Showing all posts in Prelude

HK police violence was angering as it was unusual. Hong Kong woke up, then Hong Kongers woke up the world. Beijing will neither listen nor crackdown. Instead, they make fools of themselves. No Tiananmen part deux, condolences to Western media. This week, the world learned: Neither the current Beijing government, nor the former Beijing-based KMT in Taiwan, can be trusted. You read it here first.

 Stupid item of the week…

Hong Kong… “It was a nationwide decision and the decision has to face the country’s 1.3 billion people,”

— Rita Fan (范徐麗泰), courtesy Taipei Times, HK protest numbers dwindle while talks make slow progress

…Beijing really said something stupid: If HK is a “nationwide decision” as Rita Fan reportedly says, then 1. Why don’t Chinese government decisions involve their own 1.3 billion people? 2. That would mean Beijing reneged on their 1984 promise that HK rule was a HK decision.  · · · →

Last’s week’s misunderstanding quickly transformed to rage with images of police, out of harm’s way, calmly reaching to pepper spray non-threatening bystanders, one at a time. Hong Kongers’ support for Occupy Central soared from “geek” to “peak” within a day. China opposes interference. Beijing backs the CEO of “China’s Hong Kong”, with no comment on their 1984 promise not to interfere in Hong Kong’s self-governance until 2047.

Ironically, Hong Kongers experienced more freedom and openness to new ideas after China’s takeover. Was that freedom only Beijing’s temporary gimmick? Or is Beijing genuinely on a learning curve, trying to understand the effective power of soft-servant governance? We’ll have to wait and see.

Hong Kongers want more than they can have, as explained last week, but they deserve more than they’ve been given. Pepper spraying targeted individuals when the police are not being threatened is cowardly, unbecoming of Hong Kong’s peaceful police, and is only asking for escalation.  · · · →

Inside Report—Hong Kong has one problem that is unaddressed in the media: HK can’t and doesn’t have its own military. Military service is the unwritten rule of any democracy. As much as Hong Kong needs freedom, they aren’t big enough to have their own military. That creates many problems and misunderstandings.

Hong Kong has a huge misunderstanding that could spiral out of control if everyone involved doesn’t understand each other soon. The uprising in Hong Kong is so complicated, it is difficult to accuse or defend anyone. Here are some perspectives based on anonymous sources from the inside:

With the police having used tear gas on Sunday, it’s most difficult to acquit Beijing. The unwritten law of Human Rights is that unarmed protests can interrupt their own government and force changes without arms—and if the police lift a finger to stop them, it’s a Human Rights violation. This isn’t written, but that’s what precedent hashes out to.  · · · →

When Ma stepped on board Taiwan’s frigate and smiled for the camera, he wasn’t smiling for the Taiwanese, he was smiling for Washington. Beijing has harbored too much friendliness with the KMT Nationalists and not enough with Taiwan’s DPP. Washington’s comments last week about supporting the KMT in 2016 will change that to shape both Taiwanese parties to fit the Pentagon’s agenda: military strength against China.

Now, two events to suggest thugs in Taiwan: The farmer who blew the whistle on Taiwan’s food oil scandal was sought by ‘men in black’ and Sunflower Movement international press translator, Oliver Chen, suspiciously falls off a cliff far from his home. Both people created big problems for the KMT Nationalists who control Taiwan—more importantly, they created trouble for Beijing, which has over 2,000 undocumented Chinese in Taiwan. Taiwan’s premier announces that Taiwan is already independent, even though his friends in Beijing threatened open war if Taiwan declares itself independent.  · · · →

The main topic in the press, though strange: China vs the Environment. Hong Kong’s democracy movement progresses, their opposition (mostly professors and members of government) also get louder. The US even piped in, stating that they were likely to endorse Taiwan’s pro-Beijing controlling KMT party. While the US is most likely trying to say whatever makes Beijing happy, the KMT became extremely unpopular during August and early September with scandals becoming public. US statements about the elections in Taiwan would likely enrage the Taiwanese public, leading voters of both Hong Kong and Taiwan to view all three governments being against them. While China was considered viz the environment, the people in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines (the volatile zone) are being pitted against all the governments’ controlling parties, US included. This could add a new dynamic to the swelling conflict.

Political Taiwan

The Chinese Civil War Continues

…Article on how the KMT Nationalists and Chinese Communists are playing footsie, but may never be friends.  · · · →