HONG KONG PROTESTS: WHERE DOES THIS LEAD?

After several months of demonstrations, Congress last week passed legislation that will deepen America’s hand in the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

The bill will require the US to annually assess its special trade relationship with Hong Kong while also allowing for sanctions against individuals responsible for violating human rights. Its passage will likely please demonstrators who have called for American support in what many of them see as a final stand against the government in Beijing.

Speaking to Fox News on Friday, US President Donald Trump was unclear about whether he’d sign the legislation as he attempts to walk a delicate line between remaining tough on China while also reaching a deal over their prolonged trade war.

Despite expressing support for protestors Friday, Trump sees Hong Kong as a domestic issue that he has promised to stay out of. In his interview with Fox News, Trump called Chinese President Xi Jinping a friend and stated that he has prevented Xi from using heavy handed tactics to suppress the protests. Since they began this summer, observers have worried that the government in Beijing will send troops into Hong Kong to quell the demonstrations, resulting in a possible repeat of the bloody Tiananmen massacre in 1989 that left at least several hundred protestors dead.

The Hong Kong protests erupted in June over a bill that would have allowed the city to extradite residents to mainland China. Since leaving British rule in 1997, Hong Kong has enjoyed a level of autonomy under a unique system that allows for its own governance while remaining part of China. In taking to the streets, protestors expressed concern that the bill would infringe on this democratic privilege.

Five hundred miles away, the pro-independence government in Taiwan has watched the situation unfold. Taipei sees its own future tied up in Hong Kong’s fate. The US-friendly Chinese government fled to Taiwan in 1949 at the end of a tumultuous civil war in which the Chinese Communist Party came to power. Since then, the communist party has threatened to reel Taiwan back in, ideally through peaceful means but also force if necessary. Taiwan’s president said on November 19 that China is interfering with the island’s upcoming presidential elections, allegations supported by an alleged Chinese intelligence agent seeking asylum in Australia.

Where this all leads is unclear. While not reaching the fatality levels of protests in places like Iraq and Iran, the demonstrations in Hong Kong continue to become more violent. It remains to be seen what course of action Beijing will take and how Washington will respond. Military involvement still seems unlikely on China’s part, and even more so from the US, but is by no means certain. For now, though, the protestors remain relentless in what they see as the defense of their freedoms and way of life.

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

Congress passes bill in support of Hong Kong protestors

Congress passed legislation last week supporting protests in Hong Kong. Among other things, it calls for the US to annually assess its trade relationship with Hong Kong while allowing for sanctions against individuals responsible for violating human rights.

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Despite near unanimous support in Congress, US President Donald Trump seemed uncertain on whether or not to sign the bill. While expressing support for protestors, he also called China’s president a friend.

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