The End Of Hong Kong

The Atlantic;

Over the course of April and throughout May, while much of the world’s attention was trained on the coronavirus’s spiraling death toll, hardly a day passed in Hong Kong without news of arrested activists, scuffles among lawmakers, or bombastic proclamations from mainland officials. Long-standing norms were done away with at dizzying speed. […]
 
The moves were capped this week when China’s National People’s Congress announced that it would force wide-ranging national-security laws on Hong Kong in response to last year’s prodemocracy protests. In doing so, Beijing circumvented the city’s autonomous legislative process and began dismantling the “one country, two systems” framework under which Hong Kong is governed, setting up what will likely be a fundamental shift in the territory’s freedoms, its laws, and how it is recognized internationally.

Decouple from this wretched country now. If it means they take Vancouver and our universities with them, so be it.

More at Instapundit.

44 Replies to “The End Of Hong Kong”

  1. Rarely mentioned in all of this is that China took over Hong Kong with an explicit agreement that they would guarantee these systems for 50 years. This shows that the word of Chinese communists is not worth anything, and should be seen as a stain on their honor. (That is actually a really big deal among Chinese culture.)

    1. Ah, but didn’t Mao abolish the old Chinese culture, or, at least, claim he did?

      1. Unfortunately, to a large extent he did.
        The “Cultural Revolution” happened in the 1960’s. People born then are now in their fifties. It means you have to be well in your sixties to have any recollection of the old culture. No wonder they want to kill off the older people via the WuhanVirus.
        But a decade before that, they introduced “simplified” Chinese characters. Ostensibly it is to encourage literacy. (Let alone that Taiwan has universal literacy with traditional characters.) The real reason is much more insidious. I can vouch for the fact that people who only know “simplified” characters cannot read traditional writing. On the other hand, if you know traditional characters, it is no problem at all for you to learn to read “simplified” writing. With never banning any book, in a generation they have rendered all the traditional books illegible inside mainland China. The only books that can be read by the populace are the ones which have been “translated” into “simplified” writing. Unfortunately they have totally succeeded in doing that.
        (It is an oversimplification, but imagine if someone learned to communicate via texting, and only learned the English shorthand. That in no way means they can read regular English.)
        The only way that anyone in mainland China learns about the traditional culture is via the family, if the parents can and will teach, and if the children want to learn. The Cultural Revolution taught the opposite, and in fact encouraged the children to report on their parents. It is the Hitler jungend writ very much longer and larger.
        Thank God for Hong Kong (before the Communist takeover) and Taiwan for preserving the traditional Chinese culture, but they both have their regional ideosyncrasies. We older folks of Chinese heritage in America and Canada have a different problem. Honestly, I was much more concerned with raising my children to be good Americans, and any knowledge of China was only frosting on the cake. Well, I got what I asked for, and I am afraid most of my knowledge of China will die with me.
        When I was convinced by my wife to take the children to China for just once, before the Beijing Olympics, when the Chicom made a pretense of liberalization, I was amazed that our tour guide in Sian had a master’s degree in classical Chinese literature. We had a grand time talking about the subject, and he was equally amazed that someone from America was conversant on it. He said most of the classics are now available in simplified form, and indeed fast forward to now they are even available online. So the Chicom had a change of heart, and thought there was virtue in presenting themselves as heirs of a three millenia culture rather than a fifty year (then) regime. But I remember the cheapo crap pottery the Chicom made in this town famous for making pottery in the Ming dynasty (think Delft). It may bear the name, but it ain’t the same thing. After all, the spy network they installed in unsuspecting (or perhaps even complicit, who knows) American educational institutions they have the gall to call the Confucius Institutes.

  2. Dear Leader will, no doubt, refuse to take in any HK refugees, claiming they’re racists or some such thing. It doesn’t matter, he’ll find some excuse not to act.

    That will be followed by an earth tremor caused by those Canadians who died defending the city during WW II will be rolling in their graves.

    1. Whether this is good or not good, there are about 300,000 people in Hong Kong holding Canadian citizenship. It was pretty common back in the 90’s for Hong Kong residents to immigrate to Canada and obtain Canadian citizenship. They then returned to Hong Kong where they could make more money and keep the Canadian citizenship as a safety net (and not pay taxes in Canada).

      1. C, not good. As I have too many times, pay attention. I said that China was not going to back off on Hong Kong, it does not matter what any communist says they are all liars, just look at Canada’s socialists. We do not look at what is happening around us even in our own country. Twadels is now making rumblings about test and tract. Pay attention once again.

    2. Most Hong Kongers born before the take over still have British Passports at least.

  3. The real wonder is that it took so long.

    It’s been a very long time since China needed an unruly capitalist island in its own territory as an outlet to the world for the socialist basket case that was Red China just after the overthrow of Jiang Qing (the real overseer of the Cultural Revolution, who completely controlled her husband Mao Zedong in his dotage).

    And if a wealthy Red Chinaman wants to buy property to launder dirty money, nothing wrong with Vancouver for that. Laws in Canada—never mind taxes—are for the blue-eyed barbarians. For Chinamen, Hongcouver is the Wild West.

    Elites—communist or otherwise—only keep their end of a bargain for as long as it’s convenient. It’s the same in every country really.

  4. The move to repatriate supply lines will finally end Canada, whose entire economy is nothing more than an entry point for the CCP into the US market through NAFTA. This infantilized collection of sheeple genuflecting to the CBC and Trudeau deserve everything that is coming, good and hard. This country sickens me.

    1. Bingo.

      The time to decouple this country China was years ago.

      China is a paper dragon that needs Canada more than Canada needs it. Justin is more than happy to hand over this country to China and the ovine masses are fine with it until the beer runs out.

      1. Yup agree 100%. If western pussy nations sanctioned China and stopped buying into it’s slave economy and manipulated currency, it would collapse faster than an UnMe “argument”.

  5. End of Hong Kong? They’re working on the end of the USA and Canada, as well. It’s already well underway with nary a whimper. For the few who are dissenting or protesting? Monsters! You want to kill old people!

  6. It was only a matter of time. Our pathetic communist sympathizing media gave little to no coverage of the Hong Kong protests the last year or so, instead devoting all their energy to Trump bashing 24/7. This is in marked contrast to the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, when they gave them the attention they warranted.

    As Mark Steyn mentioned on Rush a couple of times now just recently, China’s so-called embrace of a market economy and trade was supposed to make China more like the West. Instead, the West is becoming more like China. Our only hope at this point is Donald J Trump, who at this point is the only thing standing between freedom and totalitarianism.

  7. At my age I really don’t care about the future because I don’t have very long to enjoy it. But if you can’t figure out what coronavirus was all about you probably aren’t smart enough to live in a free country.

  8. The British disarmed the Hong Kong populace, then handed them to China on a silver platter. This is what WEXIT will look like, unless the west starts forming militias.

  9. Lots of talk about China “imploding”. So I have to ask: When standing next to a bomb do you care whether it is an implosion or explosion? I wouldn’t think so. Knowing that the liberal / socialist / communist mindset is akin to a child’s; either way, toys will be thrown. It’s not in anyone’s interest for China to throw its toys. So, we can’t allow either. China has to rot from within and simply collapse.
    Long way to go. Look at N. Korea.
    The Chinese money to universities will disappear as fair trade is enforced. Hong Kong is lost for a while and Taiwan is likely to go as well. Demanding some modest reparations and refusal to borrow more is the best way to take the edge off China’s sword. The U.S. needs to recover quickly and learn to beat China at the lending game.
    If Canada, as it is, split into two in the near future, things would suck for a bit in the new country but mirrors would no longer be an issue. Fair trade would guarantee a mini replay of China’s destined fate.

    1. You raise some interesting points but as of right now, China has the cards.

      The coronavirus might cause enough economic ruin at home to make the Chinese masses revolt but that won’t happen for a while.

      1. China is a loose confederation of various ethnic groups, many of which have an axe to grind against Beijing (e. g., Tibet). It might not take much for the whole region to go up in smoke and that could happen at any time. When it does, it’ll cause a lot of damage and many people are going to die.

    2. Epic, one lesson we can take is that nothing is forever. Societies come and go and much like all, Canada and the U S are busy self immolating. This too shall pass, as will China and every other country and society on earth. History is difficult for many because they seem to think that their lifetime is all there ever was. Much like global warming most people can’t even remember what the weather was like 50 to 60 years ago. Being free while you are alive is the most important thing in the universe. End of story.

  10. Meanwhile Blackie’s Toronto Star has one of its opinion writers explain that we shouldn’t upset China.

    1. They do have 300,000 Canadians plus 2 Michaels hostage. Appeasement and debasement before tyrants always works.

      I’m with Kate, a wretched nation indeed.

    2. If one needs to be upset, how about directing the anger to Britain? History is bitch, everyone has their own opinion but opinions are not what happened.

  11. My only surprise is how long it took for China to do this! My first thought when they moved Hong Kong back into their realm with their so called twin systems, was, “how long before they simply walk back in and force those living in Hong Kong to Kow Tow to the communist regime”. As has been said, you cannot trust their word! What will the West do? Probably register a complaint with the CCP with a sniff and a whimper! The CCP will do the same with Taiwan as well, when they sense we are all bluster and nothing else! They will take both places over, and dare us to do something. Perhaps this was the reason for the release of the Wuflu virus, something to occupy us while they checkmate Hong Kong!

  12. When you say “decouple from this wretched country” are you referring to canada decoupling from china or the west decoupling from canada?

    Either way, I agree.

  13. I feel almost as bad for the HK citizens as I do the poor white people of South Africa who are being systematically slaughtered but refused “refugee” sanctuary into western nations.

    1. Same old same old, the Jews during the second world war. The more things change the more they remain the same, at least man’s inhumanity to man.

    2. Yep parallels between these two groups aplenty… instead we’re importing Somalis, Haitians, ISIS and high social credit score fifth column.

    1. And how did that turn out, eh? The only Warsaw Pact country that didn’t take part in the invasion was the former Yugoslavia. Tito told the Kremlin what it could do with itself and Moscow knew better than to force it to join in.

  14. // Our pathetic communist sympathizing media gave little to no coverage of the Hong Kong protests the last year or so, //

    Nonsense. The CBC gave the kind of nightly coverage that they are giving to COVID19 now.
    In fact, last night they interrupted same to tell about an upcoming demonstration.
    https://www.google.com/search?&ei=KnDJXu3yLOPl9AOr6ZeQCQ&q=cbc+stories+on+hong+kong
    &
    Joint UK, Australia, Canada statement on Hong Kong
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYp-s9vXQAEHs7e?format=jpg&name=medium

    Not the only country to break treaties.

  15. How many of China/Hong Kong’s “300,000 Canadians” are Canadians of convenience. If things become uncomfortable, they have the money to find their own way “home”.

    1. The more people from HK escape communism the better. The more of them come to Canada the better. People form HK are the polar opposite of the high social credit score enemy infiltrators.

  16. Worked for a then recent immigrant to Vancouver from Hong Kong,in 1988.
    He and his wife sold everything they could,moved to Vancouver and started all over again.
    He told me the first wave,of which he was a member,were the poor people,the truly rich would just buy property here,get citizenship, keep their money outside Hong Kong but continue to reside in HK.
    He said the Chinese would take over without warning and expected them to do it soon..
    Well it only took another 32 years.

  17. The CCP desperately needs to maintain social and economic stability, especially now with CoVid19 and lockdowns, and then with the ensuing economic downturn. They are trying to prevent a revolt, and Hong Kong is a major threat. Hong Kong has hundreds of thousands of citizens willing to march and oppose the CCP publicly. HK knows very well what it’s up against and recognize what’s at stake, much more than the vast majority of Canadians.

    It’s very important that freedom loving Canadians recognize who their allies are in HK (and China), those who are truly standing up for freedom, unlike many in Canada who whine about Trudeau but only from behind their keyboards.

  18. “Si vis pacem, para bellum.”

    Some facts of the matter need to be clearly understood:

    — 2,400 Canadians, defenders of Hong Kong, were delivered to their death, at the hands of the Japanese, during the Second World War;

    — The President, to great fanfare, delivered USNS Comfort to New York City, plus $21 million U.S. for a COVID hospital @ the Javitz Center (Hillary Clinton’s “Victory Party” site) — both systematically underused by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who specifically ordered infected elderly patients to be returned to nursing homes, wherein they infected others, causing death;

    — The reality of the situation is that Ezekiel Emmanuel is not an outlier: something changed between 2008 (my dad’s need for aortic replacement surgery @ Hamilton General Hospital (Hamilton Health Sciences), aged 78, which was immediately agreed, enthusiastically, and when he had to go into Stratford General Hospital (HPHA) in 2013, wherein the main concern from the (British and otherwise not natural-born Canadian doctors) seemed to be around how quickly they could get me to agree on a DNR order. So, yeah, if you don’t think that there are death panels out there — believe me, there are. Health care rationing is upon us.

    — Flight or fight: fight, I say!

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