China’s Auto Sales Fall 5.8% in October

In Hong Kong, Pro-Democracy Lawmakers Released on Bail As City Engulfed in Violence

In Hong Kong, seven pro-democracy lawmakers have been granted bail after appearing in a local court in the afternoon of Nov. 11. The seven lawmakers—Eddie Chu, Au Nok-hin, Raymond Chan, Gary Fan, Kwok Ka-ki, Leung Yiu-chung, and Lam Cheuk-ting—were accused of violating article 19 of the Legislative Council Ordinance, which deals with assault and obstruction of members of the city’s Legislative Council (LegCo). Police brought charges against the lawmakers because of a May 11 incident, when several lawmakers got into a scuffle while debating the since-withdrawn extradition bill that ignited the ongoing protests. Local prosecutors alleged that the seven lawmakers obstructed three members of the pro-Beijing party Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) on May 11, according to local media. The seven appeared in the…

BEIJING—China’s auto sales fell 5.8 percent from a year earlier in October as demand for electric cars plunged, an industry group reported on Nov. 11, extending a painful squeeze in the global industry’s biggest market.

The Chinese auto market is on track to contract for a second year, dragged down by weak demand in the face of cooling economic growth and a tariff war with Washington.

Drivers bought 1.9 million sedans, SUVs and minivans, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Sales growth has been in negative territory every month since June 2018.

Total vehicle sales, including trucks and buses, shrank 0.6 percent to 2.3 million.

Sales of electric and gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles tumbled 45.6 percent to 75,000. Demand has been hurt by the end of government subsidies in mid-2019.

Beijing has spent billions of dollars promoting electrics sales. Regulators are shifting the burden to automakers by eliminating subsidies and imposing minimum sales quotas. That raises the cost to buyers.

The October figures were a small improvement over September’s 6.3 percent contraction and better than double-digit contractions in previous months.

Still, sales were off 11 percent in the first 10 months of 2019 compared with a year earlier.

Electrics sales still are up 10.1 percent for the year to date, reflecting strong first-half demand before the end of subsidies.

Sales of SUVs, usually a bright spot for the industry, were down 8.3 percent in the first 10 months of the year but CAAM gave no total. That was slight improvement over the 9.3 percent decline for the nine months through September.

Sales by Chinese brands were down 9.6 percent from a year earlier at 770,000. They lost 1.7 percentage points of market share to 39.9 percent.

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Police Fire Live Rounds at 2 Protesters As Hong Kong Engulfed in Citywide Strike

Violence escalated in Hong Kong on Nov. 11 after local police fired live rounds at protesters who were engaged in citywide strike action. The shooting took place in the neighborhood of Sai Wan Ho when protesters tried to block roads. One police officer pointed his gun at point-blank range at a protester wearing a white hoodie before grabbing him by the neck. A second protester dressed in black approached the officer and then tried to swat the gun from his hand. He was shot by the police officer at close range and collapsed to the ground. Two more protesters approached the officer from behind, and the officer fired two more shots at close range. One of the protesters also fell to the ground. The shooting, which took place before 8…