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Archive for the tag “protests”

19 Oct 2019

Hong Kong Is A Battlefield Because Hongkongers Want The Rights They Were Promised

Hong Kong and the rest of the world have been stunned by the  bloody spectacles and violence across the city over these past months. How did a peaceful society suddenly degenerate into lawlessness and chaos, with students, ordinary people and even policemen attacking one another like deadly enemies when, before this disaster, they were normal law-abiding citizens? What has changed Hong Kong from a peaceful, beautiful international city into a battlefield within such a short time?
Read Here – South China Morning Post
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16 Sep 2019

Why China Went On A Global Media Blitz Over The Hong Kong Protests – And Why It Probably Won’t Work

The burst of communications was unusual. While Chinese diplomats have spoken publicly before on big issues such as the China-US trade war and the Belt and Road Initiative, it had not been on such a scale. Observers said the effort was an attempt to shape international opinion about the unrest in Hong Kong, but no matter how united the approach, the campaign was unlikely to be effective.

Read Here – South China Morning Post

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14 Sep 2019

China Will Rein In Hong Kong Through Its Economy

Just what form “struggle” will take in Hong Kong remains uncertain. In the end, Xi must make the difficult choice between his political instincts: crack down on Hong Kong’s unruly dissenters and bring them to heel or tolerate an uncomfortable degree of continued autonomy as the price of preserving the city’s important role in the Chinese economy—especially regarding financial links to the outside world. He can’t have both.

Read Here – The National Interest

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28 Aug 2019

Is Affluent, Quiet Macau China’s New Unification Golden Child?

As Hong Kong’s streets were choked with tear gas, petrol bombs and water cannons in a dramatic escalation of clashes over the weekend, just an hour’s ferry ride away in Macau all was going to Beijing’s plan. On Sunday, 400 members of the gambling hub’s pro-Beijing elite went ahead as expected and “elected” former legislature head Ho Iat-seng, the only candidate on the ballot, as the city’s next leader.

Read Here – South China Morning Post

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19 Aug 2019

The Game Of Chicken In Hong Kong

The key to winning a game of chicken is to convince your opponent that you’re willing to crash. Whether you project recklessness, suicidal tendencies, or confidence that you would survive a collision, you need your opponent to believe that swerving is simply not an option for you. And, if you’re bluffing, you’d better know whether you’ve succeeded in making them believe it. What’s happening in Hong Kong is a game of chicken with very high stakes — higher than the fate of the enclave itself. And what makes the stakes so high is the other players watching from the sidelines and preparing their own next moves.

Read Here – The Week

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16 Aug 2019

Blindsided: Why Does Beijing Keep Getting Hong Kong Wrong?

As the world watches in amazement while the Asian financial centre is wracked by increasingly violent confrontations, and rocked by calls for greater democracy, it is clear that Beijing has been caught badly by surprise.

Read Here – South China Morning Post

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16 Aug 2019

Social Media Has Become A Battleground In Hong Kong’s Protests

Using social media as a tool to galvanise support during a political movement isn’t new, but Hong Kong’s current protesters are using social media in a way demonstrating a heightened awareness of cybersecurity and an increased understanding of how to effectively communicate with the medium.

Read Here – CNBC

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14 Aug 2019

Beijing, Moscow, And Shades Of The ‘80s

In the early 1980s, there was, of course, no internet, no e-mail, no cell phones (much less smartphones), and not even many fax machines. Rebellions against dictatorship depended on age-old mechanisms to communicate the word of the opposition: leaflets, word of mouth, and secret meetings in cellars.

Read Here – The Bulwark

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14 Aug 2019

A Tiananmen Solution In Hong Kong?

When there are no good options, leaders must choose the least bad one. China’s government may loathe the idea of making concessions to the Hong Kong protesters, but considering the catastrophic consequences of a military crackdown, that is what it must do.

Read Here – Project Syndicate

Also Read:The World Turns, America Sleeps

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07 Aug 2019

Hong Kong Facing ‘Most Serious Situation’ Since Handover, Says Top Beijing Official

Hong Kong faces its most serious threat since the city returned to Chinese sovereignty as the extradition bill saga intensifies, according to the head of China’s top government agency on Hong Kong affairs. Zhang Xiaoming, director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office under the State Council, warned a group of 500 political and business leaders in mainland China of the gravity of the protest crisis as it becomes “bigger and more violent”.
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