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A Sad Day For Democracy: Tomorrow Could Be The End Of Hong Kong As We Know It
Hotair ^
| 05/21/2020
| John Sexton
Posted on 05/21/2020 8:16:46 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
When the British handed over Hong Kong to China in 1997, China promised to respect its independence for the next 50 years. The shorthand for that plan was one country, two systems. But the two systems part of the plan could effectively come to an end tomorrow. China has tried and failed in the past to exert more control over Hong Kong, but this time it seems prepared to simply bypass Hong Kongs government entirely and pass the new law via the mainlands one party system:
Security rules proposed by the Hong Kong government in 2003 would have empowered the authorities to close seditious newspapers and conduct searches without warrants. That proposal was abandoned after it triggered large protests.
This time, China is effectively circumventing the Hong Kong government, undercutting the relative autonomy granted to the territory. Instead, it is going through Chinas rubber stamp legislature, the National Peoples Congress, which holds its annual session starting Friday.
You may recall that the months of protests in Hong Kong were prompted by an attempt to introduce a new law which might have made it possible for China to extradite people to the mainland for trial. That proposal was eventually withdrawn because of the protests. This time China is simply holding the vote in a place where protests wont matter. And China is using the authoritarians favorite gimmick, claiming opposition to the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong isnt home-grown but based on collusion with external forces.
In a clear effort to head off international concerns, Chinas Foreign Ministry sent a letter on Thursday night to ambassadors posted to Beijing, urging them to support the legislation and laying out the governments position.
The opposition in Hong Kong have long colluded with external forces to carry out acts of secession, subversion, infiltration and destruction against the Chinese mainland, the letter stated.
The BBC has a rundown of some the reactions to the move from pro-democracy forces in Hong Kong:
A number of pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong, including Democratic Party leader Wu Chi-wai, said the announcement was the death of one country, two systems.
Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok said if this move takes place, one country, two systems will be officially erased. This is the end of Hong Kong.
His colleague Tanya Chan added that this was the saddest day in Hong Kong history.
The Wall Street Journal has more including an important point about the precedent being set here:
I know that everyone is scared and worried tonight, Joshua Wong, one of the citys best-known activists, wrote in a Facebook post. After this law is passed: What will happen to Hong Kong? How many people will be prosecuted? How many organizations will be banned?
I will continue to do what I believe to be correct, said Martin Lee, the 81-year-old founding chairman of the citys Democratic Party, who is known as the Father of Democracy in the city
I dont know which is worse: the law itself, or the process of allowing the standing committee to pass the law for Hong Kong, he said, referring to Beijings plan to use its highest political body to introduce laws for Hong Kong and override the citys lawmakers. Its a dangerous precedent set at a critical stage, and in the future they can repeat the same thing again and again.
Thats a key point. It almost doesnt matter how limited the new law passed Friday is. Once China established this precedent, i.e. that it can simply pass laws for Hong Kong via its one-party legislature in the mainland, Xi Jinping can go back and do this again and again for any reason at any time. This would make the claim of two systems little more than a mirage.
Here in the U.S., a bipartisan group of Senators are working on legislation which would sanction Chinese individuals involved in the attempted crackdown:
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.) and Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) said they had been working on the bill, which aims to defend human rights in Hong Kong and pressure China to preserve the territorys special status. They said Thursdays developments made the legislation more urgent, and they will press Senate leaders to take up the matter quickly
We would impose penalties on individuals who are complicit in Chinas illegal crackdown in Hong Kong, Mr. Van Hollen said. He called the move by Beijing a gross violation of Chinas agreement with the U.K. to preserve more freedom and autonomy in the territory.
Mr. Toomey called the move by China very, very deeply disturbing.
Senator Lindsey Graham said every effort should be made to prevent China from destroying Hong Kong.
Sen. Ted Cruz also said it was time to reassess U.S. policy toward China.
The Chinese Communist Party is fast moving to end what is left of Hong Kongs autonomy, stripping away essential freedoms from Hong Kongs people. This is unacceptable and will require a reevaluation of U.S. policy if it is not immediately reversed. As Ive long said, Hong Kong is the new Berlin, and now the U.S. must stand strong with our allies and hold the line against the spread of communism.
Senators Rubio, Risch, and Gardner also released a joint statement:
Reports that the CCP will introduce legislation implementing Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law at this weeks National Peoples Congress indicate Beijing will begin an unprecedented assault against Hong Kongs autonomy. The Basic Law states clearly that the authority to advance Article 23 legislation rests with the executive and legislative branches of the Hong Kong government, and not with Beijing. The Chinese government is once again breaking its promises to the people of Hong Kong and the international community.
This comes on the heels of a series of other serious blows to Hong Kongs self-rule in recent weeks, including the advocacy of a law criminalizing disrespect of the national anthem of the Peoples Republic of China and pressure on Hong Kongs legislature that led to the sidelining of pro-democracy legislators.
The United States will stand resolute in its support of the Hong Kong people. These developments are of grave concern to the United States, and could lead to a significant reassessment on U.S. policy towards Hong Kong.
Nikki Haley highlighted the issue.
And again, there is bipartisan consensus on this. Even Nancy Pelosi is expressing alarm.
Last week we had the beginning of what looked like a new trade war between the U.S. and China. Now we have something potentially even worse. There are more than 7 million people living in Hong Kong many of whom have expressed their admiration for freedom and the United States in particular. Over the next few hours, their freedom could effectively be wiped out by the worlds largest communist authoritarian state.
TOPICS: Breaking News; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bloggers; china; hongkong; hsbc; redchina; sidebarabuse
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To: Tai_Chung
You are right but GB didn’t have the stones to do it.
To: mrsmith
After the power slips away, some youth in Asia making room for the next generation of slaves, quickly takes their place, China is collapsing. I wonder how many countries emerge from its remains. Let's all be shocked when it happens.
High tech and a disgusting ancient civilization mixed together in a oligarchic fascist regime, who complects Confusedism and Marxism all with the tone of an underlying racial superiority by some of the most genetically unflattering of human specimens in the world.
The ugly,stupid and smelly are playing with gasoline and matches telling each other how wise they are - I wonder what happens next.
Nobody needs China - the world did just fine without them - it'll take about 5 years and nobody will miss them.
This can all be summed up in an unrelated piece of ancient chinese wisdom - Man who live in paper house barbecues outside
162
posted on
05/25/2020 7:31:55 AM PDT
by
datricker
(Cut Taxes Repeal ACA Deport DACA - Americans First, Build the Wall, Lock her up MAGA!)
To: HANG THE EXPENSE
They won't take Taiwan - I thought initially they would but the whole wuhan pandemic has exposed their leadership as cowards. They execute plans the way cowards would.
They make a play for Taiwan they can do that once and they military which is not battle tested and super overconfident is going to get their ass handed to them
Further after this sickness China has inflict upon the people of the world the retribution will be horrific.
China is in a very bad spot IMHO - watch them do something dumber then not clamp down on the virus. They are desperate, overextended and stupid
When our economy roars back to life(I hope) the reckoning will result in their economy tanking and we will have extricated ours from depending on theirs.
Then we step on their head as they drown
163
posted on
05/25/2020 7:40:01 AM PDT
by
datricker
(Cut Taxes Repeal ACA Deport DACA - Americans First, Build the Wall, Lock her up MAGA!)
To: Tai_Chung
How excellent would that have been?
To: ducttape45
I assume for the same reason England handed their country over to Islam: England is run by insane people.
165
posted on
05/25/2020 9:18:09 AM PDT
by
GrandJediMasterYoda
(As long as Hillary Clinton remains free equal justice under the law will never exist in the USA)
To: House Atreides
I really feel sorry for the Hong Kong citizens; many of them will end up losing everything. They deserve better. You realize that many of those Hong Kong residents were English citizens that England would not let leave right?
166
posted on
05/25/2020 7:02:15 PM PDT
by
itsahoot
(Welcome to the New USA where Islam is a religion of peace and Christianity is a mental disorder.)
To: Leaning Right
All Im saying is that the UK has no special right to criticize China over Hong Kong. I hope that makes some sense. You need to lean a little more and maybe it would make more sense. The people of Hong Kong legally were English Citizens, that England refused to let leave, or did you know that?
167
posted on
05/25/2020 7:26:12 PM PDT
by
itsahoot
(Welcome to the New USA where Islam is a religion of peace and Christianity is a mental disorder.)
To: Leaning Right
The UK could hold Hong Kong proper only as long as it had the strength to do so. That is the rule for everyone, including us and our second amendment as well as he first belong to us as long as we can defend them, no longer.
168
posted on
05/25/2020 7:36:46 PM PDT
by
itsahoot
(Welcome to the New USA where Islam is a religion of peace and Christianity is a mental disorder.)
To: Jane Long
0bama gave them the kitchen sink
Partner, so true and somehow our CEO's and Board of Directors of companies in the U.S. do not even have a clue on how these Chicom Design Institutes work for the Chicoms, period and no one else.
This is how they can get all the information, dwgs. and everything else from the U.S.
They have their heads up their posteriors is all I can say is really true with our CEO's.
We can see how the ChiComs have come up so quickly with advanced designs of sea based Air Craft Carriers and jets that are truly designed to hurt folks.
Look at Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Chinese will move out of Hong Kong.
To: Jim Noble
If you think Donald Trump or any US President would go to war with China over Taiwan you are out of your mind. If Harry Truman hadn't stopped Mac and Chang they would have defeated the commies that we put in power when we and the UN forced Chang out.
170
posted on
05/25/2020 8:03:45 PM PDT
by
itsahoot
(Welcome to the New USA where Islam is a religion of peace and Christianity is a mental disorder.)
To: 2aProtectsTheRest
Imagine for 2 seconds what would happen to the US economy if everything we rely on China to produce for us suddenly just stopped. How many things CAN you even buy today that arent at least made in part in China? Maybe you should consider how the people reacted to WW II. We moved from a depression to the top manufacturer in the world in less than 4 years. We out produced everyone and even had surplus for England and Russia. We could do it again. Read some of Charlie Daniels comments and YouTube Comments and learn what a Patriot really is.
171
posted on
05/25/2020 8:27:50 PM PDT
by
itsahoot
(Welcome to the New USA where Islam is a religion of peace and Christianity is a mental disorder.)
To: itsahoot
That’s 80 years ago. We’re a very different country now with a very different culture and very different people. Also, at the time we were reacting to a massive, sudden, worldwide event taking place and to America herself being attacked. I don’t believe we have that kind of can-do spirit readily available to tap into today. Particularly the youth tend to want everything handed to them on a silver platter and they only want to “work” doing what they want, when they want, how they want. You think a bunch of telecommuting coders are going to roll out en masse to do hard factory work each and every day for a fraction of their salary?
I believe our path to self-sufficiency lies in gearing up largely automated factories that produce the things we need here at home. And I believe tariffs on Chinese goods and tax incentives for manufacturing here at home are how we get there. And even with an aggressive push, I think it’ll take us at least a decade or two to get there.
But I also think it’s 100% worth it to not be stuck in bed with China. They’re liars, cheats, and thieves, and they’re selling us garbage at cheaper prices because it’s produced by slaves living in a communist hell.
To: Jim Noble
“If you think Donald Trump or any US President would go to war with China over Taiwan you are out of your mind.”
We have a Mutual Defense Treaty with Taiwan. We are obligated to go to war if Taiwan is attacked.
Why do you think we send our Carriers and Fleets into the area and into the Taiwan Strait?
To: rbmillerjr
Why do you think we send our Carriers and Fleets into the area and into the Taiwan Strait?To pretend.
174
posted on
05/26/2020 4:02:09 AM PDT
by
Jim Noble
(Think like youÂ’re right, listen like youÂ’re wrong)
To: rbmillerjr
We have a Mutual Defense Treaty with Taiwan. We are obligated to go to war if Taiwan is attacked.And, not for nothing, neither of those statements are true.
The US-ROC Mutual Defense Treaty was terminated by the United States 40 years ago.
175
posted on
05/26/2020 4:08:03 AM PDT
by
Jim Noble
(Think like youÂ’re right, listen like youÂ’re wrong)
To: SeekAndFind
The ChiComs have been planning this all along. And if they ever get their hands on Taiwan they will destroy it too.
176
posted on
05/26/2020 6:10:14 AM PDT
by
Georgia Girl 2
(The only purpose of a pistol is to fight neiyour way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
To: Jim Noble
To: All
Correct - there is no formal “obligation” to defend Taiwan.
Nixon and Kissinger were pretty sure we’d have open access to Chinese markets and were prepared to sell out Taiwan.
However, the language in the TRA 1979 is seen as strategically ambiguous, but the bottom line is near obligatory as you are going to get.
“The act further stipulates that the United States will “consider any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including by boycotts or embargoes, a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the United States”.
Diplomatically, “grave concern” is used as a use of force option.
To: rbmillerjr
The Taiwan Relations Act is not a treaty, and it does not promise defense.
You know as well as I do that a mutual defense treaty with Taiwan, if one were signed, could not be ratified by this or any conceivable Senate.
179
posted on
05/26/2020 8:30:28 AM PDT
by
Jim Noble
(Think like youÂ’re right, listen like youÂ’re wrong)
To: itsahoot
They were never U.K. citizens. They were British subjects.
180
posted on
05/26/2020 8:32:20 AM PDT
by
Jim Noble
(Think like youÂ’re right, listen like youÂ’re wrong)
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