By Inviting
U.S. Meddling, Hong Kong 'Radicals' Court Disaster (Huanqiu, China)
Are the United
States and Britain inciting the people of Hong Kong to demonstrate for the right
to choose their own elected officials? In addition to painting Occupy Central demonstrators
as traitors, this editorial from the state-run Huanqiu
seeks to allay fears that Beijing wishes to undermine democracy in Hong Kong,
and pleads with its people to consider the city-state's strategic and geopolitical
significance in the great game of Sino-U.S. relations.
It has been revealed that officials and intelligence
officers at the U.S. Consulate General's Office in Hong Kong have held meetings
with student representatives to discuss protest actions. Sources say that the Hong
Kong student leaders who have incited the demonstrations privately received special
encouragement and advice from the United States. This has badly shaken Hong
Kong society and triggered a very heated debate.
Some students began a week-long boycott of classes on September
22. At the time, the Hong Kong opposition camp was busy preparing to put the
"Occupy Central" protest into full swing during the National Day holiday.
Of course, domestic factors within our society are partly responsible, but a
large proportion of them are due to external factors emanating from the United
States and the West, and this latest media exposure provides new evidence.
That is to say nothing of the origin of the dispute over
political reform - the United Kingdom through its last governor
[Chris Patten]. When it comes to the current confrontation with Hong Kong's
pan-Democrats, one can say with certainty that Western support and
encouragement is their spiritual pillar. Western support not only serves to bolster
their "moral," it has an impact on how they evaluate the actual risks
of their activities and emboldens them to recklessness.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Sino-U.S. relations are complicated, as all relations between
major powers tend to be. Competition is a normal state of affairs, and there is
always some place or event that both sides contest to make a point. Hence, the
more dramatic Hong Kong's internal schism becomes, the more likely it is that
it will draw the attention of the United States and be turned into a "big
trouble card" for China.
America has numerous methods of playing dirty tricks and
interfering in Hong Kong's affairs, either through covert meddling or open intrigue,
all the while appearing to speak plausibly while harming China's interests and
making it appear as if the results are a self-inflicted wound.
If China's central government were to take a light-handed approach,
for example, if China disregards the temporary turbulence in Hong Kong, America's
"magical" influence would ordinarily be greatly reduced. Overall, there
has been a year-by-year increase in the tempo of Sino-U.S. strategic relations,
and American influence in Hong Kong is not significant enough to be a trump
card in the strategic competition.
What complicates the situation, however, is that certain radical
forces in Hong Kong are catering to the United States, increasing the likelihood
that America could score points in its strategic game against China.
Hong Kong people should take a wider perspective and look beyond
the friction of this particular circumstance. Hong Kong society should be keenly
aware of its position in the strategic and geopolitical rivalry between China
and the United States. Hongkongers should firmly oppose
the minority of radicals in their midst who are attempting to kidnap the
destiny of the entire city for their own political ends. U.S. influence will
inevitably stretch out its hands toward Hong Kong. If Hong Kong turns into a
wrestling arena for America's "Asia Pivot" to limit China's rise, it
would be a disaster for our community.
Hong Kong's people should examine the following issues very
carefully: Unlike the United States, Mainland China wishes Hong Kong well and
genuinely works in its interests and for its prosperity. The logic of those who
say the Mainland "doesn’t want democracy in Hong Kong" is absolutely
wrong. The Mainland itself has made great strides in the rule of law. It would
be a major step forward if people in Hong Kong laboring under this misperception
would disabuse themselves.
