07-03-2019, 11:08 PM
*** 4-Jul-19 World View -- UK-China war of words escalates sharply over Hong Kong riots
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** UK-China war of words escalates sharply over Hong Kong riots
****
![[Image: g190703b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g190703b.jpg)
Protesters install an old British colonial flag in the Legislative Council chamber on Monday (SCMP)
Although it's still only a war of words, tensions and acrimony have
risen sharply in the last three days, following the pro-democracy
protests in Hong Kong.
On Monday, hundreds of thousands of Hong Konger made peaceful
pro-democracy protests. However, a small group of protests smashed
the thick glass in the exterior glad doors and walls of Hong Kong’s
Legislative Council (LegCo) building, and entered and vandalized the
building.
This has infuriated Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials, some of
whom are calling for a get-tough policy in Hong Kong that removes some
of freedoms granted to Hong Kong in the "one country, two systems"
policy that distinguishes Hong Kong's governance from that of the rest
of China.
But apparently nothing infuriated the CCP officials in Beijing more
than seeing the British colonial flag installed at the head of the
Legislative Council Chamber, as shown in the picture at the beginning
of this article.
Starting on Tuesday, CCP officials have been talking in a manner much
harsher than they've talked in the past. One CCP official suggested
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."<END QUOTE>
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?"<END QUOTE>
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."<END QUOTE>
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. This is leading many young protesters to demand that Hong
Kong be returned to Britain.
****
**** Nearing a repeat of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre
****
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.
This is the danger that many in the international community fear. The
paranoid, delusion people in the high ranks of the CCP consider
democracy to be not a form of government but an ideology, and ideology
opposed to Communism, Socialism and Marxism, and they see a
pro-democracy demonstration as threatening the CCP's very existence.
That reasoning led to the massacre of thousands of peacefully
protesting college students in Tiananmen Square in 1989, and many
analysts fear that the CCP will do a repeat if there's another huge
pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong, last the the last three in the
past couple of months.
For the CCP, the anxiety and hysteria is particularly acute, since
Hong Kong is in southern China, and CCP officials fear a new massive
anti-government rebellion in the south, as happened in the past with
the Taiping Rebellion (1852-64), and Mao's Communist Revolution
(1934-49). (See "22-Jun-19 World View -- Hong Kong protests show historic split between northern and southern China"
)
****
**** Britain and China exchange threats in escalated war of words
****
China's president Xi Jinping has said that if it hadn't been for
Britain's 1840s invasion of China, the Opium Wars, then China would be
a great nation today. It was as a result of those wars that Britain
acquired Hong Kong as a colony, which it returned to Chinese rule in
1997.
Under the terms of the 1984 Joint Declaration on Hong Kong, signed by
China and Britain, Hong Kong is to be a "Special Administrative
Region" of China, having its own laws, freedoms, financial system and
judicial system, for 50 years, from 1997 until 2047. This is known as
"one country, two systems."
Britain's government claims that even though Hong Kong is part of
China, Britain still has some responsibility to protect Hong Kong
freedoms under the terms of the Joint Declaration that China and
Britain signed in 1984.
Britain's Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, began the war of words:
<QUOTE>"My heart goes out to those worried they’ll lose their
precious way of life. I don’t support violence in any
circumstances but I understand their worries about changes
happening in Hong Kong.
The Chinese government say this is an internal affair and it’s not
for Britain to meddle in this, but we signed an agreement ensuring
‘one nation, two systems’ for 50 years, so I hope there are not
changes which undermine that legally binding
agreement."<END QUOTE>
CCP officials have described this statement as "very offensive."
China's position is that the Joint Declaration is an old document that
is no long relevant. China's Foreign Ministry spokesman said:
<QUOTE>"Let me reiterate, the Joint Declaration resolved the
Hong Kong issue, which was left over by history. As Hong Kong
returned to the motherland and work relating to the transitional
period came to an end, the rights and obligations of the British
side under the declaration were completely fulfilled. On July 1,
1997, China resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong and the Chinese
government started administering it in accordance with the
Constitution and the Basic Law. The UK no longer has any
responsibility for Hong Kong. Hong Kong affairs are purely China's
internal affairs that brook no foreign interference.
I would also like to stress that China deplores and strongly
rejects the frequent British interference in and criticism of Hong
Kong affairs. We advise the UK to know its place, stop meddling in
Hong Kong affairs in any form and do more for its prosperity and
stability rather than the opposite."<END QUOTE>
China’s ambassador to London, Liu Xiaoming, appeared on British
television and accused the British government of meddling:
<QUOTE>"The U.K. government chose to stand on the wrong side,
it has made inappropriate remarks, not only to interfere in the
internal affairs of Hong Kong but also to back up the violent
lawbreakers. [Britain has tried to obstruct Hong Kong officials
from] bringing the criminals to justice, which is utter
interference in Hong Kong’s rule of law."<END QUOTE>
I heard several commentators express the fear that the war of words
could escalate into something more serious. The last sentence in the
preceding paragraph shows one possible scenario.
Let's suppose that Britain takes some action to help Hong Kong
activists escape via ship from Hong Kong to avoid prosecution. China
could then block the ship on the high seas, and things could escalate
further.
In my book, "War between China and Japan," I discussed at length how
world wars are triggered by trivial events, as the hatred and vitriol
grows during a generational Crisis era. China repeatedly whines that
China would be a great nation if it hadn't been for Britain's Opium
Wars, and nostalgia in Hong Kong for the days when Hong Kong was a
British colony seems to be growing, which clearly infuriates the CCP
officials.
As I described in my book, in this febrile atmosphere even a simple
event could trigger tit-for-tat escalations back and forth, and lead
to a major military crisis.
![[Image: g190703c.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g190703c.jpg)
In a previous protest, girl holds British flag and placard reading 'Make Hong Kong Great Britain Again' (SCMP)
****
**** Did China set a trap for the protesters?
****
When the protesters were breaking into the Legilative Council (LegCo)
building, they had to smash through doors and windows with thick
glass, designed to withstand terrorist explosions. It took several
hours to finally break through.
During all this time, there were riot police nearby, but they did
nothing to stop the vandalism. In fact, when the small group of
vandals approached, they turned away.
As midnight approached, the protesters finally left the LegCo
building, and all that were left were reporters. 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, so that they
could be called rioters and terrorists.
That seems to be exactly what happened. The riot police were right
there, and could have stopped the smashing of the LegCo building doors
and windows, but just stood aside and them the vandals proceed. Now
the Chinese government will be able to use this incident as a reason
to impose stricter laws and procedures on Hong Kong residents.
Sources:
Related:
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, China, Hong Kong, Britain,
Legislative Council, LegCo, one nation - two systems,
Tiananmen Square massacre, Opium Wars, Joint Declaration,
Jeremy Hunt, Liu Xiaoming
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- UK-China war of words escalates sharply over Hong Kong riots
- Nearing a repeat of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre
- Britain and China exchange threats in escalated war of words
- Did China set a trap for the protesters?
****
**** UK-China war of words escalates sharply over Hong Kong riots
****
Protesters install an old British colonial flag in the Legislative Council chamber on Monday (SCMP)
Although it's still only a war of words, tensions and acrimony have
risen sharply in the last three days, following the pro-democracy
protests in Hong Kong.
On Monday, hundreds of thousands of Hong Konger made peaceful
pro-democracy protests. However, a small group of protests smashed
the thick glass in the exterior glad doors and walls of Hong Kong’s
Legislative Council (LegCo) building, and entered and vandalized the
building.
This has infuriated Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials, some of
whom are calling for a get-tough policy in Hong Kong that removes some
of freedoms granted to Hong Kong in the "one country, two systems"
policy that distinguishes Hong Kong's governance from that of the rest
of China.
But apparently nothing infuriated the CCP officials in Beijing more
than seeing the British colonial flag installed at the head of the
Legislative Council Chamber, as shown in the picture at the beginning
of this article.
Starting on Tuesday, CCP officials have been talking in a manner much
harsher than they've talked in the past. One CCP official suggested
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."<END QUOTE>
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?"<END QUOTE>
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."<END QUOTE>
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. This is leading many young protesters to demand that Hong
Kong be returned to Britain.
****
**** Nearing a repeat of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre
****
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.
This is the danger that many in the international community fear. The
paranoid, delusion people in the high ranks of the CCP consider
democracy to be not a form of government but an ideology, and ideology
opposed to Communism, Socialism and Marxism, and they see a
pro-democracy demonstration as threatening the CCP's very existence.
That reasoning led to the massacre of thousands of peacefully
protesting college students in Tiananmen Square in 1989, and many
analysts fear that the CCP will do a repeat if there's another huge
pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong, last the the last three in the
past couple of months.
For the CCP, the anxiety and hysteria is particularly acute, since
Hong Kong is in southern China, and CCP officials fear a new massive
anti-government rebellion in the south, as happened in the past with
the Taiping Rebellion (1852-64), and Mao's Communist Revolution
(1934-49). (See "22-Jun-19 World View -- Hong Kong protests show historic split between northern and southern China"
)
****
**** Britain and China exchange threats in escalated war of words
****
China's president Xi Jinping has said that if it hadn't been for
Britain's 1840s invasion of China, the Opium Wars, then China would be
a great nation today. It was as a result of those wars that Britain
acquired Hong Kong as a colony, which it returned to Chinese rule in
1997.
Under the terms of the 1984 Joint Declaration on Hong Kong, signed by
China and Britain, Hong Kong is to be a "Special Administrative
Region" of China, having its own laws, freedoms, financial system and
judicial system, for 50 years, from 1997 until 2047. This is known as
"one country, two systems."
Britain's government claims that even though Hong Kong is part of
China, Britain still has some responsibility to protect Hong Kong
freedoms under the terms of the Joint Declaration that China and
Britain signed in 1984.
Britain's Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, began the war of words:
<QUOTE>"My heart goes out to those worried they’ll lose their
precious way of life. I don’t support violence in any
circumstances but I understand their worries about changes
happening in Hong Kong.
The Chinese government say this is an internal affair and it’s not
for Britain to meddle in this, but we signed an agreement ensuring
‘one nation, two systems’ for 50 years, so I hope there are not
changes which undermine that legally binding
agreement."<END QUOTE>
CCP officials have described this statement as "very offensive."
China's position is that the Joint Declaration is an old document that
is no long relevant. China's Foreign Ministry spokesman said:
<QUOTE>"Let me reiterate, the Joint Declaration resolved the
Hong Kong issue, which was left over by history. As Hong Kong
returned to the motherland and work relating to the transitional
period came to an end, the rights and obligations of the British
side under the declaration were completely fulfilled. On July 1,
1997, China resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong and the Chinese
government started administering it in accordance with the
Constitution and the Basic Law. The UK no longer has any
responsibility for Hong Kong. Hong Kong affairs are purely China's
internal affairs that brook no foreign interference.
I would also like to stress that China deplores and strongly
rejects the frequent British interference in and criticism of Hong
Kong affairs. We advise the UK to know its place, stop meddling in
Hong Kong affairs in any form and do more for its prosperity and
stability rather than the opposite."<END QUOTE>
China’s ambassador to London, Liu Xiaoming, appeared on British
television and accused the British government of meddling:
<QUOTE>"The U.K. government chose to stand on the wrong side,
it has made inappropriate remarks, not only to interfere in the
internal affairs of Hong Kong but also to back up the violent
lawbreakers. [Britain has tried to obstruct Hong Kong officials
from] bringing the criminals to justice, which is utter
interference in Hong Kong’s rule of law."<END QUOTE>
I heard several commentators express the fear that the war of words
could escalate into something more serious. The last sentence in the
preceding paragraph shows one possible scenario.
Let's suppose that Britain takes some action to help Hong Kong
activists escape via ship from Hong Kong to avoid prosecution. China
could then block the ship on the high seas, and things could escalate
further.
In my book, "War between China and Japan," I discussed at length how
world wars are triggered by trivial events, as the hatred and vitriol
grows during a generational Crisis era. China repeatedly whines that
China would be a great nation if it hadn't been for Britain's Opium
Wars, and nostalgia in Hong Kong for the days when Hong Kong was a
British colony seems to be growing, which clearly infuriates the CCP
officials.
As I described in my book, in this febrile atmosphere even a simple
event could trigger tit-for-tat escalations back and forth, and lead
to a major military crisis.
In a previous protest, girl holds British flag and placard reading 'Make Hong Kong Great Britain Again' (SCMP)
****
**** Did China set a trap for the protesters?
****
When the protesters were breaking into the Legilative Council (LegCo)
building, they had to smash through doors and windows with thick
glass, designed to withstand terrorist explosions. It took several
hours to finally break through.
During all this time, there were riot police nearby, but they did
nothing to stop the vandalism. In fact, when the small group of
vandals approached, they turned away.
As midnight approached, the protesters finally left the LegCo
building, and all that were left were reporters. 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, so that they
could be called rioters and terrorists.
That seems to be exactly what happened. The riot police were right
there, and could have stopped the smashing of the LegCo building doors
and windows, but just stood aside and them the vandals proceed. Now
the Chinese government will be able to use this incident as a reason
to impose stricter laws and procedures on Hong Kong residents.
Sources:
- China strongly condemns LegCo storming by Hong Kong protesters, calls it a 'blatant challenge' (Strait Times, Singapore, 2-Jul-2019)
- PLA Hong Kong Garrison conducts emergency response exercises (Global Times, Beijing, 2-Jul-2019)
- In former colonies Hong Kong and Taiwan, ‘national’ identity often emerges from fanciful nostalgia (South China Morning Post, 29-Mar-2019)
- Hong Kong / Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Regular Press Conference on July 1, 2019 (China Foreign Ministry, 1-Jul-2019)
- Hong Kong / Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Regular Press Conference on July 3, 2019 (China Foreign Ministry, 3-Jul-2019)
- ‘Taking back the legislature’: What happened during the 3-hour occupation that shook Hong Kong (Hong Kong Free Press, 3-Jul-2019)
- China and U.K. Escalate Their War of Words Over Hong Kong (Bloomberg, 3-Jul-2019)
- Joint Declaration on Hong Kong -- China and Britain (Hong Kong Government, 1984)
- Hong Kong / China Dismissal of U.K. Treaty Renews Doubts About Its Word (Bloomberg, 1-Jul-2017)
- UK summons China ambassador in row over Hong Kong protests (Guardian, London, 3-Jul-2019)
- 'Hands off Hong Kong,' China's ambassador tells UK (Sky News, 3-Jul-2019)
- Hong Kong crisis could not have come at a worse time for the UK (Guardian, London, 2-Jul-2019)
- China protests over British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s warning on Hong Kong agreement (South China Morning Post, Hong Kong, 3-Jul-2019)
Related:
- "28-Jun-19 World View -- Book Announcement: World View: War between China and Japan - by John J. Xenakis"
- "30-Jun-19 World View -- MIT criticizes 'toxic atmosphere' targeting Chinese students"
- "22-Jun-19 World View -- Hong Kong protests show historic split between northern and southern China"
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, China, Hong Kong, Britain,
Legislative Council, LegCo, one nation - two systems,
Tiananmen Square massacre, Opium Wars, Joint Declaration,
Jeremy Hunt, Liu Xiaoming
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
