69
submitted 7 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

21 years ago, half a million Hong Kongers took to the streets to stop Article 23. This month, Beijing finally won.

Last week, the government of Hong Kong published the latest of a series of increasingly draconian national security laws. This one will target espionage, treason, and foreign political interference, and those found guilty of violating some of its tenets could be sentenced to life imprisonment.

This might sound niche or even well-intentioned; doesn’t the US have its own fears about foreign political interference in its elections? But this isn’t really about national security. It is, as Human Rights Watch put it, “Beijing’s latest effort to transform Hong Kong from a free society to an oppressed one where people live in fear.”

That effort has been underway at varying speeds since Hong Kong was returned to Beijing’s control in 1997. It is now all but complete.

Despite complaints from foreign governments, from what remains of Hong Kong civil society, and even from the city’s increasingly beleaguered international business community, Hong Kong’s now opposition-less legislature will almost assuredly fast-track it into law.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

I view Hong Kong as one of the casualties of the Trump presidency that we haven't had the energy or attention to really understand.

Any typical, competent US government - either Democrat or pre-Trump Republican - would have been laser focused on a pressure campaign and diplomacy that I'm confident would have prevented China from breaking Hong Kong's democratic institutions, which shifted decisively in 2019.

There's nothing to say or do anymore to help, it's just so freaking sad.

[-] cuban_Pete@lemy.lol 10 points 7 months ago

No fucking way, Hong Kong was lost in 2014 after the yellow umbrella movement was brutally crushed. It was death by a thousand cuts ever since. Trump or no Trump, nothing was going to change that.

[-] Mnemnosyne@sh.itjust.works 3 points 7 months ago

More like 1997, or even 1983, when the UK handed them back to China, or the earlier date, when they decided to prevent them from having British citizenship.

If everyone in Hong Kong had the right to emigrate to any British territory, China would have to be a lot lighter touched there, or there might be a mass exodus.

[-] cuban_Pete@lemy.lol 5 points 7 months ago

There was a period in the early 2000's where China showed genuine signs it might open up and become somewhat democratic, giving its citizens greater rights and representation. Obviously they decided to revert to their authoritarian ways and brutally crack down on dissent to keep control over the people, but there was a time HK might've had a nice future under China.

[-] cordlesslamp@lemmy.today 8 points 7 months ago

If Trump won another term, Taiwan will suffer the same fate for sure.

this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2024
69 points (93.7% liked)

World News

38978 readers
1393 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS