出。這場遊行是由兩個公民團體所發起，而隸屬「本土民主前線」的示威者之一李先生表示：「大家對中國水貨客都非常生氣，因為沒人喜歡他們來炒高商品價格，把什麼東西的價格都炒高，製造一團混亂，本地人卻完全無法從中獲利。」 |
| The Yuen Long demonstration follows two other rowdy protests at shopping malls in other parts of Hong Kong's northern suburbs last month. Police also drew batons and unleashed pepper spray against protesters heckling Chinese shoppers at those demonstrations, arresting a total of 19 people. The protests reflect resentment among Hong Kongers against swelling ranks of mainland Chinese visitors. Last year, 47.3 million mainlanders visited the specially administered Chinese region, up 16 percent from the year before. Mainland visitors are estimated to be responsible for a third of retail sales in Hong Kong. | 在元朗區的這場遊行之前，上個月在香港北區的購物商場也曾發生兩起暴動。在當時的暴動事件中，示威民眾正刁難著中國購物客，而香港警方也以警棍及施放胡椒噴劑控制現場秩序，並拘捕了十九名人士。該次遊行反映了香港人對於人數愈來愈多的中國購物客感到憤怒。去年，共有四千七百三十萬人造訪 香港特別行政區，比前年還增加了百分之十六，而統計也指出，香港的零售商品總銷售中，有三分之一的份額是由中國觀光客所購買。 |
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