I was going to ask Red Moon as I went huh????? what happened in 62?
Hong-Kong Protests
- Thread starter Pika
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I was going to ask Red Moon as I went huh????? what happened in 62?
Looks like France is out. If more countries follow, the "stand with Hong Kong" countries will be mostly 5 Eyes countries. Not a good PR look, although I doubt that matters all that much considering the political climate.
antiterror13
Brigadier
Outside 5 eyes countries (minus NZ), I don't think anybody else would intervene ... perhaps Taiwan, but Taiwan is not a country 
None of their business really
None of their business really
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Yeah, I agree. Tbh, before this I wasn't sure how many countries would condemn China. But with France leaving, it may encourage other countries to do the same. And with France's decision, the EU would likely follow. I would have preferred Germany to respect China's domestic affairs first (the EU pretty much does what Germany wants), but France is good enough I guess.Outside 5 eyes countries (minus NZ), I don't think anybody else would intervene ... perhaps Taiwan, but Taiwan is not a country
antiterror13
Brigadier
Almost certain German would do exactly like France do
Found another relevant article. Although the protesters had sympathetic support last year, it seems like a lot of businesses are now tired of them. It appears that people don't feel comfortable with protesters making bombs.
Mr T
Senior Member
That's not quite what the article said.
Hong Kong acts as a platform for moving capital in and out of China, with large state-owned Chinese banks rubbing shoulders with big western banks such as Citi and Goldman Sachs. One top executive at a state-owned bank said the city would no longer be useful to Beijing without an intervention such as the national security law. “People are making bombs. These are serious threats to our staff,” the person said. “If things continue like this, can anyone do business here any more?”
I don't think most businesses are primarily concerned about the safety of their staff. Rather, their fears are that if the protests continue the city's economy will be severely damaged and China will try to rely on other financial centres. Also maybe that they'll have difficulty attracting talented employees because they're concerned about the security situation. But it boils down to money.
Businesses aren't charities. They're there to make a profit, sometimes even if that means exploiting people (low wages, long hours, no healthcare, etc). In the short term they were willing to take a hit because they thought the government might back down, but they're not prepared to be poorer over the long term.
It's not that different to Covid-19. Around the world businesses want to "get back to normal" because they're suffering. The safety of their staff and any customers that have face-to-face interactions are a secondary concern. If it was their primary concern they'd agree to stay closed until an effective vaccine was found, regardless of the financial cost.
Outside 5 eyes countries (minus NZ), I don't think anybody else would intervene ... perhaps Taiwan, but Taiwan is not a country
None of their business really
Just like their proposed Covid-19 investigation, perhaps Australia will outdo US and propose to lead an independent investigation to certify that Hong Kong is an autonomous country subject to the Queen of England. Quite Plausible.