Joshua W(r)ong: The Butcher of Hong Kong
- The Hong Kong protesters have lost the propaganda war. It is obvious their violent riots have caused the mainland Chinese people to reject their claims. As long as the violent riots continue, it is actually good for the BeiJing central government. They will use it to galvanize the mainland Chinese population against western attempts to subvert their society in the name of democracy. Everybody in China now understands what a CIA Color Revolution is.
– - In Hong Kong, I seriously doubt the majority are anti Chinese and pro “democracy”. It is more like 60% pro China, IMO. And as long as the violent riots continue more will turn against the pro west, pro “democracy” movement. These people are attacking civilians (and not just police) for just being pro China, Chinese. It is a kind of ‘sick’ racism, against being Chinese when they are Chinese.
– - The logical endgame moves suggest BeiJing central government wins, IMO. Here is the reasoning:
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* The violent riots will continue, these people won’t give up.
The HK police will be seen clearly and truthfully as extremely restraint. No one has died. During the 1922 and 1967 riots under British colonial rule more than 50 died on each occasion. And they were much smaller riots lasting for about 1 week in 1967.
* The HK government institute martial law to quell the riots.
* The HK government formally requests BeiJing central government for assistance in maintaining law an order.
The BeiJing central government sends anywhere between 50,000 to 100,000 troops into HK.
* The BeiJing government takes over via martial law.
What’s the difference between a Communist BeiJing government take over and martial law? Only in name. In effect, the 1 country 2 system stands but full control of society is implemented via martial law. BeiJing has total control
* HK pro democracy violent rioters LOSE. Game over.
They may try to escalate the violence but it is the pretext needed by BeiJing central government for justified violent clamp down. I seriously doubt any mainland Chinese will pity these violent rioters when the shooting starts. Many peaceful HK people will also not pity these violent rioters.
* So, my congratulations to all the pro democracy violent rioters for helping the BeiJing central government. All of you should be awarded a communist medal in jail (if you are still alive by then). Well done DUMBASS!
– - Joshua W(r)ong: The Butcher of Hong Kong
by Michael Petraeus, https://criticalspectator.com/
The blind is leading the blind. To the edge of a cliff.
Months go by and I keep wondering how big a hole the protesters are going to dig for themselves and their city. Despite their seemingly good intentions their actions won’t go down in history as a process of democratization or liberation of Hong Kong from what they believe is a totalitarian boot of a hostile regime in Beijing.
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No, they will go down as an act that accelerated a quite spectacular demise of one of the world’s most impressive cities, leading to an irreversible end to its prosperity – owed entirely to its youth’s reckless irrationality.
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The political discourse in Hong Kong has been hijacked by individuals easily the least equipped to handle it – young, spoiled and angry – with their poster-child leader personifying the irrationality and deep ignorance of the entire thoughtless group.
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Beijing’s Unexpected Ally
Sometimes I wonder if young Joshua and his followers are really so oblivious to the reality or perhaps they have been planted by the Chinese authorities to ruin the city, pushing it into ultimate submission and both national and international irrelevance.
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In their blind, ignorant anger they fail to realize that what they do plays into CCP’s hands.
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Beijing wins on the economy…
It’s hardly a disaster for the Party to see the troublesome city self-destruct, accelerating the distribution of business & financial activity to other parts of China. And while some of it is going to be lost to foreign alternatives – like Singapore – overall, it is a positive development for Beijing, even if it might be costly in the short-term.
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Let’s be clear – business and money come to Hong Kong because of China. Without China Hong Kong has – and is – nothing.
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The tiny enclave has become a platform for business activity between the PRC and the world – and it relies entirely on Chinese benevolence to continue with the status quo.
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Its position has quite naturally declined over the past 20 years, due to China’s meteoric growth. Still, PRC does rely on Hong Kong as an intermediary for business & financial services between it and the rest of the planet – allowing red chip companies to expand overseas and foreign corporations to enter mainland through a legally and economically liberal environment.
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That said, these advantages are merely a legal construct that is not set in stone – and can both be eroded by Beijing as well as recreated somewhere else, where the Party exercises complete control. In fact, such steps have already been taken, with elevation of Shanghai and Shenzhen as financial hubs on the mainland.
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And now, thanks to the riots which have gravely damaged Hong Kong’s reputation abroad, Beijing may find it even easier to attract foreigners to conduct business on its terms and on its territory, if only for the sake of security and stability greater than in a politically shaken Hong Kong, whose future is uncertain.
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Well done, Joshua!
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…and politics
Secondly, as long as the protests were peaceful and drew hundreds of thousands (if not millions) to attend, the image of Hong Kong as an orderly city was untouched – and maybe even bolstered a bit, as the world was impressed by their calm conduct. But as soon as the streets have become overrun by reckless rioters destroying everything in their way this impression is all but gone. Incidentally, it is exactly the message that the CCP wants to broadcast across China – one of disorder, violence and destruction that Western ideas bring.
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I think someone from the Politburo should send a congratulatory letter to Joshua for serving the interests of the Communist Party by fundamentally tarnishing the image of Western civilization – and its supposedly great ideals – across mainland China.
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If that’s how the supposed “liberties” look like then most people really do not want them. But 20-somethings with nothing at stake don’t really understand it yet.
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Independent Hong Kong – and then what?
Another example of quite remarkable blindness of the rioting youth is complete lack of consideration for long term consequences, regardless of whether they achieve their goals or not. Here’s what Joshua said about these goals:
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Hong Kong protesters want to “determine [their] own future, [their] way of living things” and “not being dominated by Beijing authorities. –
I have to say that it is quite a touching example of his complete naivety. Alas, the now 23-year old was busy protesting instead of studying geography and history in the past years, what clearly crippled his understanding of the political reality.
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But let’s assume for a moment that all of these demands come true – that universal suffrage is granted, that the locals can freely elect their political representatives and live in a bubble of freedom, away from laws written in Beijing. Whether or not the protesters make open calls for the city’s independence from China, the fact is that instating a democratic order, allowing it to completely self-govern itself would mean a de facto independence from the mainland. Alright, so Hong Kong becomes, in one way or another, independent. What now?
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Do the protesters seriously believe that, once it happens, business in the city will continue as usual? That Beijing will accept dependence on trade & financial services ceded to an enclave which has expressed so much hostility towards it?
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CCP has designated Shanghai as China’s global financial hub – what is already being recognized abroad. Just last month the London Stock Exchange rejected a surprise takeover bid from Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with the CEO LSE putting it quite bluntly: “We view Shanghai as the financial centre of China.”
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In a letter rejecting the proposal, LSE has put into writing something that most people are already aware of:
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“We recognise the scale of the opportunity in China and value greatly our relationships there. However, we do not believe HKEX provides us with the best long-term positioning in Asia or the best listing / trading platform for China. We value our mutually beneficial partnership with the Shanghai Stock Exchange which is our preferred and direct channel to access the many opportunities with China.“
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Politicians in London may take angry postures or issue critical remarks about Chinese dealings in Hong Kong but business looks beyond such squabbles and acts in its long-term self interest. So, for all the sympathy Hongkongers may receive in the British capital, nobody is actually willing to bet their money against China.
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The ignorance of the city’s history, exhibited by the young rioters and their leaders is rather mind-boggling. The only reason Hong Kong exists and the only reason it is prosperous, is China.
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Hong Kong’s very existence has for two centuries depended on bridging Chinese and foreign interests – but, today, the protesters are burning the bridge with China, what destroys the reason for the rest of the world to come to the city at the same time.
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Nobody needs Hong Kong unless it provides a friendly environment for doing business with China (or out of China with the world). Naturally, the fundamental lack of understanding of geopolitics is not surprising in a 23-year old blindly convinced of his righteousness. But given this glaring gap in knowledge he should not be in charge of anything other than his student’s notebook.
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