DISPATCHES FROM MOON OF ALABAMA, BY "B" (CHIEF EDITOR)
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he riots in Hong Kong are about to end.
The protests, as originally started in June, were against a law that would have allowed criminal extraditions to Taiwan, Macao and mainland China. The law was retracted and the large protests have since died down. What is left are a few thousand students who, as advertised in a New York Times op-ed, intentionally seek to provoke the police with "marginal violence":
Such actions are a way to make noise and gain attention. And if they prompt the police to respond with unnecessary force, as happened on June 12, then the public will feel disapproval and disgust for the authorities. The protesters should thoughtfully escalate nonviolence, maybe even resort to mild force, to push the government to the edge. That was the goal of many people who surrounded and barricaded police headquarters for hours on June 21.
The protesters now use the same violent methods that were used in the Maidan protests in the Ukraine. The U.S. seems to hope that China will intervene and create a second Tianamen scene. That U.S. color revolution attempt failed but was an excellent instrument to demonize China. A repeat in Hong Kong would allow [the US] to declare a "clash of civilization" and increase 'western' hostility against China. But while China is prepared to intervene it is unlikely to do the U.S. that favor. Its government expressed its confidence that the local authorities will be able to handle the issue.
There are rumors that some Hong Kong oligarchs were originally behind the protests to prevent their extradition for shady deals they made in China. There may be some truth to that. China's president Xi Jingpin is waging a fierce campaign against corruption and Hong Kong is a target rich environment for fighting that crime.
The former British colony is ruled by a handful of oligarchs who have monopolies in the housing, electricity, trade and transport markets:
The book to read is Land and the Ruling Class in Hong Kong (2010) by Alice Poon, which explains how the lack of competition law created outrageous wealth for the tycoons. It’s a complex subject but the key point is that in Hong Kong all land is leasehold and ultimately owned by the government, which uses it as a means of raising revenue. This goes back to the days of empire when British policy required colonies to be self-funding. The system kept taxes down and attracted business – but one side-effect was that it gave the government an interest in rationing land to keep it expensive. That didn’t matter much when the local economy comprised a few traders but, in the modern technological world of 2012, it puts the government at odds with every person and business wanting affordable space. Indeed, it induces the government to distort and damage the economy, and indeed society. This system paved the way for a handful of Hong Kong families to become unimaginably wealthy by getting their hands on cheap land back in the days before the city started to boom.
Rents and apartment prices in Hong Kong are high. People from the mainland who buy up apartments with probably illegally gained money only increase the scarcity. This is one reason why the Cantonese speaking Hong Kong protesters spray slurs against the Mandarin speaking people from the mainland. The people in Hong Kong also grieve over their declining importance. Hong Kong lost its once important economical position. In 1993 Hong Kong's share of China's GDP was 27%. It is now less than a tenths of that and the city is now more or less irrelevant to mainland China.
Democracy in Hong Kong is restricted to further the interests of the oligarchs:
In the 70-seat legislature, only half of the members are directly elected. The other half are selected by special interest groups—such as the financial and real estate professions—meaning that the body tends to be controlled by a mostly pro-Beijing business elite rather than by voters. The city’s Beijing-backed leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, likewise lacks a popular mandate.
The current protests are surely not an incentive to remove those restrictions or to invest in Hong Kong. They are counter productive.
While the protests against the extradition bill may have been backed by some tycoons, it is obvious that there is also a large U.S. government influence behind them. It is the U.S., not some oligarchs, which is behind the current rioting phase.
In 1992 Congress adopted the United States–Hong Kong Policy Act which mandates U.S. government 'pro-democracy' policies in Hong Kong. Some Senators and lobbyists now push for a Support Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. which would intensify the interference. Before the June protests started Secretary of State (and former CIA head) Mike Pompeo met with the Hong Kong 'pro-democracy' leader Martin Lee and later with 'pro-democracy' media tycoon Jimmy Lai. The National Endowment for Democracy finances several of the groups behind the protests.
Such interference is against Hong Kong's Basic Law:
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the Central People's Government, or theft of state secrets, to prohibit foreign political organizations or bodies from conducting political activities in the Region, and to prohibit political organizations or bodies of the Region from establishing ties with foreign political organizations or bodies.
Despite that law the U.S. National Endowment of Democracy spends millions on organizations in Hong Kong:
The political officer of the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong, the largest in the world, meets with notorious rabble-rousers like Yoshua Wong.
Travelers who spoke Mandarin were attacked. The scene became extremely ugly when a journalist from the Chinese Global Times was beaten until he fainted. Protesters claimed that he was with the police and hindered paramedics from reaching and caring for the man. Only when police intervened were the first-aiders able to remove the unconscious person. One of the rioters who beat the man had a U.S. flag in his hand (vid). When the stretcher was rolled out of the airport another protester with a U.S. flag on a pole ran after it and beat the patient (vid).
James Griffith, a CNN International producer, was on the scene.
???????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? @jgriffiths - 14:24 UTC · Aug 13, 2019Ugly confrontation between a huge crowd of protesters and a man they believe is an undercover cop has been ongoing for over an hour now. Have zip tied the man’s hands and fighting over whether to move him. He’s collapsed twice.
...
Its all so ugly and angry and nihilistic. Asked kids who said he was faking what if he wasn’t, they said who cares. Asked what if he dies, who cares. Asked them what they think will happen if he is a cop and he dies, “so they shutdown HK? Good! We are ready for it, we want it.”
...
This was a movement famous for clearing thousands of people out of the way on the streets to let an ambulance through, now blocking a stretcher while a handful of more reasonable people in tears try to reason with them.
...
Most surreal moments have been people (seeing press vest) come up to “explain” to me things they’re clearly getting from Telegram, claiming without evidence the guy is 100% a cop because someone Googled him, or that he had weapons (different guy) or that he was faking fainting.
Read Griffiths whole thread here. There are also plenty of videos from the scene that document the ghastly behavior.
Later Griffiths further explained:
???????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? @jgriffiths - 5:44 UTC · Aug 14, 2019(1) man found with numchuk like weapon, released after brief confrontation and showing ID.
(2) man accused of being undercover cop, beaten and restrained with zip ties. Paramedic reached him to give him oxygen and aid after he passed out. evacuated to ambulance after 4-5 hours.
(3) man later confirmed to be Global Times reporter. Briefly restrained and then released after first aiders intervened.
Another 'western' journalist expressed a rather wretched understanding of freedom of the press:
Melissa Chan @melissakchan - 20:40 UTC · Aug 13, 2019. What has happened with the man detained and physically abused by some protesters at the Hong Kong airport is appalling and must stop now. But he works for The Global Times, a propaganda arm of the Chinese state, and he is not a journalist and should not be called that.
The airport now received a court order that allows it to restrict further protests.
The police still holds back as much as it can. In most other countries this scene, in which a beaten policeman briefly pulls his gun, would have ended deadly.
Last month the government in Hong Kong brought a former top officer out of retirement to handle the protests. There have since been some changes in police tactics. Where previously protestors got away with building barricades and throwing stones they now get arrested and end up in jail. Undercover policemen snatched some riot leaders off the streets.
Local people increasingly turn against the rioters. Those who depend on tourism have good reason to call for a crack down on them. The violent behavior of the protesters gives the police more public leeway for harsh responses. There are many additional methods that can be used. The police refrained so far from encircling and mass arresting rioters, a tactic that is used in many other countries. Its water cannon vehicles were shown off but not put into action. The police has not yet cracked down on the communication with "strangers" even though it is likely to listen to some of it. This end phase will soon come.
There is also an automatic end date for the riots. On September 2 the new semester begins and the students will turn back to studies. The rioters will lose their critical mass. The whole issue will end up as another failure without the U.S. achieving any of its aims.
Mainland Chinese who view the chaos in Hong Kong in all its glory will now reject any talk of 'pro-democracy'.
Meanwhile China intensifies its belt and road initiative and Trump loses his trade war:
Responding to pressure from businesses and growing fears that a trade war is threatening the U.S. economy, the Trump administration is delaying most of the import taxes it planned to impose on Chinese goods and is dropping others altogether.The administration says it still plans to proceed with 10% tariffs on about $300 billion in Chinese imports [...]
But under pressure from retailers and other businesses, President Donald Trump’s trade office said it would delay until Dec. 15 the tariffs on nearly 60% of the imports that had been set to absorb the new taxes starting Sept. 1. Among the products that will benefit from the 3½-month reprieve are such popular consumer goods as cellphones, laptops, video game consoles, some toys, computer monitors, shoes and clothing.
The administration is also removing other items from the tariff list entirely, based on what it called “health, safety, national security and other factors.”
Russia's agriculture thrives on sales to China while U.S. farmers lose market share. The anti-Chinese part of Trump's MAGA has yet to achieve any success.
Posted by b on August 14, 2019 at 15:14 UTC | Permalink
@Anacharsis, #1: China's wish to have HK is political, i.e. a wish to not have any foreign powers, least of all Western, sitting on a tip of Chinese land. It is as simple as the UK wanting the Isle of Wight to be British, even though in economic terms relative to UK GDP Wight reprensents virtually nothing.
Posted by: Ernesto Che | Aug 14 2019 15:47 utc | 2
You forgot France, b. The behaviour of the so-called "black blocs" in the gilets jaunesdemonstrations was entirely consistent with what is going on in Hong Kong. The French don't seem to have cottoned on yet, but someone must have been paying. Hooligans don't just come out for nothing on a regular basis to do a hard day's work smashing banks, offices and totally uninvolved shops. If it's the same model, it's probably the same financier.
Posted by: Laguerre | Aug 14 2019 15:47 utc | 3
Why does China want Hong Kong? Well, Hong Kong was always a part of China. The English seized the city during the Opium Wars, as part of a treaty that put an end to one of the steps of English aggression against China. Even then, the English only got a 99 year lease. That expired towards the end of the 20th century. China was of course happy to see a part of their country that had been stolen by the English returned to them. Can't really think of an example where the USA has had a portion of its nation stolen from them, but it isn't hard to imagine that they'd want it back. They were certainly willing to kill a lot of people just to get back a part of America that seceded and tried to tell the Yankees that they weren't all that into them anyways.
Posted by: Who Dat | Aug 14 2019 15:51 utc | 4
U.S. retailers were apparently successful lobbying the administration to back off on the tariffs due to holiday sales. The concern was having the tariffs hit in September meant the U.S. consumer would indeed be paying more for the goods described in this post, which would have hurt sales. It's why the tariffs are now delayed until Dec 15.
As for the protests in Hong Kong, it certainly is more than plausible the U.S. has a hand in them. To what degree is anybody's best guess. I just hope the protesters return to nonviolence b/c the violence described by b in this post is totally unnecessary if they are sincere in advancing their pro-democracy cause.
The most violent rioters, amongst them those who hold the US flag, have obviously the order or to kill somebody, better a policeman ( as the clear intend on the GT journalist shows... ) or to provoke some killing of a protester, or by accideent of a journalist ( who, btw, astonishingly, remain in the middle of the melee always...I find this very suspicious, which is their insurance company? I want it for my travels...Most probably not journalists themselves but rioters in disguise ), as these intends of assasination happened very timely, almost simulteneously with or consecutive to Trump´s Twitter on that he expected nobody will result with any harm.... obviously from his terrorists side...
BTW, this behavior have time ago passed from ghastly to straight criminal, under any country´s law.
In the US, none of these terrorists would still remain alive, they would never had been able to get so close to any policeman so as to grab his batton leaving him unarmed. They would had been shot in place, the whole bunch of them...as we so usually watch happens with black people there....Why The Donald ( and Bannon, the Pepe Frog exposes him all the way, they already do not even try to conceal anymore...) thiks any country in the world would have to allow this?
I posted some of these videos yesterday in the week review thread ( and I am glad "b" gave them some greater visibility..) and to my view, some of these rioters, especially those who talk with the travelers seem to be on drugs....It´s an appreciation on how their tongue slide so much plus the slowness with which they talk, in such stressant situation, very contrasting with, for example, the elder summoning the rioter in the subway. See the very thin guy talking with the Australian businessman in the video i posted in the week and review thread....
I wonder whether these could be people taken from jail or correstionals, as they were part of the ISIS recruits who flew to Turkey to be tarinned and then to Syria, their behavior is clearly antisocial, no wonder any real complaint they could have ...
In the video on "strangers" supplying the rioters, there are two totally masked and covered women ( all the way the ISIS handlers style...) who, by their phisical complexion and hair, seem to not be Chinese women at all, but Westerners...at 2:21 footage....Most probably NED/CIA operatives...
Posted by: Sasha | Aug 14 2019 16:06 utc | 6
Here is an article that explains one key way that Washington is meddling in the affairs of Hong Kong:https://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2019/08/how-washington-is-meddling-in-affairs.htmlWhile the ideals of democracy are admirable and desirable, Washington's version of democracy is tainted by big money and has developed into a system where politicians are for sale to the highest bidder.
Posted by: Sally Snyder | Aug 14 2019 16:10 utc | 7
The people of Hong Kong represent the dreams of every individual that has been put to heel by the boots of empire, to live with freedom and dignity in a culture that is of their own. B pointed out that there is cultural difference between the mainlanders and the people of Hong Kong, and that should be maintained because human diversity is beautiful when it isn't be forced through the identity shredder that is modernity. If Hong Kong falls to the Mandarin menace, I fear it will be lights out for the rest of this century as the Han ant swarm overruns most of the world. If living under a white supremacist system in the 20th century was a nightmare, imagine the hell of living under Han supremacist. DEATH TO XI JINPING PING AND VICTORY TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG!
Posted by: Empire Watcher | Aug 14 2019 16:12 utc | 8
So far as Anacharsis' plea is concerned: Hong Kong has always been part of China. It was seized by the British in order to facilitate the illegal drug traffic of the East India Company. The Chinese government, concerned at the social and economic mayhem caused by imported opium, paid for in silver, banned its import. The British government, which relied on the revenues it got from exporting cheap Indian opium, grown on stolen land, insisted that China allow the trade to continue. And enforced its demands militarily-the Opium Wars. Within fifty years of these wars and Hong Kong's occupation by the British on a 99 year lease, a significant proportion, close to 20% of China's men were addicted to opium.
That is why China wanted to regain sovereignty over Hong Kong. As to the assertion that the local people don't want Chinese rule but long for the British-now under US rule- to return, that is simply untrue.
As b has been pointing out the troubles in Hong Kong are almost certainly organised by the US government.
Laguerre suspects that the same is true of the gilets jaunes. Does anyone else believe that Macron is being attacked by the US government?
Posted by: bevin | Aug 14 2019 16:18 utc | 9
What a fucking mess the Empire has made over the last century.
Trying to reconcile my belief in democracy with non-intervention makes this one tricky. I have no desire to support the fascist United States in attempting to subvert another country's government. The cultural gap (and therefore lack of knowledge and understanding) between the west and China is so vast it makes attempting to separate genuine journalism from McCarthy-ist era style propaganda about the country very difficult, thus making a merits based comparison between the 2 spheres of power almost impossible. Most of the stories I hear about Chinese repression are obvious pro-western propaganda, which makes it tempting to dismiss other pieces of information out of hand.
I can only wish the best for the people of Hong Kong and China, whatever they decide that may be.
Laguerre hints at an interesting point I'd not considered with regards to the yellow vests in France - are they US aided? I'm still inclined to lean towards it being a more genuine grass roots movement from the limited bits I've seen, though I'd be intrigued to see what connections could be verified there. US state department attempting to push Frexit would certainly be a new angle to think about for a lot of us.
Posted by: Northern | Aug 14 2019 16:22 utc | 10
The official statement of the Chinese Embassy in the Russian Federation regarding the events in Hong Kong (in Russian).
The words at the end of the statement are very revealing, given the recent intentional provocations and riots of a bunch of marginals (aka "Russian liberal opposition") in Moscow:
A comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction have been established between China and the Russian Federation in a new era. Both countries have been unjustly charged for their level of freedom, democracy, and human rights. We are confident that we will meet the same attitude among the general public of the Russian Federation on the issues of Xiangang. We are confident in the understanding by the Russians of the determination and perseverance of China in protecting state prestige and sovereignty.
The people of Hong Kong were "put to heel by the boots of empire" and not allowed "to live with freedom and dignity in a culture that is of their own" when the British forcibly made China lease them the Hong Kong region as a spoil of the Opium Wars and they became subsumed within the British Empire. So, those you seek the death of by rights ought to be the remnants of the Anglophone Empire that ruled Hong Kong, created the inequalities of wealth and the laws that support same there, and is now involved in trying to destabilize Hong Kong. In other words, you indict yourself as an enemy of freedom and democracy and ought to be buried along with the Outlaw US Empire that you clearly support!
Posted by: karlof1 | Aug 14 2019 16:23 utc | 12
I wouldn't say I agree with Laguerre but it's certainly a dimension I'd not thought about. I could see a limited amount of sense in Ireland or France being primed as the replacement EU malcontent but I suspect that's seeing wheels within wheels that don't necessarily exist. I would imagine the rabidly pro-tory media in the UK would have been firmly on the side of the Gilets if there was US involvement, rather than trying to consign it to the memory hole as they have seemingly been doing.
Posted by: Northern | Aug 14 2019 16:30 utc | 13
Are you suggesting that, apart from the US Embassy staff, those involved in the anti-government actions are not Han? Do you think that they are Europeans? And that they have a different language?
As to 'ant swarms over running': this is just warmed over C19th Yellow Peril racism- a mental health issue, unrelated to politics.
Posted by: bevin | Aug 14 2019 16:32 utc | 14
@Posted by: Northern | Aug 14 2019 16:22 utc | 10
The harshest Chinese repression through these decades has been on poverty. China, figures amongst those countries who have taken most people out of poverty, along with Venezuela, in the world, and this is not me who says it, but ciphers of officila organisms like UN, and I fear even CIA factbook, hence the harsh harassment they are suffering. As it was the USSR immediately after WWII, with the whole working population in arms and trainned in war, China is simply a bad example in contrast with the US, where inequalities grow nonstop since its very inception but at galloping pace since the last 2008 collapse.
If some US government/USAF operatives of the ChiCom faction here want to scare us with the menace of a Han Empire coming, let it be,if not for a change. We have had enough of US/UK imperialism, we are fed up, at least here in Europe. For what we have seen through oour still not so long lives, the Chinese have never invaded any country, nor have provoked any war, nor have provoked several floods of refugees as a result, nor have exported their economic crisis, nor live on the backs of the rest of the world by benefitting from theri currency hegemony and blackmail, nor have promoted any colour revolution anywhere, nor have seized anybody´s assets/gold/deposits anywhere, nor have blockaded any country to starvation or death by impossibility to attend diseases, as the US/UK do all the time. They are hardworking people, at least more prone to share than greedy US elites and high middle class, plus far more polite and educated.
Let them come....although I fear they will remain in their country, only moving to do business....
Posted by: Sasha | Aug 14 2019 16:40 utc | 15
This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches from Moon of Alabama
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Can someone explain why China wants Hong Kong so badly anyway? I mean, Hong Kong clearly is not that into her...
Posted by: Anacharsis | Aug 14 2019 15:32 utc | 1