Generational Dynamics World View

[John J. Xenakis]

** 02-Jul-2019 World View: Beijing closes the trap on Hong Kong protesters

• The People's Liberation Army (China's military) Hong Kong
  garrison comes out of hiding and conducts emergency response
  exercises for three days (Global Times)

During the protests on Monday, the BBC World Service entered the Hong
Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) building, and broadcast scenes of
vandalism and graffiti in one room after another. The BBC reporter
wondered why he was being allowed inside the building, and was allowed
to broadcast these scenes to the world. He raised the question about
whether the government was setting some kind of trap.

These scenes were broadcast after hundreds of protesters
smashed through the exterior glass doors and walls of the building,
and entered the building. Previously, they had been smashing
windows, ripping out barriers, and throwing eggs at
police. The demonstrations were protesting the proposed
extradition bill that would allow Hong Kong to extradite anyone
in Hong Kong to Beijing, and they were attacking the LegCo
building presumably because it would be the legislature that
could approve the extradition bill, when it is removed from suspension.

However, instead of forcing the protesters to disperse, the
masses of police forces simply stepped aside, and allowed the
protesters to smash their way into the LegCo building and vandalize
it, and then allowed the BBC and other news organizations to enter
the building and broadcast the vandalism. This has led to
suggestions that the government was setting a trap for the protesters,
so that they could be called rioters and terrorists.

CCP officials closed the trap on Tuesday, with a statement suggesting
that Hong Kong's "one country, two systems" should be brought to an
end:

Quote: "Yet, some extremists on the pretext of opposing the
amendments to the relevant Bill of the special administration
region government, attacked the Legislative Council building in an
extremely violent manner and deliberately damaged its facilities.

This serious illegal act tramples on the rule of law in Hong Kong,
undermines Hong Kong's social order and undermines the fundamental
interests of Hong Kong. It is a blatant challenge to the ‘one
country, two systems’ bottom line."

China's Foreign Ministry warns outsiders to stay out, saying that
"the violent act of storming LegCo" on Monday "constituted serious violations
of the rule of law and endangered social order."

A number of people on Chinese social media are being quoted as
supporting the government position:

Quote: "There's definitely a problem with the policies
towards Taiwan and Hong Kong. Why does the central government
think that as long as it gives enough benefits and special rights,
the people will be loyal to you?"

Here's another:

Quote: "One country, two systems is too lax, and this is the
result. If Hong Kong wants to return to normal, it should start
with decolonization and change the name of Victoria Harbour to
Oriental Pearl Harbour."

On the other hand, many of the young protesters on Monday were
expressing concern that the "one country, two systems" policy is
scheduled to end in 2047, well within the expected lives of
the protesters.

• In an earlier protest, British flag is visible, and placard
  reading, 'Make Hong Kong Great Britain Again' (SCMP)

This is not the end of the story. After Monday's "victory," the
protesters are only going to become more bold in pro-democracy
protests. Pro-independence activists in Taiwan will also be
emboldened. The CCP thugs are seeing the pro-democracy protests in
Hong Kong as a repeat of the 1989 pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen
Square, which ended with the mass slaughter of thousands of peacefully
protesting college students.

Now that the CCP thugs have laid the trap and sprung it, they've laid
the groundwork for violent repression when the protests recur, and for
proposed legal measures to restrict some of the "one country, two
systems" policies.

Tensions are growing along the Beijing-Hong Kong and north-south fault
lines, and China is overdue for a new massive anti-government
rebellion, following the Taiping Rebellion (1852-64), and Mao's
Communist Revolution (1934-49).

---- Sources:

-- BREAKING: Hong Kong protesters break through final barriers,
overrun LegCo
https://coconuts.co/hongkong/news/breaki...run-legco/
(Coconuts Hong Kong, 1-Jul-2019)

-- China strongly condemns LegCo storming by Hong Kong protesters,
calls it a 'blatant challenge'
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-a...e-state-tv
(Strait Times, Singapore, 2-Jul-2019)

-- PLA Hong Kong Garrison conducts emergency response exercises
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1156525.shtml
(Global Times, Beijing, 2-Jul-2019)

-- China opposes other countries' interference in Hong Kong affairs
http://www.ecns.cn/news/2019-07-02/detai...8700.shtml
(ECNS, Beijing, 2-Jul-2019)

-- Pic: Make Hong Kong Great Britain Again / In former colonies Hong
Kong and Taiwan, ‘national’ identity often emerges from fanciful
nostalgia
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-maga...en-emerges
(South China Morning Post, 29-Mar-2019)