Hong Kong pro-democracy demonstrations

[Anonymous]

Sorry Romero, but Hong Kong is part of China and it's affairs are strictly for Chinese to decide. Beijing(Hell, all of Chinese people) will never tolerate Hong Kong being used as a staging point to undermine the stability of our government.

What foreign meddling? No Western nation has the guts to rattle Beijing's chains. It's not like anyone in the West is forcing and paying Hongkongers to protest, like how the Chinese government is forcing and paying outsiders to protest the protest. The Western media is only reporting what's going on.



But that's just it, isn't it? For a communist authoritarian regime, simply reporting what's going on and citizens posting pics on Twitter is called "foreign meddling".



It's up to the Hongkongese to decide. China promised universal suffrage by decree and now it's going back on its word. Since when is tricking people and breaking promises proper? I can only imagine what else Beijing would like to take away.



Capitalism and freedom made Hong Kong an economic powerhouse back when the Great Leap Forward was starving millions.

No foreign meddling in Hong Kong?? ac_toofunny

China on Wednesday demanded the United States to stop issuing orders regarding the political reform of Hong Kong or doing anything to damage its prosperity and stability.



Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the comment when asked to respond to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel's remarks about Hong Kong's political reform and universal suffrage in the chief executive election.



"Political system development is Hong Kong's own affair and China's internal affair. Others have no right to interfere in it," Hua said at a daily news briefing.



The Chinese government firmly opposes any foreign interference in Hong Kong's political reform or other affairs, Hua said.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90883/8620348.html">http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90883/8620348.html

China gave no time frame of when universal suffrage in Hong Kong would happen. Any pressure from outside China will only stoke nationalist passions among Chinese and the result will be delays.



BTW, Hong Kong was NOT democratic for most of the period of British control. It's still very, very, very free market though.

[Romero]

China promised universal suffrage by 2017. But now Beijing has decided that it really means having to vote for who Beijing wants. That's not universal suffrage, and it's breaking a promise. The communist authoritarian regime lied again, big surprise.



Now, what awful "order" did Daniel Russel "issue"?



"We want to see continued evidence that the rights of the people of Hong Kong are being respected and that the principles that China embraced in connection with reversion are honored. Key among those principles... is universal suffrage."



Oh my goodness! How terrible!



Sorry China, here in freedom land we actually get to say what's on our minds. You don't get to control all of our thoughts like you do to your own people.

[Anonymous]

China promised universal suffrage by 2017. But now Beijing has decided that it really means having to vote for who Beijing wants. That's not universal suffrage, and it's breaking a promise. The communist authoritarian regime lied again, big surprise.



Now, what awful "order" did Daniel Russel "issue"?



"We want to see continued evidence that the rights of the people of Hong Kong are being respected and that the principles that China embraced in connection with reversion are honored. Key among those principles... is universal suffrage."



Oh my goodness! How terrible!



Sorry China, here in freedom land we actually get to say what's on our minds. You don't get to control all of our thoughts like you do to your own people.

So you admit they get to elect their Chief Exec, something they could never do under British control. You just don't like that Beijing has a say in who the candidates are?

[Romero]

"Their" Chief Elec? Nope, Hong Kong would only get to "choose" from who the communist regime wants them to vote for. That's like saying North Koreans get to elect Kim Jong-un.



Beijing isn't just having a say. It's forcing people to vote for whoever Beijing wants. It's a mockery and a slap in the face.



How would you like it if you were only allowed to vote for Liberal candidates?

[Anonymous]

Good commentary here from a political scientist at City University of HK. The West has spent many centuries trying to undermine every government China has had. Any outside interference into any region of China will never be tolerated. Much like Canada was offended by Charles DeGaulle's remarks about Canada, China is deeply concerned about US and British comments about Hong. I can't blame them for that either.

Vigilance is needed to safeguard Hong Kong's "One Country, Two Systems" principle, its post-handover prosperity and way of life, according to a white paper released by the Information Office of the State Council.

The paper, released on Tuesday, highlighted a Hong Kong which it said had never been more democratic or prosperous as since the 1997 handover. However it also warned of outside forces attempting to derail the implementation of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle.

"It is necessary to stay alert to the attempts of outside forces to use Hong Kong to interfere in China's domestic affairs, and prevent and repel the attempts made by a very small number of people who act in collusion with outside forces," the paper read.

James Sung Lap-kung, a political scientist at City University of Hong Kong, said that special mention of outside forces in the paper's conclusion revealed how important the State Council considered this to be. Sung noted that: "Hong Kong is an international and financial city and always interacts with the international community."

Hong Kong is the world's third-largest recipient of direct foreign investment while the total number of overseas companies registered in the SAR has increased 83 percent since the handover.

The city also hosts 66 foreign consulates-general and 73 honorary consuls.

"It's a two-way city. On one hand, the country can use Hong Kong to project a positive image to the world. While on the other hand, Western political forces use it to collect information on China and also use Hong Kong as a stepping stone to interfere with the mainland," he said.

"The white paper is to alert the Hong Kong people to be wary of voices or political forces from the West, who are not necessarily working for the interest of Hong Kong but rather for their own," Sung said.

The central government has repeatedly asked the US and UK to halt provocative remarks over Hong Kong affairs, including those by former US consul-general Stephen Young and US Assistant Secretary of State of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel.

Leo Goodstadt, adviser to Hong Kong's final British governor, has gone as far as to say Hong Kong's protests were not radical enough. He has thrown his support behind the "Occupy Central" movement which has been denounced by business and public leaders and which, according to several polls, has little public support.

The paper clarified that the central government was tasked with preventing foreign forces from interfering in Hong Kong's affairs.

"Hong Kong's affairs are the internal affairs of China, and the Chinese government has made timely representations with certain countries through diplomatic channels regarding their words and actions of interference," the paper read, adding that the Commissioner's Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR was set up to attend to foreign affairs involving Hong Kong.

The central government has been concerned over a number of attempts by opposition figures and lawmakers to circumvent regular channels and curry foreign support for their causes.

Since the handover 17 years ago, opposition camp figures Martin Lee Chu-ming and Anson Chan Fang On-sang have repeatedly sought foreign support. Lee has published a scathing criticism of the implementation of "One Country, Two Systems" in The New York Times. He has also appealed to a number of US congressmen, as well as to US Vice-President Joe Biden, for intervention in Hong Kong affairs.

http://www.chinadailyasia.com/hknews/2014-06/11/content_15139895.html">http://www.chinadailyasia.com/hknews/20 ... 39895.html">http://www.chinadailyasia.com/hknews/2014-06/11/content_15139895.html

[Anonymous]

"Their" Chief Elec? Nope, Hong Kong would only get to "choose" from who the communist regime wants them to vote for. That's like saying North Koreans get to elect Kim Jong-un.



Beijing isn't just having a say. It's forcing people to vote for whoever Beijing wants. It's a mockery and a slap in the face.



How would you like it if you were only allowed to vote for Liberal candidates?

Well too bad isn't it. Beijing instead of Washington or London gets to approve of the candidates. In the end, Xiang Gangnese will contunue to do what they do best...make money!!



I could just imagine the platform of some candidates that would emerge if Beijing didn't put some common sense into this....promising to ban mainlanders from owning everything from property to baby formula. Nationalism and tribalism...it's how we are wired.

[Romero]

Justin Trudeau becomes Prime Minister with a majority government and decides Canadians can only vote for Liberals.



You'd be okay with that?

[cc]

Twist, twist, twist. No one likes authoritarianism ffs, but it exists in places.



I'm not [insert cutesy term] "OK with" anyone, conveniently safe & sound, encouraging or even supporting people to lose THEIR life or the liberty they had for causes that CANNOT succeed.



http://weaselzippers.us/wp-content/uploads/ByoLdNJCAAEm_Sy-550x308.jpg">



Shame on you

[Obvious Li]

just a small comment on Homero's seeming confusion about democratic countries and freedom....the least free countries i have lived in are the USA and Canada......they have the most oppressive state intrusion in their citizens daily lives of any country on the planet.....the freest countries i have lived or traveled in are located in Asia, some in communist dictatorships....people there are generally free to pursue there daily lives without interference, subject to state rules......if some state official prevents you from doing what you wish, you merely have to pay them a bribe and continue on your way......no such luck in western democracies stuffed full of overpaid public servants with bad attitudes......homero is so full of shit. I sometimes think the twit has never been out of downtown Vancouver....or he is a fucking troll

[Romero]

Twist, twist, twist. No one likes authoritarianism ffs, but it exists in places.



I'm not [insert cutesy term] "OK with" anyone, conveniently safe & sound, encouraging or even supporting people to lose THEIR life or the liberty they had for causes that CANNOT succeed.



http://weaselzippers.us/wp-content/uploads/ByoLdNJCAAEm_Sy-550x308.jpg">



Shame on you

Shame on me for wanting people to have freedom? If those East Germans and Czechoslovakians shared your pessimism, the Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain may still be up today.



You're wrong about causes not succeeding. As I posted earlier, just one fifteen year-old stopped China from replacing Hong Kong's education system with communist propaganda. Wasn't that a worthy cause? Isn't it great that Hong Kong's students aren't taught communist propaganda?

[Romero]

the least free countries i have lived in are the USA and Canada......they have the most oppressive state intrusion in their citizens daily lives of any country on the planet.....the freest countries i have lived or traveled in are located in Asia, some in communist dictatorships

Yet you clearly prefer living in Canada rather than a communist dictatorship. Not much of an argument there, Obvious Li.

people there are generally free to pursue there daily lives without interference, subject to state rules

Just no right to vote, freedom of press, freedom of religion, free thought in any way...

if some state official prevents you from doing what you wish, you merely have to pay them a bribe and continue on your way

Where's that emoticon? I'm dying here! I'm going to need lots of them real soon!



Is this Bizarro World? When the heck did you all turn into a bunch of commies?

[cc]

.... I'm dying here! ....

No. You are not. You are safe & sound mouthing off on the internet ... it is others whose lives are on the line.

[Anonymous]

just a small comment on Homero's seeming confusion about democratic countries and freedom....the least free countries i have lived in are the USA and Canada......they have the most oppressive state intrusion in their citizens daily lives of any country on the planet.....the freest countries i have lived or traveled in are located in Asia, some in communist dictatorships....people there are generally free to pursue there daily lives without interference, subject to state rules......if some state official prevents you from doing what you wish, you merely have to pay them a bribe and continue on your way......no such luck in western democracies stuffed full of overpaid public servants with bad attitudes......homero is so full of shit. I sometimes think the twit has never been out of downtown Vancouver....or he is a fucking troll

Fucking Bullseye handsome!! The last fucking thing I would call Canada is free. Romero has never lived or travelled abroad which is why he is soooooo uneducated about Asian countries.

[Anonymous]

Yet you clearly prefer living in Canada rather than a communist dictatorship. Not much of an argument there, Obvious Li.

people there are generally free to pursue there daily lives without interference, subject to state rules

Just no right to vote, freedom of press, freedom of religion, free thought in any way...

if some state official prevents you from doing what you wish, you merely have to pay them a bribe and continue on your way

Where's that emoticon? I'm dying here! I'm going to need lots of them real soon!



Is this Bizarro World? When the heck did you all turn into a bunch of commies?

Canada IS an oppressive dictatorship. China does not pander to lazy scumbags with my money.Canada lets lazy scumbags decide how my money is spent. Yeah, democracy fucking rocks ac_unsure . They should be used for medical experimentation, not deciding how my money is spent!!



BTW, Canada does not have de facto freedom of anything. When was the last time you heard a politician call Islam what is is.....a hateful ideology?? This country is an oppressive over-governed hellhole with a bloated snivel service. We have loads of natural resources, that's why we are successful.

[Romero]

Oh yes, Canada is such a terrible, oppressive dictatorship. It's not like you guys much prefer living in Canada. It's not like tens of thousands of Chinese come here for a better life but no Canadians go there.



Perhaps the well-known facts don't matter. Maybe I should go visit China and other Asian countries to find out for myself. Where shall I go? Should I try...



Beijing?



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Shanghai?



http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aSTnaiWiF2A/UqJQjjeTJHI/AAAAAAAACIs/DgSED_2qDt8/s1600/smogshanghai1.jpg">



Maybe Singapore?



http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/files/2013/06/singapore-pollution-haze.jpg">



I can't tell which would be the nicest.