an excellent opinion piece deconstructing everything wrong with the OC movement and why they are provoking people's ire.
Why this American Expat is 100% against the Protests in Hong Kong
OCT 1
Posted by Cyrus Janssen
Hong-Kong-Protest
There is a revolution happening in Hong Kong right now that has drawn the entire world’s attention to this tiny island in Asia. While many people have made their voices known on social media in support of this movement, my heart is greatly saddened by the efforts of the Hong Kong people. In my opinion the protests are absurd and a travesty to the city.
Many people applaud the Hong Kong locals saying their protests are peaceful, orderly, and a model example for how protests should be carried out. That’s a great compliment to the people of Hong Kong but in my opinion they shouldn’t even be protesting in the first place. The purpose of this article is to give people a broader viewpoint, and challenge them to think outside the box.
The issue at hand is Hong Kong people want the chance to vote for their own leader. The Beijing Communist government ruled last month that people can elect their next leader in 2017, however a pro-Beijing committee must approve the candidates. Hong Kongers fear that this will allow China to screen candidates and as a result they have not accepted this decision.
China's Parliament Building in Beijing
China’s Parliament Building in Beijing
Having lived in Mainland China for 7 years, I bring a different perspective to this argument. I have traveled to Hong Kong numerous times over those 7 years and always had nothing but respect and admiration for Hong Kong. Beijing lent Hong Kong to the British for 100 years (1897-1997) and the city transformed itself into the financial and shipping hub of Asia. During the handover in 1997, everyone feared communist China would regain control and change everything, instead Beijing admired what the British accomplished and kept Hong Kong the same.
In the 17 years following the handover, the Beijing government has done nothing but help Hong Kong grow and having protests like this will only jeopardize Hong Kong’s relationship with China. A relationship that Hong Kong desperately needs. I’m currently writing this post from Scotland and can’t help but draw some comparisons to the recent vote of independence in this country. While many Scots wanted to leave the United Kingdom, the majority of them realized they were stronger together than they were by themselves and voted accordingly. This is exactly the same for Hong Kong, this SAR (Special Administrative Region) is much stronger with support from China.
Crossing the border between Hong Kong and Mainland China
Crossing the border between Hong Kong and Mainland China
My biggest issue with these protests are Hong Kong citizens have never considered how fortunate they are right now. They should be thankful for the tremendous amount of freedom they already have and realize that 1.4 billion Chinese people would give anything to be in their shoes. Here are some examples of what I mean:
1. When Hong Kong’s budget has a surplus (as in 2011) Hong Kong citizens and PR’s (Permanent Residents) receive a complimentary bonus from the government the last one was $HKD 6,000 ($USD 775). Not many countries in the world can run their budget at a surplus and certainly not many would redistribute the surplus back to it’s citizens.
2. The Hong Kong passport gives its citizens visa-free access to 152 countries around the world. Chinese citizens on the other hand can only visit 43 countries without a visa. This puts the Chinese passport on the same level as countries like Congo and Rwanda.
3. Hong Kong citizens enjoy one of the lowest personal income taxes in the world, with the maximum rate fixed at only 15%, China’s maximum (along with many Western countries) is at 45%.
4. The Index of Economic Freedom has ranked Hong Kong the World’s Freest Economy for 20 consecutive years (1995-2014). China currently ranks #137 in the world.
5. Hong Kong has the world’s most developed transportation system in the world. Over 90% of daily travels are on public transport, the highest such percentage in the world. China’s public transport is extensive in major cities but still lacking in rural areas.
6. Hong Kong legal system is completely independent from the legal system of Mainland China. Hong Kong continues to follow the English common law tradition that was established under British rule.
7. Internet censorship in Hong Kong operates under complete different principles and regulations from those of Mainland China. Currently Mainland China forbids Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and many other social media websites.
8. Hong Kong is a tax haven for imports. Everything from Bordeaux wine, Nike shoes, and Apple iPhones are imported into Hong Kong without any duty taxes, thereby making Hong Kong the cheapest place in the world to purchase many Western products. China’s duty taxes are notoriously high (between 50-100%) making it one of the world’s most expensive places to purchase a Western product.
These are just a few of the many benefits citizens of Hong Kong receive. I read this list and find it hard to believe why people would want to protest a government that has provided such amazing benefits. In addition I haven’t even began to describe the social benefits like medical coverage, social security, and disability benefits for Hong Kong citizens that are much better than their neighbors in Mainland China.
Protests with a sign reading "We are Hong Konge, not Chinese"
Protestors with a sign reading “We are Hong Kong People, not Chinese”
My second issue with these protests is the Hong Kong citizens extreme and often raciest views towards Mainland Chinese. There is an opinion floating around Hong Kong that the island would be better without Mainland Chinese. Hong Kong people like to identify themselves as “Hong Kongers” and despise people labeling them as “Chinese”. In actuality all Hong Kong people came from the Mainland, this is a proven fact as every Hong Kong citizen can trace their roots back to the Mainland.
In
In this photo Hong Kong people are verbally attacking Mainland Chinese tourists who wait outside a shopping mall
It is this hatred for Mainland Chinese that have caused Hong Kong citizens to protest against the government in Beijing. It is very naive in my opinion. Don’t Hong Kong citizens realize that Mainland Chinese tourists are the key to their booming economy? Long lines of tourists outside shopping malls are creating jobs, filling hotels rooms, airplane seats, and restaurant chairs as everyone wants to come to and experience this former British colony. As we approach the Chinese October holidays tourism companies are expecting a 30-50% decrease in Mainland Chinese tourism during the holiday. Hong Kong people will feel that they have won a small battle, until they see the effects of slower economy, rising prices, and loss of jobs as a major decrease in tourism will send Hong Kong’s economy into a recession. Over the last 5 years Singapore has emerged as the next hub for Asia’s finance, shipping, and entrepreneurial companies. As long as these protests continue Hong Kong’s economy will deteriorate and Singapore will take even more business away from Hong Kong.
My final issue with the protests is that democratic elections are not always the answer to everyone’s problems, ask any American voter in the 2000 United States Presidential Election. Fourteen years ago American voters participated in one of the closest presidential elections in American history. Democratic candidate Al Gore received 48.4% of the popular vote compared to George Bush’s 47.9%. George Bush lost the popular vote and still became the President of America! This is possible because George Bush won more votes from the Electoral College, which is the institution that actually elects the president in America, not the American voters themselves. Many Americans felt betrayed by the government. They shouldn’t have though this was actually the 4th time in American history a president failed to win the popular vote but went on to become president.
My point in bringing up America’s political system is to show everyone that even America, the world’s most famous democracy, you can have a public vote that still has government intervention, there is no such thing as 100% freedom.
I look around the world and see the unrest between Israel and Palestine, British and Americans hostages being executed by terrorist groups in Syria, the harsh conflict between Russia and Ukraine and feel I am so blessed to live in Hong Kong as an expat and have a tremendous amount of freedom.
I challenge all Hong Kong citizens to think about the opportunities you’ve had compared to your brothers in Mainland China. Protesting against Beijing is not the answer, embrace your Chinese roots, cherish your British influence, and most importantly:
Well said. My response is, they all know the perks of being a Hong Kong citizen. It is exactly this reason that they take it to the street. Why? Because they fear that those perks will be taken away or eroded by Beijing, fueled by a deepening fear and mistrust of communist China. They feel the need to gain more autonomy so as to preserve those perks and freedom.
At the same time, our local media stress the importance of democracy and sing its praise 24/7, all the while belittling China, mainlanders and driving a wedge between the two places. Anything that is so much as associated with mainland China cannot escape from being insulted.
The culprit is the endless brainwashing campaigns and demonization of China by our local media.
keep calm and love Hong Kong)
