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Hong Kong Marks 25 Years Since British Handover; Italy Experiencing Worst Drought In Decades; Hong Kong Marks 25th Handover Anniversary; Russia Continues to Attack Ukraine; NATO Sends Message to Russia; Handover Ceremony Held in Jerusalem; More Than 180 Arrested at Abortion Rights Protest Near Supreme Court; Family Says Strict Laws Led to Young Mother's Death. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired July 01, 2022 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching from around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber live from CNN Center in Atlanta.

Ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," Hong Kong marks 25 years since Britain returned the territory to China. Xi Jinping was there to celebrate his first visit since before the pandemic. We are live from Hong Kong, Beijing, and Taipei.

Plus, only days after attacking a shopping mall, this time Russia targets another residential building as Ukraine reclaims control of a key area. We have details and a live report from Kyiv.

And NATO prepares to flex its muscles while sending Russia a message as the historic summit comes to close in Madrid.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: Hong Kong is marking 25 years since the former British colony was handed back to China with a day of ceremonies and speeches. Chinese President Xi Jinping took part in his first trip outside the mainland since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. He praised the city's response to COVID, defended the controversial national security law, and talked about the importance of the one country, two systems policy. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XI JINPING, PRESIDENT OF CHINA (through translator): One country, two systems has been tested in Hong Kong, and we have learned important lessons and we have gained inspirations from it. This is a holistic mechanism. It protects the sovereignty, security, and the right for development of China. And this is the top priority of one country, two systems. And therefore, Hong Kong and Macau will continue the existing capitalist arrangement and enjoy high level of autonomy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Hong Kong's new chief executive, John Lee, took the oath of office, replacing Carrie Lam. Lee is a former police officer who rose to the ranks and is known for overseeing the harsh crackdown on antigovernment protests in 2019.

The day kicked off with a flag raising ceremony at the city's convention center. The flags of Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China simultaneously raised side by side.

And Ivan Watson joins us from Hong Kong, Will Ripley is live in Taipei, and Steven Jiang is standing by with a view from Beijing. But first, let's go live to Ivan Watson in Hong Kong. So, Ivan, President Xi celebrated what he called a new epic in the city's history. It's new leader, John Lee, promised a new chapter. How different will things be?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are so dramatically different from the last time Xi Jinping was here, Kim, that was five years ago, and that's when Hongkongers were allowed to have -- to proclaim opposing political views that were not necessarily in line with the ruling Communist Party in mainland China.

So, when he visited five years ago, Xi Jinping, there was also a pro- democracy march through the streets of Hong Kong attended by tens of thousands of people, everybody from the Falun Gong religious movement that is banned in mainland China to pro-LGBTQ people to activists in favor of better working hours and labor rights.

That has largely been crushed in the last couple of years and it is a positive development in the eyes of Xi Jinping. And Beijing appointed Hong Kong authorities who are calling this anniversary the dawn of a new era, as they described it, of stability, prosperity and opportunity.

Take a listen to what more Xi Jinping had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JINPING (through translator): After going through a period of turbulence, we all deeply feel that Hong Kong cannot afford to be destabilized and Hong Kong's development cannot be further delayed. We must eliminate all interference and focus on our development.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Now, most of Hong Kong's former political opposition is either behind bars or have fled overseas.

[02:04:57]

WATSON: The governments like Canada and U.S. have accused China of breaking its deal on promising to have 50 years of democratic freedoms for the people of Hong Kong as has the government of Britain, of course, the former colonial ruler of this city. Listen to the British prime minister here. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: On the 25th anniversary of the handover, we simply cannot avoid the fact that for some time now, Beijing has been failing to comply with its obligations. It is a state of affairs that threatens both the rights and freedoms of Hongkongers and the continued progress and prosperity of their homes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Kim, there were dramatic precautions taken for COVID during Xi Jinping's visit. For instance, dignitaries who were going to attend the events, they had to take a week of COVID tests running up to it day after day and then also go into hotel isolation.

And presumably, that is why Xi Jinping and his wife left Hong Kong Thursday evening and went back across the boundary to mainland China to spend the night, they didn't spend the night here, and then came back Friday morning to inaugurate Beijing's handpicked new leader of Hong Kong, John Lee. Back to you.

BRUNHUBER: Well, Ivan, so, President Xi said he had four hopes for Hong Kong. Two of those hopes, greater governance and overall harmony, as China would see it, can be achieved with, you know, more security, more crackdowns and so on. But the other two hopes, the stronger development, which you mentioned a couple of times in that clip that we played, and improved lives for ordinary people, how do they go about doing that?

WATSON: That's a good question. One of the biggest obstacles to economic development right now is the Chinese government's zero-COVID policy, the fact that ordinary trade and commerce and movement of people is so severely limited.

Hong Kong is one of the most isolated places in the world right now. People cannot travel the way the Chinese president did last night and this morning across the internal boundary to mainland China. That is largely closed as part of the zero-COVID policy, trying to eradicate the virus. And international travel is also severely limited, some of the strictest quarantines in the world trying to get into Hong Kong.

One of the great development ideas promoted by the Chinese government is to -- is the Greater Bay Area project. That is trying to integrate Hong Kong with Chinese cities along the coast, but you cannot travel back and forth easily between them.

Another thing he is calling for is more affordable housing. There is a housing shortage in this city and that has been a constant gripe and a source of discomfort for this population here.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Ivan Watson, live in Hong Kong for us. We will be joined later by Will Ripley and Steven Jiang a little later in the hour.

Ukraine is now facing one of the most crucial and difficult periods of the four-month-old war and the outcome may depend on continued western support.

The U.K. on Thursday pledged another $1.2 billion in additional military aid to Ukraine, including air defense systems, drones, and -- quote -- "innovative new electronic warfare equipment." That brings the total British commitments to $2.8 billion, second only to the U.S.

Meanwhile, Russia continues to fire missiles, rockets, and artillery at civilian targets with abandon (ph). At least 14 people reportedly killed early Friday when a missile slammed into a residential building in Odessa.

And just down the coast from there, Russian forces have now been driven from Snake Island after weeks of Ukrainian attacks. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the significance of retaking the island. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): Undoubtedly, the word today is Snake Island. Apparently, there was just as much talk about Snake Island only on the day when the Russian ship arrived, then the ship left forever. And now, the island is free again.

The situation in Donbas remains the toughest, extremely difficult. The fire superiority of the occupiers is still extremely tangible. They have already taken everything from their reserves to his us, the Luhansk region, the Donetsk region.

I am grateful to everyone who defends our position in such conditions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Let us go live to CNN's Salma Abdelaziz in Kyiv. And Salma, first, that horrific strike in Odessa, what more can you tell us?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: This is yet another missile attack, yet another barrage of missiles hitting a residential area in Odessa. This time, 14 people killed so far, according to officials, several others wounded. Among the victims are three children. Those numbers could potentially rise.

[02:10:00]

ABDELAZIZ: But Kim, we have seen this over the last few days, just this barrage again of Russian missiles hitting residential areas, including here in Kyiv, that mall in Kremenchuk and now, of course, this residential building in Odessa.

And for many Ukrainians, this felt like a message from President Putin, that as these two major summits were being held, the G7 and NATO, as President Biden was speaking to his counterparts about what to do about this conflict, Russia meanwhile, of course, terrorizing civilians across the country. That is why you heard President Zelenskyy time and time again accusing Russia of intentionally targeting residential areas as part of their war strategy. And it comes at a time when Ukraine is absolutely on the back foot all along the eastern front when they are having to cede territory in that all-important Donbas region.

But yesterday, of course, that announcement came about Snake Island. And this is a really important morale boost at a time when Ukraine really needs a win, Kim. Let us just remind our viewers why Snake Island has always this legendary status among Ukrainians.

It was one of the opening salvos in the war, one of the first episodes in which Russian warships pulled up to this tiny little rock of an island in the Black Sea. It is strategic but really nothing more than 45 acres, no greenery, just really a military outpost.

And those Russian warships, again, at the beginning of the conflict, saying over radio to Ukrainian defenders, essentially, you need to surrender. And they responded by saying, Russian warship, using an expletive, telling them where to stick it.

That radio exchange went viral essentially. You could get t-shirts printed with it on. You could get mugs and memorabilia all over Ukraine with that Russian warship expletive. So, it really became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.

And so, now with this announcement that they have been able to claim back that territory, it is a major victory for Ukraine. And so, now with this announcement that they've been to claim back that territory, it is a major victory for Ukraine.

Now, Russia has a different narrative of events. They say that they have strategically withdrew, that it was a gesture of goodwill. They indicated that that might potentially ease the grain blockade. Remember, Ukraine is accusing Russia of denying them the right to export some 22 million tons of grain.

But regardless here of the narrative, this is a big win when Ukraine really needs one.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. Salma Abdelaziz in Kyiv, thank you so much.

So, as the war grinds on in Ukraine, NATO's top leader says the invasion is blowing up in President Putin's face. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke after the alliance wrapped up its summit in Madrid on Thursday. NATO promised more military support for Ukraine. It also invited Finland and Sweden to join, which Stoltenberg says is exactly what Putin didn't want. He said Putin should take notice of these steps. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS STOLTENBERG, SECRETARY GENERAL, NATO: President Putin should withdraw his forces and end this war immediately by stopping attacking a democratic sovereign nation and causing so much suffering in Ukraine.

When it comes to Finland and Sweden, Finland and Sweden are sovereign nations and they have the right to choose their own path and to join NATO. We have welcomed them into our alliance. We are, of course, prepared for any eventuality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: In a statement, U.S. President Joe Biden said that NATO will keep supporting Ukraine as long as needed, and the Russian leader is paying the price for ignoring his warning. Here is Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Before the war started, I told Putin that if he invaded Ukraine, NATO would not only get stronger but would get more united, and he would see democracies in the world stand up and oppose his aggression and defend the rules- based order. That's exactly what we are seeing today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: We are joined by Neil Melvin, director of International Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, we heard NATO secretary general describing the summit as transformational. How do you see it?

NEIL MELVIN, DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES AT ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Yeah, this is the kind of wording they've been using. The aim here, of course, is certainly to push back against Russia. But in fact, it is part of a broader process of modernization of NATO, of the alliance.

And the feeling that the alliance member states are now facing international (INAUDIBLE) is increasingly hostile and characterized by competition. The summit was designed to put in place a set of measures to deal with that.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So, more specifically, NATO secretary, Neil, said that Putin wanted less NATO, and now he is getting more NATO on his borders. So, what is the importance of the forces being moved closer to NATO's border with Russia?

MELVIN: This is really the big shift, the practical measures, the core of the summit. What we are seeing is a shift in NATO's posture from a tripwire, relatively small forces on the eastern flank. Now, much larger forces positioned increasingly to the east (INAUDIBLE) towards Russia.

[02:15:05]

MELVIN: We are getting much larger forces. NATO has put on standby now 300,000 troops that can be deployed to the eastern flank within 30 days. And countries have specific geographic commitments. We've already seen the United States pledging to supply more troops, more fighters, more ships to NATO, and other NATO member states will be doing the same kind of thing.

BRUNHUBER: You mentioned those 300,000 high alert NATO troops. There was some confusion over how that might work, including from some NATO members who seemed surprised by this announcement. Can you walk us through what exactly what that means and what the difference is between sort of what we have now?

MELVIN: At the moment, NATO has about 40,000 troops on high readiness and some of them were actually already been deployed to Romania as part of the crisis. These are French troops. These are rotation force. The idea now is to move this up to 300,000. It's a big commitment.

And, of course, people are questioning whether, particularly the Europeans, are ready to step up on this. There has been a long history of Europe pledging to increase its defense spending and then some countries not delivering. This is going to be a test now. Secretary general has said that there is going to be these forces in place. Are the Europeans now going to step up and actually make sure they are ready to go?

BRUNHUBER: So, the obvious point that we have been making about all of this is that Putin's war has paradoxically made NATO bigger, stronger, more united. Despite this show of unity, Putin is still hoping and maybe anticipating that the alliance will fracture, especially on the lines of sanctions and energy policy and so on. How likely is that, do you think?

MELVIN: The central message of the summit was unity. There is a lot of work (INAUDIBLE). As you mentioned, the enlargement, bringing in Sweden and Finland, showed the open-door policy which Putin (INAUDIBLE) challenge in Ukraine remains in place.

But looking ahead, there are a lot of dark clouds on the horizon. The economic situation is deteriorating for many of the alliance member states. There is an energy crisis looming.

And, of course, there is going to be a debate about what the ultimate political settlement of the Ukraine crisis looks like. Different schools of thought within NATO. Some arguing they might be willing to trade territory, have a ceasefire, others wanting to push Russia completely out of Ukraine.

So, certainly, there are some big challenges ahead for NATO in the months coming up.

BRUNHUBER: The darkest cloud would be a confrontation between Russia and NATO. So far throughout this war, both Russia and the U.S. have been very careful not to put themselves in the position to cross swords directly. But given the way that the war is dragging on, does that increase the risk of a conflict sort of eventually spilling over, directly involving NATO, and if so, where are the most likely flashpoints, do you think?

MELVIN: Yeah, the clear messaging, particularly from the alliance, is they are not willing to fight Russia inside Ukraine. But there are points of friction and concern that could be inadvertent escalation. There are enormous numbers of troops now in both Russia and NATO, in very close proximity.

If the war starts to go badly for Russia, then NATO weapons coming in to Ukraine is really a sore point, and Russia has made some noises about possibly attacking these supply lines in the future.

But I think there is other risk of horizontal escalation, that Russia might look to try to escalate the conflict in other places. I think the Black Sea region as a whole is very vulnerable. You've got pro- NATO countries such as Moldova and Georgia being extremely vulnerable to additional pressure by Russia.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We will have to leave it there, but we really appreciate your analysis. Neil Melvin in London, thank you very much.

All right, still to come, a woman who says that her sister-in-law died because of Poland's strict abortion law believes that her death should serve as a warning. We will have the heartbreaking story ahead.

Plus, a symbolic switch of seats leads to transfer of the top political job in Israel. We have more coming up. Stay with us.

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[02:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Israel's new caretaker prime minister, Yair Lapid, has received congratulations from U.S. President Joe Biden. Lapid took over from his predecessor, Naftali Bennett, after the parliament dissolved itself on Thursday. The two men symbolically switch seats after the vote. They later held a handover ceremony at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem.

Bennett's stint as prime minister is one of the shortest in Israel's history, but he says he is happy to hand the job over to his former foreign minister. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAFTALI BENNETT, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): This is a very special role in this state. It does not belong to one person. It belongs to all the people of Israel. And I'm passing to you this holy baton and the responsibility for the state of Israel. And I wish that you will protect it and God will protect you.

YAIR LAPID, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: We have a commitment to the past. We have a commitment to the future. We have brought the future with us. We will do our best for a good, strong, prosperous, and democratic Jewish state, because that is the job, and it is greater than any of us. Thank you, my brother.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Lapid will lead the country as a caretaker until elections on November 1st, which will be the fifth time in less than four years the Israelis are headed to the polls.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: If you do not move from the roadway, you will be arrested.

BRUNHUBER: More than 180 people were arrested during an abortion rights protest in Washington on Thursday. Demonstrators say they sat at a busy quarter near the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court in an active civil disobedience. They were arrested by Capitol police for blocking an intersection.

Among those detained was Democratic Congresswoman Judy Chu of California. She has called for abolishing the filibuster in the Senate and sponsored a women's health protection bill in the House.

And outrage over strict abortion laws is not only being seen in the U.S. Poland has one of the toughest abortion policies in Europe with a near total ban even in cases of fetal defects. The only exceptions are for rape or incest or if the mother's life is at risk.

But even that last exception is no guarantee, as one Polish family learned.

CNN's Melissa Bell reports from Warsaw.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A grave in Southern Poland that should serve as a warning, says Barbara Scrabble (ph), that in trying to protect the unborn, Poland is now sacrificing the living.

Barbara's sister-in-law, Izabela, desperately wanted a sibling for her nine-year-old daughter. But at 18 weeks, prenatal tests showed the fetus had severe abnormalities and would live no longer than a year.

They went to the doctors and asked if they could terminate the pregnancy, says Izabela's sister-in-law. They said, no. Then, as she was looking to travel abroad, her water broke.

Abortions in Poland have been illegal for nearly 30 years, with just three exceptions, cases involving rape or incest, those involving a woman's life being in danger or fetal abnormalities. That third exception, which had accounted for 98% of all known abortions, was struck down in 2020 by the country's highest court. There were massive protests with polls showing just one in 10 people supported the move.

(On camera): There is also concern within the medical profession here in Warsaw.

[02:25:01]

BELL (on camera): Abortions are now only possible in Poland in cases of rape, incest, or where the life and health of a woman is clearly in danger. And that is open to interpretation. It also places a great deal of power in the hands of doctors. (Voice-over): And some are too scared now to help even those women who are in danger.

MAGDALENA DUTSCH, WARSAW WOMEN'S INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH: I talk with my friends and they tell me that I have this patient yesterday who should have an abortion due to legally-allowed reasons. But I was afraid to give her information where she can get it because I was afraid that some might consider this as a breach of law.

BELL (voice-over): The last Izabela's (ph) mother heard from her was a series of texts she sent from hospital when her water has broken at 22 weeks. The doctors can't help as long as the fetus is alive thanks to the anti-abortion law, worrying that her fever was rising and hoping that she wouldn't get sepsis because then, she wrote, I won't leave this place. She died about 12 hours later.

Thousands took to the streets under the banner, not a single woman more. Her family's attorney says she died of a heart attack on her way to surgery after the baby died, but an official cause of death has not been released.

It is now part of a criminal investigation, say prosecutors. The hospital denies malpractice, saying in a statement, all medical decisions were made taking in to account the legal provisions and standards of conduct in force in Poland. The hospital also says that two doctors on duty at the time have been suspended.

It is unclear why Izabela's doctors did not perform an abortion. In response to questions from CNN about the tightened ban, the government said that the termination of a pregnancy remains legal in Poland where a woman's life is at risk.

But Izabela's family believes her fetus's faint heartbeat prevented her doctors from acting in time. The two now share their final resting place beneath the gravestone that bears the slogan, not a single woman more.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Warsaw.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Up next, we will have more on Hong Kong's handover anniversary. China's leader spoke during one ceremony. We will bring you what he said about the controversial national security law. That is just ahead. And Taiwan is watching very carefully following China's aggressive military moves off its own coast. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

[02:30:00]

Hong Kong is marking 25 years since its handover from Britain to China, and Chinese President Xi Jinping was in the city to attend ceremonies on the second day of events. It was his first trip outside mainland China since the pandemic. It was also his first visit to Hong Kong -- Hong Kong since the introduction of a national security law, which critics say has been used to crush the city's opposition movement.

During public remarks, the Chinese leader defended the controversial law and spoke about a policy which gave Hong Kong limited democratic freedoms under Beijing's sovereignty areas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XI JINPING, CHINESE PRESIDENT: Speaking in a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To those who support One Country Two Systems, support the prosperity and the ability of Hong Kong, whether you're from Hong Kong from overseas, thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And Xi also presided over the swearing-in ceremony of Hong Kong's new chief executive, John Lee, a former security chief, and hardline police officer. And we're covering the story from every angle. Let's go to Steven Jiang in Beijing. So, Steven, for President Xi, many likened the event to the arrival of an emperor to a vanquished territory.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Well, you know, his real coronation, if you will, actually comes later this year when he is almost certain to assume a precedent-breaking third term as China's top leader. But this is all connected to that moment, of course, because his policy, his hardline approach in Hong Kong is very much of a -- of a reflection of his ideology that a ruling Communist Party here needs to reassert absolute control over every aspect of Chinese society and over every corner of Chinese territories, and that has now very much extended to Hong Kong. You know, many people in Hong Kong and indeed around the world have mourning the loss of the territory's freedoms and civil liberties.

But all of those are considered a positive development long overdue in the eyes of Xi Jinping, his officials, state media, but also millions of Chinese citizens who have bought into that brand of -- his brand of patriotism, and nationalism because in their view, only this kind of hardline approach to Hong Kong has restored stability and order that could ensure the city's long-term prosperity.

Now, so even though as you mentioned he only paid two very brief visits over two days and did not even overnight in Hong Kong, he would very much feel at home in the city, which of course, is increasingly in lockstep with Beijing, politically, economically, ideologically, not to mention in terms of its COVID and security rules, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Thanks so much, Steven Jiang. Now, let's go to Will Ripley in Taipei. So, Will, given that China would love to bring Hong Kong's One Country Two Systems rule to Taiwan, what was the reaction there?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen told me last year that One Country Two Systems is not something that they're going to accept here, at least her administration, and the people who support her and the people who voted her overwhelmingly to a second term when she had actually been struggling in the polls.

But after people in Taiwan, supporters of Tsai Ing-wen saw what happened in Hong Kong, particularly young people, it scared people, it scared a lot of people and it brought them out to the polls because Tsai Ing-wen told them that she's going to try to you know, restructure the military and work to build alliances around the world to try to protect this very fragile and young and vibrant democracy.

I mean, Taiwan has not been a democracy for that long. This was something that started -- you know, essentially her party, they were meeting illegally in basements you know or -- you know, secretly, you know, during the time that Chiang Kai-shek was a dictator over this -- over this island for a number of years. This is the losing side of China's civil war that came here and then set up their own kind of government.

But it was not a free place for a long time. People who express dissent here in Taiwan had to go to political prisoners as well. But when Taiwan did become a democracy, people have really embraced it, and there is a debate -- a healthy debate, some people who think that Taiwan needs to be closer to Beijing and those who feel that Taiwan needs to move towards independence.

Now, Beijing has said that any talk of independence and any collusion with the United States is a red line that could cause them to take drastic measures, including, you know, potentially a special military- type operation. President Xi, just this month, signed basically an order saying that they're going to look into ways to define military operations that are not war. Here in Taipei, that was interpreted as potentially, you know, China laying the groundwork for some sort of a framework for the kind of thing that they would do in Taiwan similar to Vladimir Putin's special military operation in Ukraine, not calling it an invasion.

[02:35:09]

RIPLEY: And of course, China has been propagating disinformation, their state media right in lockstep with Russian state media. So there's a lot of concern here that that could be coming and that -- and that, you know, Xi Jinping, if he can't you know convince the people of Taiwan to accept One Country Two Systems, that they might not have a choice, and they might not even call it a war, they might call it some sort of a special operation.

So, look, this is something that is on the minds of the leaders here, maybe not the people here every day because they've lived with it their whole lives. Life goes on, and people are relaxed and calm but they know that this system that they have here, which is a very unique place in the world. It's also very fragile when you have about 25 million people 100 miles from one and a half billion and a much larger military on the mainland. BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. And so, you know, focusing directly on Hong Kong, we've started to Steven Jiang there saying that many people within Hong Kong are welcoming this move to sort of bring more, you know, so-called security and stability to Hong Kong. But clearly, there's still plenty of opposition. What are people telling you about what just happened over the last day or so?

RIPLEY: Look, I mean, my friends who live there, there are some who are thrilled that you know every weeknight and weekend, like in 2019, you know, the subway stations are shut down because somebody set it on fire, or a particular part of town is closed, and everybody had to go. I mean, it was a very disruptive and difficult summer back in 2019.

But the people who were in the protests thought that this was their chance, this was -- maybe was their last chance. And as it turns out, it was because of what happened with the National Security Law shortly thereafter, that more than tanks, more than any sort of military action, effectively just wiped away the freedoms that Hong Kong people were guaranteed -- were promised under One Country Two Systems.

And so you have some people who are very happy to see a -- you know business operate -- you know, business environment. If somebody's not particularly ideologically, you know, have a strong view about things, they might be perfectly fine to live and make money in a Hong Kong that looks a lot like a shunt -- you know, Shanghai or Beijing where there are -- there are people from Western countries who have a great life there.

And they make a lot of money there and they don't post things on social media that could get them into trouble. But if you are a political activist or somebody who wants to challenge the system or wants to express dissent in any way, it would be very dangerous for you to do that now in Hong Kong, and it wasn't before. So that's the big change.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. I appreciate your perspective on that, Will Ripley, and also our thanks to Steven Jiang in Beijing.

Italy is experiencing its worst drought in decades. Coming up, we'll look at how people's livelihoods are being affected and the worries for the future. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:00]

BURNHUBER: Shanghai Disney is open for business as China relaxes more COVID rules. The theme park reopened on Thursday after a three-month hiatus. Park officials say they're resuming operations with limited daily capacity and enhanced health and safety protocols. Shanghai lifted its lockdown on June 1 after battling a stubborn outbreak, loosening many of its restrictions and allowing the vast majority of residents to leave home.

Italy is experiencing extreme weather conditions. The country is now in the middle of a historic drought with far-reaching impacts. CNN's Barbie Nadeau reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The River Po which runs from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea usually floods the land, but this year is far below normal and dropping fast. The river is the longest in the country some 650 kilometers and whole regions rely on it for hydropower and transport. 30 percent of Italy's food is produced on agricultural land that lies on either side of this river, and the area is suffering the worst drought in more than 70 years.

The situation is the same across northern Italy where some communities are already rationing water. Here on Simone Minelli's dairy farm, things are dire. As he watches the water level of the Po River drop, he worries about the future of this family farm. He's fearful you will have to cut the size of his herd.

SIMONE MINELLI, FARMER: Speaking in a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll see -- we'll see. We are living day by day. It's logical when you don't have enough feed for the animals you have. You have to reduce.

NADEAU: The cattle are even sprayed with water to keep them cool in the stifling heat. He tells us that water is fundamental to his operation, especially for the production of milk. And the milk from these cattle needs to meet a very high standard to be awarded the Seal of authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano Parmesan cheese from this region.

All this sand used to be underwater. Now, Minelli and his friends have to walk far to reach their boat. Further up the river, this pump house supplies water to 150,000 people. Ada Giorgi has been the president of this local water Consortium for the last 20 years. Her customers still have water but she has never seen the Po in such distress. To keep the water pumping, they have to move the riverbed away from the intake. They have also had to add one liter of pipe to lower the pumps as the river drops. She blames climate change.

ADA GIORGI, PRESIDENT, WATER CONSORTIUM 'TERRE DEI GONZAGA': Speaking in a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are missing rain, there is no snow there are high temperatures. This creates the famous Perfect Storm and we are in an extreme crisis.

NADEAU: And the forecast doesn't look good. For centuries, people who lived along this mighty river feared it would destroy their crops and homes. Now, they fear it will disappear entirely. Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN on the River Po, Italy.

BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more CNN Newsroom in about 15 minutes. WORLD SPORT is next.

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[02:45:00] (WORLD SPORTS)