Sounds logical from this description.
From what I can gather, the aspects of the protests to which Beijing chiefly objects and which the new legislation addresses involved rioting, terrorism, insurrection, secession, and collusion with foreign governments that declare themselves adversaries of China and seek openly promote regime change in China by demonizing the ruling party.
The US already dealt with this at the time of the civil war, and if such tactics were used in the US down, the reaction of the US government would be draconian, which the president actually tried to implement during the present protest through use of the military. And we are witnessing strong measures against protestors in France for over a year now. Conversely, China stayed out of the conflict, leaving it to the Hong Kong authorities that were rather measured in their response considering the level of violence directed at them. Rather clearly, the violence of the protest was directed at provoking overreaction by the authorities. It failed.
There is no doubt that Hong Kongers have grievances, but most of them can be traced to conditions created under British rule rather than the transfer of sovereignty to China (but not rule) under one country, two systems. I was in Hong Kong when it was under British rule. It was great for the rich but not so much for just about everyone else. Under one country, two systems not much has changed as I gather.
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I can't see why the Chinese governemnt doesn't just treat Hong Kong like any other Chinese city. And I don't know what the Brits thought they were trying to do negotiating some sort of different status for Hong Kong.
ReplyDeleteIt's their golden egg.
ReplyDeleteRalph, HK is the City East. They are both financial free-wheeling centers that were joined at the hip at conception. HSBC is the poster child for money laundering, for example. And this is just what has come out publicly.
ReplyDeleteBritish or Chinese, they are all grifters.
ReplyDeleteIf Hong Kong were a sleepy, humid backwater, the grifting would still take place, at a smaller scale.