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Tens of thousands stage Hong Kong pro-democracy march

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This is one major reason why China is trying to draw attention of its people outside it's festering sore of a country, which will happen first ?? Civil unrest with martial law or China starting conflict with other countries ? I will "vote" for the 2nd.

Does anyone see a repeat of Germany happening here ? Maybe not on the same scale but it's looking pretty promising

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Returning Hong Kong was the worst the worst thing the British government ever did. It could almost be called a crime against humanity.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

"Beijing’s insistence that it vet candidates before a vote"

Heck, the U.S. should do that!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Steven

The UK never should have returned it but then again it was on a lease. I think they should have just put it up for a referendum, to remain an Overseas Territory or to leave. Maybe if the pro democracy protests get serious enough, the United Kingdom would come to their aid and we'd be united once more.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

the United Kingdom would come to their aid and we'd be united once more.

I cannot speak on behalf of UK, but I can assure they have no interest to do so. UK has more problems they can swallow at this moment.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Wait the minute here, has Hong Kong ever had a democratically elected gov't? Ever?

I seemed to recalled that the governor of Hong Kong before returning to China was appointed by the British gov't.

So if the head of "state" in Hong Kong was never democratically elected, what the hell are they babbling about? Hong Kong never had been democratic in its 100 something odd years of existence. And it was doing great. And its still doing great.

How come there wasn't a pro-democratic protest while Hong Kong was being subjugated as a second class colonial state by the Brits? Do they honestly think the Brits had better intention for Hong Kong in mind then China does?

So this freedom of electing a governor of Hong Kong was never enacted. IF there wasn't such freedom of vote on electing Hong Kong's leader for over 100 years under British rule, what makes these current Hong Kong voters think China will allow such election to take place when in fact, it had never taken place? I don't see Hong Kong voters protesting against the British when they were second class colonial citizens who couldn't vote.

This is going to end up badly for these protesters. They just don't have a good enough reason for asking for complete autonomy when in fact, they never had any and didn't protest while under foreign rules. And somehow, they think the Communist China will give them more freedom?

These guys are just delusional.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Well I am hopeful that Beijing doesn't dare send tanks in to crush them.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

The UK never should have returned it but then again it was on a lease.

The 99 year lease of Hong Kong is actually only a half truth. Hong Kong Island and parts of Kowloon were taken outright by the British and there was no lease involved. The 99 lease concerned the New Territories and the remaining parts of Kowloon, (the old fort in the walled city being in dispute later).

In theory the British could have kept Hong Kong Island and parts of Kowloon after the 1997 handover of the leased parts. Of course China could have cut off the fresh water supplies which come from the mainland. It was really Margaret Thatcher who decided to hand it all back and leave Hong Kongers out to dry as if they were second class subjects of the Queen.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Do they honestly think the Brits had better intention for Hong Kong in mind then China does?

Yep

And somehow, they think the Communist China will give them more freedom?

Freedom is given by nature, only the CCP can take it away. The people in HK probably realized that Britain was far more trustworthy than the CCP and would be leaving anyways. The CCP has promised never to give true democracy (i.e. dissolve itself) to it's people. Never in a million billion years.

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In reality, China needs to become more like Hong Kong, not the other way around. A key part of that process will be inspiring more young Chinese to take risks and embrace innovation. But that requires an environment conducive to true debate, creative destruction and more than a little countercultural discourse. Hong Kong has nothing to learn from China. If China continues to muddle Hong Kong, and force expatriate to censor themselves, there will be no future in Hong Kong.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I can understand trustworthiness. But that's not the issue here. The issue is democracy which Hong Kong has never had. So if the protesters' main issue is about voting rights in a democratic gov't based on the issue of a promise by the CCP, then they are quite delusional if they've NEVER had democratic rights under British rule.

If Hong Kong people think the Brits had better intention for them, then they were gravely mistaken. History tells us that the Brits had squeezed every dime out of Hong Kong. The only difference between the two is the fear of communism which didn't turn out so badly after 1997. Everyone thought Hong Kong will go down but 17 years later, Hong Kong still stands. Lives go on and people get richer by the day. The only difference is more and more mainland Chinese are moving into Hong Kong creating a culture clash.

And when the mainlanders are richer than the local Hong Kong people, they started complaining about housing bubble or healthcare injustice which is ironic because as a capitalistic city, the rich should be allotted to enjoy privity higher than the poor. Which is exactly what's happening in Hong Kong. The locals are getting squeezed out by the rich mainlanders.

That's the real reason for this uprising. Hong Kong people are famous for having prejudice against the mainland Chinese and now that they are getting hammered economically by the mainlanders, they can't wait to shut the border and get back to their old golden days. Well, that's not going to happen. Its a tiny city that is completely under the control by the CCP. Its the CCP that is allowing Hong Kong to flourish. China can easily shut off the water tap to Hong Kong and let SZ prop up or Ningbo or Shanghai to replace Hong Kong. Which is really what China is doing if you pay attention to the SAR that's being developed in China.

Hong Kong is a dinosaur being phased out if it can't get out of that colonial mindset and shadow. This China is a different China under Xi. The reforms you're seeing is not a fluke.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Yeah, on average the mainlanders ain't so rich. I am quite hopeful that the prized Chinese "patience" will bite them in the ass when they have to send in the tanks to suppress revolts in HK. Shoulda let the brits have it, but that would have required China being humble...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

sfjp330,

You are absolutely correct. That China should learn to become a more free nation. However, that's not the issue here.

The issue again, is that Hong Kong citizens has NEVER had a democratic gov't and yet they are forcing China to give them one when there is no promise of such. The only promise is China will leave Hong Kong AS IS politically for 50 years. Which is exactly how it is that Hong Kong is being left alone politically.

These Hong Kong people are asking for a democratically elected governor that Hong Kong has NEVER had. EVER.

So the issue is if Hong Kong has never had been a democratic governed city, then this is really not about voting rights or election rights. This is about kicking the mainlanders back to China whom had been creating a huge cultural clash in Hong Kong.

Well tough. IF HK never protested against the Brits in a colonial top-down rule, then it has no rights to complain about China's top-down rule which actually gave a promise in writing that protects Hong Kong's current status and state for 50 years.

These people are fed up about rich Chinese mainlanders taken over HK. Or the tourist that do not behave civilly. It has nothing to do with election or voting rights. Those are just excuses. That's what I mean when I said Hong Kong people are just full of it. I lived there in the 90s and worked there for a couple of years after Japan. I know those people, they are absolutely full of themselves.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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