so i dont really know the history of hong kong very well. found this post the other day and it seems to do a good job of explaining it.
HONG KONG’S PROTEST by Ken Gulley (unbiased america facebook)
I’ve been approached by a few friends asking a simple but complicated question - “What the hell is going on in Hong Kong?”
The simple and quick answer may be found in the latest article by any major outlets but at the risk of being less convenient, let's get to the root of the problem.
To truly understand what is going on in Hong Kong, we must first look at the autonomous region’s history.
• BACKGROUND
Hong Kong became a colony of the United Kingdom in 1842 after it was ceded to the empire at the end of the First Opium War and the subsequent Second Opium War which finalized its land area.
In 1898 the UK signed a 99-Year lease with Qing China vowing to return Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997. In that time, infrastructure, immigrant populations (especially after the Chinese Civil War and Communist takeover of China) exploded. In the 1990s, Hong Kong stood out as a global and financial hub.
In 1984, the Sino-British Joint Declaration decided that the 1997 lease end would guarantee a “one country, two system” governance of Hong Kong. The impending transfer led many to emigrate from Hong Kong, practicing their British “right to abode” by fleeing to Europe.
In 1997, Hong Kong was transferred to Chinese control with the democratic region still operating as a free government under Chinese rule. Chinese National Law does not apply to Hong Kong currently. Full governance will apply in 2047 but there is debate over what that will entail. Since then, Beijing has slowly but heavily applied political influence on Hong Kong.
• FAST FORWARD
In 2017, Carrie Lam became Chief Executive of Hong Kong in a 3-way election by the members of the election committee. Lam was the Beijing-favored candidate and quickly secured her favor with the mainland with the trial and imprisonment of pro-democracy and independence activist and the disqualification of four pro-democracy lawmakers for their “oath-taking” rituals which were declared to be illegal and outside the standard procedure.
In 2019 the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 was proposed after the murder of a pregnant Hong Konger by her Hong Konger boyfriend in Taiwain. Due to current irregularities regarding extradition practices between Hong Kong and mainland China (where Hong Kong criminals are refused extradition to the mainland though the mainland extradites criminals to Hong Kong), police in Hong Kong were unable to prosecute the murder suspect for the murder that took place in Taiwan.
The lack of extradition treaties also extend to Taiwan. Extradition laws as written have raised fears among Hong Konger population believing the law would be law would open a portal for greater mainland control of Hong Kong and open the population up to a different legal system (re: communist) as opposed to those practiced in Hong Kong (English Common Law). Fears were also echoed by the business community in Hong Kong who currently practice business in the freest economic system in the world. The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham) declared the mainland's "criminal process is plagued by deep flaws, including lack of an independent judiciary, arbitrary detention, lack of fair public trial, lack of access to legal representation and poor prison conditions.”
Critics of the bill have requested a temporary agreement with Taiwan to allow extradition then immediately close said agreement immediately after the murderer was handed over - given Taiwan’s democratic practice.
In response, Taiwan stated it would not be a part of any agreement that declared Taiwan to be a part of mainland China - so as to prevent the use of said agreement by mainland China against its citizens. Taiwanese officials have cause for concern about any agreement and view it suspiciously as an attempt by Pro-Beijing officials in Hong Kong to assert power and authority on Taiwan.*
• PROTESTS
The current Hong Kong legislative body is made up of the localist camp, pro-democracy camp, and pro-Beijing camp. The Pro-Beijing camp is currently the majority and exerting pressure for legislators to support Chief Executive Lam and the bill.
International pressure has come from formal leaders in the UK (House of Lords), concern from the US (Mike Pompeo) and opposition from
Other US delegates and commissioners, opposition from EU delegations, and various international organizations including but not limited to Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, etc.
A no-confidence vote against Lam by Hong Kong’s legislature was repelled by pro-Beijing loyalists and various meetings attempted concerning the bills have erupted into chaos that resulted in physical altercations. Amendments have been proposed and considered.
Prior to the bill’s suspension, large protests took place on March 31st and April 28th - countering the proposed legislation.
June 9th saw a larger protests with upwards of 1 million people in attendance. The protests remained relatively peaceful until midnight when alleged incidents of assault on police occurred resulting in pepper spray and arrests.
June 16th saw the largest protest to date with upwards of 2 million in attendance. Lam offered an apology of mishandling the bill and her service to the public on the 18th but refused to withdraw the bill completely.
As it stands, the bill has been suspended and declared “dead” as of July 9th but a withdrawal of the bill has not been put in place.
As the protests continue into August, four demands have been highlighted by certain student unions acting as representatives of the protestors. These demands include a withdrawal of the extradition bill; retraction of all references to the 12 June protest being a riot; release all arrested protesters; and accountability of police officers who used excessive force.
The protests have largely remained tied to the extradition bill but have also expanded into a revival of sorts for a pro-democracy expansion in opposition to impending Chinese control and regulation. There are even photographs and videos in circulation showing pro-democracy protestors waving US flags, singing the US National Anthem, and holding pro-2nd Amendment signs.
On Monday, demonstrators shut down Hong Kong’s international airports including one of the busiest international airports in the world. Lam has warned that the city is “at the brink of no return.”
Beijing issued a stern warning and perhaps an allusion to impending crackdowns by declaring the protests were showing “signs of terrorism.” Beijing has reportedly amassed military vehicles on the mainland border with Hong Kong.
Lastly, there are considerable concerns made by Hong Kong observers and activists that many of the “riotous” activities have been stoked by police and/or Triad gang members. BBC has prior documentation in past protests (2014) of Triad involvement and/or paid protestors acting on behalf of pro-Beijing interests.
The world’s eyes warily monitor the situation in Hong Kong.
• IMPLICATIONS
China boasts the largest standing military with upwards of 1.5-2.0Million troops.
China’s history of crackdown on pro-democracy advances (I.e. Tiananmen Square) have been heavy handed and considerable. Hong Kong offers different challenges for Beijing as there is a wider array of freedom (and therefore public knowledge and press) of any actions Beijing may take.
Given the size of the protests, international media has been relatively underwhelming. The US position, while pro-democracy, has been fairly mum but urges caution. The US is currently embroiled in a trade-war with China, involved with tensions over recent arms agreements with Taiwan, and growing conflict over Chinese Island building in the South China Sea - raising concerns from Japan, Korea, Australia and the Philippines among others.
Hong Kong is an urban community boasting a population of 7 million people with 1 million millionaires.
* [ Side note: China considers Taiwan to be a rogue state that it will force into unity by peace or force if necessary - all buy 16 nations have unofficial relations with Taiwan so as to maintain relations with China. China has declared it would refuse to recognize and have formal relations with any nation that officially recognizes Taiwan as a separate nation. All but 16 nations maintain de-facto embassies in Taiwan (including the US) as a work around. The US maintains an unofficial but now-High Level official relations with Taiwan after an Act passed by the Trump Administration. Continued Arms trade under the Obama Administration maintained a tit-for-tat strife between the US and China leading to varied ranges of tariffs and disagreements.]
Sources:
• BI
https://www.businessinsider.com/one-in-7-in-hong-kong-is-a-millionaire-2018-3 /
https://www.businessinsider.com/vid...s-gather-in-shenzen-hong-kong-protests-2019-8 (Left Lean)
• NYT -
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/world/asia/taiwan-arms-sales.amp.html (Left Lean)
• SCMP-
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...-kong-lawmakers-disqualified-over-oath-taking (Left Lean)
• CNN -
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/12/asia/hong-kong-airport-fifth-day-protests-intl-hnk/index.html /
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/13/asia/hong-kong-airport-chaos-intl-hnk/index.html (Left Lean)
• BBC -
https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-asia-china-48607723 (Left Centrist lean)