Hot Spots

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Hot Spots

07/10/2014

Hongkongers vs. Beijing

Tension has been rising in Hong Kong, years before a 2017 scheduled vote to elect a new chief executive for the region. The majority of residents want to be able to elect the individual freely. The Beijing government maintains they will sign off on a council of 1,200 electors who will then choose the leader. On July 1, an estimated 500,000 turned out in Hong Kong’s central business district to protest the mainland’s plan, this after a non-binding referendum giving the people a choice of how to select a chief executive had 800,000 participating.

Following are some editorial comments in the Chinese government mouthpiece, Global Times.  [Three different columns] Violence seems a certainty down the road, with another massive protest planned for later in the year.

Global Times

The White Paper issued by the central government recently made clear that the basic political requirement for Hong Kong’s chief executive is that they must love both the country and Hong Kong. The opposition has refused to accept this requirement. If the central government makes a compromise, Hong Kong will face huge uncertainties.

The radical opposition groups may know that their demands are unlikely to be met. They seem to be attempting to mobilize all of society into becoming an opposition movement. In both Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, officials and scholars have called for avoiding confrontation between the two sides. In the mainland, there are no such groups that oppose Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong public should avoid being used by opposition groups which are willing to sacrifice Hong Kong’s prosperity for their own interests.

Hong Kong and the mainland have adopted two systems under one country. It’s difficult for the two to completely understand each other. But one principle should be clear – sharp political confrontation does nobody any good.

Hong Kong does not have the conditions for political confrontation, but some people have become frenzied. They seem civilized and rational, but their political paranoia is about to light a fuse....

Those who hope for a better future for Hong Kong and the whole country should contribute to the healthy political ecology of Hong Kong instead of siding with extremists. Confrontation will not bring about democracy, but will only shake the region’s foundation for practicing democracy.

The mainland is willing to see that Hong Kong retains its own political system.

If any Hongkongers insist that the central government is aiming to crack down on freedom of speech and democracy, and that only protests can safeguard Hong Kong’s future, they should get rid of such a mentality.

Tuesday marked the 17th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China, but a massive demonstration was launched on the same day by Hong Kong opposition groups... This demonstration, along with the latest ‘referendum,’ was hailed as a victory by the pan-democracy groups, which believe great pressure has been imposed on the central government....

The overall mentality of Hong Kong society is now intertwined with many contradictory feelings. As the ingrained superiority of local residents in Hong Kong starts to fade away in face of the prosperity of the Chinese mainland, Western democracy has become the most distinct token that can separate Hong Kong from the Chinese mainland.

Different attitudes toward democracy make some Hongkongers proud of what they can do to go against the central government. Being part of the protests doesn’t mean they really care about the results, but they are just enjoying the feeling of being different.

The disparity between the mainland and Hong Kong has posed a challenge to the whole nation. The central government needs a sober mind to ensure Hong Kong can enjoy both justice and stability.

Insisting on the Basic Law is not contradictory to meeting the demands of the Hong Kong people.

Dealing with these protests cannot be done at the cost of enlarging the gap between the mainland and Hong Kong. The central government doesn’t have to have high expectations of Hong Kong society’s satisfaction rate, and more tenacity is needed in the face of these protests.

Without the rule of law, Hong Kong could sink into the likes of Ukraine or Thailand and all kinds of dangerous phenomena could happen.

The radical opposition organizers had admitted that their action would be unlawful. But they still went ahead...

After [their arrest], some of the troublemakers even unreasonably pointed their fingers at the police for ‘using force,’ [without offering further details.]

Hot Spots will return in a few weeks.

Brian Trumbore

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