The West has been at odds with the Far East for centuries. It began before the Opium Wars, laws and treaties were made and broken, but the issues remain the same old same old. Chinese stare down their noses at the rest of the world, regardless of the imbalance it causes for their end of the teeter-totter we all stand on. They believe China getting richer and expanding its borders is fair for them, and whatever may or may not be unfair for the rest of the world doesn’t matter because justice is only a matter of importance in whether Chinese receive justice. Everyone else can either become Chinese or die—which would do their miserable existence a favor. That is the ancient worldview driving the Far East to do what it has always done—what it continues to do today.
But, one thing is different now: Not all Chinese speakers go along with Chinese supremacism. Previously, dissidents who had been crushed by Chinese supremacism were either Uncle Toms in their own rite or too scared to object, but not anymore. Hong Kong is standing up to old generation arrogance, so is Taiwan. People within Hong Kong and Taiwan are standing up to that arrogance even within their cultures, families, social circles, and societies at large. That old supremacism is collapsing at the hands of free-thinking, self-motivated, self-initiated Chinese-speakers themselves, Cantonese speakers of the same historic culture notwithstanding the least. The “Revolution of Our Times” is much deeper that Hong Kong political identity; it’s cultural, regional, and even global. Consider Chinatowns and Chinese churches across America—which won’t be any kind of exception.
Soon, Trump will have something to hang over everyone’s head—Democrats and Chinese Communists alike. It’s a power stronger than any missile. Next week, China is sending a delegation to sign the infamously famous “Phase 1”. Woohoo!
Trade & Tech
HiSilicon No Longer Huawei’s Captive Chipmaker // EE Times
The Next China? Vietnam Looks Good Only on Paper // Bloomberg
China
Ya think!?
Trump’s China Agreement Is A Fake Deal // Forbes
China negotiator signals he will sign ‘phase one’ of US trade deal // NY Post
How to Defend Campus Free Speech Against China // The Atlantic
Taiwan
Top general killed in helicopter crash // Taipei Times
Taiwan leader rejects China’s offer to unify under Hong Kong model // Yahoo News
Independence poll shows widening gap // Taipei Times
Hong Kong
Dozens arrested in Hong Kong protests targeting traders in China // The Hill
Photo of the Day: Parallels between Tiananmen and Hong Kong protests // Taiwan News
China replaces top official in Hong Kong amid protests // NBC News
Hong Kong protest fallout hits HSBC and the London Stock Exchange // CNN
400 protesters in Hong Kong arrested after thousands join New Year’s Day rally // NBC News
Xi Defends China’s Model for Ruling Hong Kong After Restive Year // Bloomberg
Year reflection
Hong Kong’s year of protest set to continue into 2020 // Aljazeera
Military Faceoff