Hong-Kong Protests

Hong Kong protests seem very tame compared to what is happening in India. 2 people killed, Universities raided by Police and widespread clashes across the country. The economy is also down (4.5 percent GDP growth from a good 7.5 two years ago) and yet... It is China who is going to disintegrate. Phew.

Xsizor said:

Hong Kong protests seem very tame compared to what is happening in India. 2 people killed, Universities raided by Police and widespread clashes across the country. The economy is also down (4.5 percent GDP growth from a good 7.5 two years ago) and yet... It is China who is going to disintegrate. Phew.

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Yep, the Indians, Chilens, Columbians, French. They all got a hall pass because they are on "our side"! I saw a clip where indian troop shoot down in broad daylight two unarmed protestors in the disputed region. Did any MSM report it? Give you one guess!

This is what we've been saying all along. The western MSM bias is strong! Its good job, the medium of news is more widely available now than it was, say 30 years ago. We all seen and proofed to ourselves from the Hong Kong experience itself how the MSM have manipulated the thugs into some sort of saints, and the Hong Kong police are the most evil of forces requiring condemnation, bill passing, and investigation by Armistice international!

One could argued that what we have seen is also available to any Joe Public. And this is so, BUT, as we know from our daily dealings with the average Joe Public. Almost all of them would have no interest in all things foreign and therefore are quite happily eats up their "daily news" from their MSM. They take what's on the evening 9pm news as gospel! Even some of the more informed Joe's here in SDF as witness by some of their postings and assertions. (and I classed them as more informed and interested in all things Chinese). The MSM knows that and will carry on distorting the narratives to suit their agenda, and thats it in a nut shell!

Nutrient said:

The recent rewarding of Macau may be sinking in. I don't know what Hong Kong thinks of the ex-Portuguese colony, but I suspect that HKers look down on Macanese.

Now there is the very real prospect of Macau someday growing bigger than HK -- with a strong, competitive financial center. Don't laugh: remember that Shenzhen was just a fishing village a few decades ago, and now it has an economy bigger than HK's, and its lifestyle is possibly better (nobody is sleeping in cages).

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What you say is not many miles from the truth. Hong Kongers have always look upon Macau as the poor little brother, and there is some logic in that then. Macau is and was much smaller than Hong Kong, the economy is smaller, the GDP, and GDP per Capita is smaller. Its also a city of sin!

But now, GDPper Capital in Macau is one of the heighest in Asia. And there's talk of plans to diversfy the economy. Although I still think it will be Shenzhen that's going to take over in the future!

The situation in Hong Kong has been long awaited by many in the west. You can see a particular focus on a then-hypothetical widespread rioting in Hong Kong, in the British academic specialized on China, Kerry Brown's books for example.

The most (if not all) of the US based Think-Tanks and even some portion of the academics, portray Hong Kong as the Achilles Heel for the PRC and the most importantly for CCP, emphasizing strong & immediate support for the unrest is essential to change regime in the larger China. They articulate on this particular possibility and the suggest actions and scenarios since the handover in 1997. So, it is not surprising at all to see the whole western media, the MSM, became on voice for this event in Hong Kong.

azretonov said:

The situation in Hong Kong has been long awaited by many in the west. You can see a particular focus on a then-hypothetical widespread rioting in Hong Kong, in the British academic specialized on China, Kerry Brown's books for example.

The most (if not all) of the US based Think-Tanks and even some portion of the academics, portray Hong Kong as the Achilles Heel for the PRC and the most importantly for CCP, emphasizing strong & immediate support for the unrest is essential to change regime in the larger China. They articulate on this particular possibility and the suggest actions and scenarios since the handover in 1997. So, it is not surprising at all to see the whole western media, the MSM, became on voice for this event in Hong Kong.

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I might be trying to calm myself by saying this ( in fact, I am):
Every country has big problems. Big countries have a wide spectrum of sources for the problems. By many measures, I think China's problems are quite tame. Looking back, I think China is truly lucky to have many of the problems sorted out in one way or another.
Contrast with big countries like India (or to a lesser extend US) - Is China really in a precarious position as foreign commenters/experts would suggest? Is China really tottering on the edges of balkanization? I have my doubts. China has seen worse. Remember that time when Tibetan monks self immolating was a recurring thing every other week? I remember.

Sometimes, I think there is a "Chicken Little" syndrome associated with China watchers -

Anything drastic that happens will be somehow construed to be the signaling of the arrival of the much awaited spectacle : the fall of CCP and turmoil in China. I think it has much to do with the fall of USSR and it's disintegration.

I'm not really sure if we can describe what occurs in Hong Kong as a big problem. Not that I'm an expert of this topic but from what I gathered so far through my readings, the affairs in Hong Kong has quite limited effect on the mainland. A widely employed narrative suggests that, protests in 1989 and 1996 elections in Taiwan showed that the Chinese people are not unfamiliar nor alien to the democracy, in fact they are long for it. Thus, this leads to a common mistake which assumes that the Chinese people prey for a moment of weakness to overthrow the CCP.

In my opinion, those who support and/or incite the unrest in China have bigger problems at hand than often recognized. Meddling with China back in 20th century was one thing, meddling with it today is another. If CCP indeed feels threatened, the Chinese money & influence can easily find its way to those meddlers' homes.

【直播 | 習近平主席抵達澳門】

Xi arrived in Macao ready for 20 years anniversary celebration of hand over! (I know its not strictly Hong Kong, but please hear me out).

There's a kind of contagent in progress, as the thugs is trying to stir up anti-China message there too! With journalist and others trying to gain entry!



Meanwhile, how's this for heartlessness. A bus accident, and the comment from a poster, whishing that the deceased is a "Blue ribbon"! Gee

Gatekeeper said:

One could argued that what we have seen is also available to any Joe Public. And this is so, BUT, as we know from our daily dealings with the average Joe Public. Almost all of them would have no interest in all things foreign and therefore are quite happily eats up their "daily news" from their MSM. They take what's on the evening 9pm news as gospel! Even some of the more informed Joe's here in SDF as witness by some of their postings and assertions. (and I classed them as more informed and interested in all things Chinese). The MSM knows that and will carry on distorting the narratives to suit their agenda, and thats it in a nut shell!

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You forget the active purges of accounts by all western social media of anyone who posts against the western party line

The social media posts we see on this thread are only preserved because they are in Chinese and aimed at Chinese audiences. Anything in English that looks like it might start reaching a wider western audience will get purged in the name of free speech.

Pretty much sums up how social media works since 2009 - a weapon of soft power at disposal. The Arab Spring was a wonderful presentation for example.

Further examples of how Hong Kong could have been if it wasn't for the foreign influence (interference).

In Macao today, president Xi's motorcade being welcome for the 20th anniversary celebration, whilst the traitor "long hair" is being denied entry along with unsavioury media!



I just wish one day the Chinese president could do the same in Hong Kong without having to worry about the thugs "feelings"!