[News] Hong Kong - Hoping For The Best But Expecting The Worst

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Some real brave kids putting their lives and liberty on the line in HK. Sadly, can't be very long before a hugely major clampdown from the mainland. If there's any NSCers out there, please take care and stay safe.

 

[Icy Gull]

Another Tiananmen Square standoff coming up?

 

[GT49er]

From the minute we handed it back, it was only going to end one way.

 

[symyjym]

Probably the only country in the world that would love to still be part of the British Empire.

 

[Kuipers Supporters Club]

Chair of Foreign Affairs Select Committee has suggested we offer citizenship to all Hong Kong Chinese. I’d in inclined to agree with him. We should have done this back when the handover happened but it is at least something now. We let HK down, and China won’t listen to us diplomatically ...

 

[blue-shifted]

Chair of Foreign Affairs Select Committee has suggested we offer citizenship to all Hong Kong Chinese. I’d in inclined to agree with him. We should have done this back when the handover happened but it is at least something now. We let HK down, and China won’t listen to us diplomatically ...

We'll do nothing that will vaguely antagonise the Chinese government. Neither will anyone else. Those protesters are on their own. Best of luck to all of them

 

[bluenitsuj]

China is untouchable. Will and can deal with it how they want knowing that no country will stand up to them.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I know a woman who is hoping to take her mothers ashes back to Hong Kong very soon. Her father was in the Navy and married a Hong Kong girl. I hope things calm down for her.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Chair of Foreign Affairs Select Committee has suggested we offer citizenship to all Hong Kong Chinese. I’d in inclined to agree with him. We should have done this back when the handover happened but it is at least something now. We let HK down, and China won’t listen to us diplomatically ...

We didn't really have a choice. Hong Kong was never ours but just on a 99 year lease. Communism wasn't a thing when we arranged that, and although we tried to negotiate when we left, we didn't have that much clout.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

From the minute we handed it back, it was only going to end one way.

Exactly. To all intensive purposes Chinese rule applies now.

 

[Kuipers Supporters Club]

We'll do nothing that will vaguely antagonise the Chinese government. Neither will anyone else. Those protesters are on their own. Best of luck to all of them

This is true. I wish it wasn’t ...

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...-nationality-hong-kong-citizens-tom-tugendhat

 

[Ernest]

Those protesters might regret poking the tiger, I doubt anyone will stand up to the Chinese in support of them

 

[Beanstalk]

Very worrying scenes.

[tweet]1160947525442056193[/tweet]

I was due to spend a week or so in Hong Kong as part of wider travels in November (and pop over the border into China) - Now we are quickly moving towards skipping it and spending a bit longer in South Korea.

A real shame personally, but on a wider scale I just can't see how it is going to work out positively for HK. Applause to those standing up for their freedom, it really is quite admirable, but a fair portion of blame has to lie with the UK and a lack of long-term planning around HK's future.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Very worrying scenes.

[tweet]1160947525442056193[/tweet]

I was due to spend a week or so in Hong Kong as part of wider travels in November (and pop over the border into China) - Now we are quickly moving towards skipping it and spending a bit longer in South Korea.

A real shame personally, but on a wider scale I just can't see how it is going to work out positively for HK. Applause to those standing up for their freedom, it really is quite admirable, but a fair portion of blame has to lie with the UK and a lack of long-term planning around HK's future.

How is the UK to blame?

 

[melias shoes]

Another Tiananmen Square standoff coming up?

Probably

 

[dazzer6666]

Scary stuff this. Having loads of discussions with colleagues in HK, they are very, very scared. Several of those with an ‘easy’ option (expats in particular) seriously looking at how they can leave.

 

[Beanstalk]

How is the UK to blame?

I am talking about a historical, causal (part) blame. Obviously, what is happening right now is all about China's "democratic" policy and their frightening "my penis is bigger than yours" foreign policy.

The original lease only being signed "casually" for 99 years with the thought that meant forever, might be historical but is still pretty stupid and ultimately is the cause of all of this. Furthermore to that, despite talking about it for the first eighty-years of the "lease", Britain didn't ever move to make it a permanent deal, instead waiting until the eighties for negotiations about the future of Hong Kong to be given political thought. The post-1997 SAR status of HK may have worked in the short-term but it has always been a ticking time bomb of when China wants it, it will take it.

In the process of HK's anglification, Britain should at the very least have secured the rights of Hong Kongers as British Citizens. It is so naive to be pushing for this now, and not during the 22 years when tensions were lower (1997-2019).

I do understand that hindsight is the best tool for pointing out historical errors, but it is clear that we could've done a lot better at securing rights for the people of Hong Kong (a lot of whom feel more British than Chinese).

This is well worth a watch as to why/what the British historical influence is in HK and why returning it to China was always going to be trouble.

 

[Seagull]

It's incredible that the Chinese haven't stepped in more Tiananmen-style yet. I fear that's the only conceivable endgame. We can but hope. The resistance, the non-violent bit especially, is impressive.

 

[The Rivet]

I am talking about a historical, causal (part) blame. Obviously, what is happening right now is all about China's "democratic" policy and their frightening "my penis is bigger than yours" foreign policy.

The original lease only being signed "casually" for 99 years with the thought that meant forever, might be historical but is still pretty stupid and ultimately is the cause of all of this. Furthermore to that, despite talking about it for the first eighty-years of the "lease", Britain didn't ever move to make it a permanent deal, instead waiting until the eighties for negotiations about the future of Hong Kong to be given political thought. The post-1997 SAR status of HK may have worked in the short-term but it has always been a ticking time bomb of when China wants it, it will take it.

In the process of HK's anglification, Britain should at the very least have secured the rights of Hong Kongers as British Citizens. It is so naive to be pushing for this now, and not during the 22 years when tensions were lower (1997-2019).

I do understand that hindsight is the best tool for pointing out historical errors, but it is clear that we could've done a lot better at securing rights for the people of Hong Kong (a lot of whom feel more British than Chinese).

This is well worth a watch as to why/what the British historical influence is in HK and why returning it to China was always going to be trouble.

It is done, a lot of the HK populace at the time wanted to leave UK duristiction. The UK right now has NO blame and does not need to intefere except by verbal condemnation.

 

[Swansman]

Very complex situation. China cant go to hard as that would create heavy obstacles in their plan to absorb Taiwan, where people will be very concerned with the Chinese inability to respect their deal with Hong Kong. Plus - while no one would challenge China for several reasons - this would probably create issues when dealing with (or rather in) the Western world.

I think China will flex their muscles but not use them, and things will return to some sort of status quo while mainland China slowly infiltrate Hong Kong bureacracy and policys.

Xi Jinping is completely crazy by the way, and in some way that is going to turn into a catastrophy. But not quite now.