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Some public health care staff are neglecting their duties in HK by not going to work at this time of corona virus outbreak, protesting about something. It is a big controversy. Hospital services including emergency services have been disrupted.
Hong Kong is certainly turning the spotlight on Chinese authoritarianism to the entire world. You have to wonder if China secretly regrets forcing the British to leave.
They are too violent, they also undermine foreign businesses in HK, and in Mainland China and Macau. Losing money due to bad security situation or suffer from dislike of westerners from the governments and most people in all three places. Victims already include Chinese and western banks, hotels, casinos and foreigners in these 3 places supporting the chaos. Some western and Chinese businesses will lose due to trade wars, unable to trade in the other country's financial markets and not extending the permits to operate casinos in Macau. All in the world who do business in or with HK, Mainland China and Macau are likely affected.
Other than businesses, all people living in the region including foreigners are affected. Plans like sightseeing, shopping and meetings have to be cancelled. Westerners can't go to their favourite Starbucks because it is targeted by protestors good at damaging shops. The western governments never condemned those acts, even after HSBC was damaged and victim of arson.
The new law is not about integration, it is about security. Macau already has that law. Portugal and other western countries never express their concern about that law coming into force in Macau. And they are fine with having similar laws in Singapore. Every person reading or watching news in the SARs since 1990 knew there would be such laws at some time later since it was clearly mentioned in the basic laws enacted years before 1997 and 1999. Not a surprise at all. The protestors' bad acts just make the process faster. No government would tolerate such chaos.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertFisher
What we see today, is exactly why I thought the protests undermine HKers' own interest. It gave China an excuse to accelerate integration.
What we see today, is exactly why I thought the protests undermine HKers' own interest. It gave China an excuse to accelerate integration.
Are we beyond the point of no return?
They did not get it, because they do not understand geopolitics and economics. The average pro-protestor had no idea how damaging this would be to the Hong Kongs economy, how insignificant Hong Kong is to Chinas economy and that the US is just using Hong Kong to get leverage in their trade war. I bet a lot of them still underestimate the economic damage and think it is all due to the coronavirus.
Also, some people in this thread thought the protests was successful, because China would never dare to implement another law again. What they did not realize was that China was just waiting for a better opportunity. Right now, media is preoccupied by covid-19 and Hong Kong has closed itself off from the mainland, there is no reason for any Chinese or western company for doing business in Hong Kong. Hence Hong Kong economic and political leverage over China is much smaller than it was a year ago, let alone 20 years ago.
Hong Kong hit the point of no return when the protestors occupied the airport. After that it was inevitable that Hong Kong economy will crash and China will eventually take back control.
They did not get it, because they do not understand geopolitics and economics. The average pro-protestor had no idea how damaging this would be to the Hong Kongs economy, how insignificant Hong Kong is to Chinas economy and that the US is just using Hong Kong to get leverage in their trade war. I bet a lot of them still underestimate the economic damage and think it is all due to the coronavirus.
Also, some people in this thread thought the protests was successful, because China would never dare to implement another law again. What they did not realize was that China was just waiting for a better opportunity. Right now, media is preoccupied by covid-19 and Hong Kong has closed itself off from the mainland, there is no reason for any Chinese or western company for doing business in Hong Kong. Hence Hong Kong economic and political leverage over China is much smaller than it was a year ago, let alone 20 years ago.
Hong Kong hit the point of no return when the protestors occupied the airport. After that it was inevitable that Hong Kong economy will crash and China will eventually take back control.
My argument since the beginning is that the goals of the protests should be achieved by peaceful protests. Violent protests are counterproductive, because it destroys Hong Kongs economic and political leverage against China.
You believed violent protests was the answer. You thought you could force a country of 1.4 billion people to do what you want with pure force and by calling them names. What you instead did was to unite them against you. Support for the government in China and its actions has never been stronger in China, and you are partly responsible. You achieved nothing but misery with your "burn with us" strategy.
Also, you have said that you would not care if millions of Chinese got massacred. You clearly have no problems with genocide as long as the right people get killed.
since the protestors are so gullible and easily manipulated, the hive minds behind them might even be working for china. I mean, even me and you can do it as long as you know chinese. All you have to do is go to their forums, groups etc. to tell them to use violence to fight for their freedom, copy and paste wonderfully written articles and catchy illustrations. The hk youths were trained to be anti china in school for many years, any little extra push will get them over to the breaking point.
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