January 11, 2004

China Wants U.S. to Stay Out of Hong Kong's Affairs

Stung by U.S. calls for more democracy in Hong Kong, China has demanded that the American government "stop interfering" in the territory's internal affairs, the official news agency said Sunday.
[...]
Pro-democracy protests, some of them quite large, have taken place in Hong Kong since July 1, when 500,000 people marched on the streets against a Beijing-backed national security bill. Activists accuse the territory's Beijing-appointed leader, Tung Chee-hwa, of undermining efforts at self-government.

[...]
Hong Kong, a former British colony, reverted to Chinese rule in 1997. It is now a special administrative region governed under a doctrine known as "one country, two systems," under which the Chinese government has allowed it to operate semi-independently.

The ChiComs were clazy to think that they could take over HK from the British after almost 100 years of freedom and make them toe the Maoist line!
(I also think that the Brits were nuts to just turn it over and not fight to keep it, but that was the old accomadating world of the 1990's.)
Hong Kong--which I've had the pleasure of visiting twice and where my schoolfriend Yolanda has been raising her family (Hi, Yolanda!)--is leading China to Liberty.
It couldn't be any other way.
HK was and is one of the most vibrant port cities of international shopping, trade and capitalist excitement on the planet and you can't rein that in and smart rulers shouldn't even want to!
Shrieking at America won't make this grass roots freedom fight go away and many other Chinese outside of HK are getting the fever!