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China Britain spat with Hong Kong the pawn!

Published : Wednesday, 8 July, 2020 at 12:00 AM  Count : 656

China Britain spat with Hong Kong the pawn!

China Britain spat with Hong Kong the pawn!

The new security legislation in Hong Kong, recently enforced by mainland China, has triggered global concern with former colonial ruler, Britain, adopting a very vocal position on the matter, strongly denouncing the law as arbitrary and offering sanctuary to Hong Kong residents with British overseas citizenship status. The heat is going up as the former colonial master is now seen as a meddler in Chinese affairs.

But before we go into the current day imbroglio, perhaps a little journey down history is needed, especially in a time when most former imperial powers are either embarrassed about their brutal colonial past or are trying to grapple with the groundswell of anti racism sentiment.

Hong Kong began as a dubious port for opium: The rock off mainland China which later became known as Hong Kong was ceded to Britain as a condition imposedon China after she lost the Opium Wars. The island was used by Jardine and Matheson as a port to store opium to be transported into China. That is roughly how Hong Kong began-as a hub for British drugs to be sent into the mainland.

But later, this grew into a major centre for trade and business and today, Jardine and Matheson have diversified their trade to include legitimate businesses though the shadow of opium is still there. So when Hong Kong goes into turmoil, the past creeps in because of the contrast of the present with its past: a point for selling drugs is now a city clamouring for democracy and freedom.

Now while the Chinese were exploited by the British and almost all European powers following the Opium Wars in the mid 19th century, there is hardly any reason to support the stifling of rights in Hong Kong through the passing of the security law dubbed 'draconian' by many.

Suppression will resurrect ghosts of Tiananmen: The Tiananmen uprising in Beijing in 1989 was a student led movement which was forcefully crushed and while a firm message was sent that criticism of the government in China would not be tolerated, the country's rigid Communist system underwent massive changes to make a symbiosis between the glitz of consumerism and the unyielding power of the authority. The Chinese people were given a tantalizing offer: pursue your desire for wealth, live in affluence, enjoy all the benefits of luxury but don't question the power in place.
It has worked miracles for China though in the case of Hong Kong, the usage of force had always resulted in widespread unease.

Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1997; if we recall, the mood at that time was sheer delight in the island because there was an overwhelming desire among the people of Hong Kong to be freed from a colonial grasp.  

Almost 23 years later, there is a New Hong Kong which is rising up in agitation - a nation that is young with very little idea about the colonial past.

In Hong Kong, most of the pro democracy protesters or those who have been outspoken in demanding greater individual freedom are in the early 20s. This generation grew up in a time of technology, open exchange of ideas with much of their outlooks shaped by unhindered usage of social media.

The desire to express views is sacrosanct to these young people. The strategy to stifle these voices will only trigger more resentment leading to widespread disillusionment with mainland China.

A few days ago, a resident in China was seen in a bicycle carrying a placard saying: liberate Hong Kong!

Given China's military might, no country will intervene with force but globally, China's image will be sullied. In 1989, China crushed the student uprising but followed up with sweeping social reforms to such an extent that the country only retained Communism as the main cherry on a large cake of Capitalist pleasures.

In Hong Kong, some freedoms should have been provided to the citizens considering the fact that the new face of the island is predominantly young, imbued with the never fading doctrine of individual freedom.

Just brute force is not always the right tactic; temporary peace with simmering anger underneath is like a ticking time bomb.

Britain's spurious rhetoric only exacerbates the situation: Talking to the BBC, the last governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, used the word 'bully' while referring to China though there was no mention of the British coercion on China for opening up her ports in the 19 century to take in opium. Neither was there any mention as to how Jardine and Matheson egged on British PM Lord Palmerston to declare war on China to ensure total compliance in the trade of opium.  

During the interview, a clip from the 1997 handover was shown where Chris Patten says that from now on Hong Kong will be ruled by Hong Kongers.

Really? Was Britain naive enough to think that would be the case and Beijing would carry on giving extraordinary freedoms to Hong Kong?

The bare realities are these: with the young across the world becoming more aware of macabre past hidden by their governments, freedom of expression is now the key social issue.

China will be making a gross mistake if it continues to impose inflexible laws on Hong Kong; by doing so it will turn most residents in the island into dissidents. Also, with the lure of sanctuary from Britain and other countries, large chunks of money will leave for good. It will certainly not be feasible to lose investors who had lived in Hong Kong. Lastly, having a disenchanted youth population is similar to moving about with a grenade without a pin.

As for Britain, putting the pressure on Hong Kong will earn her more accolades from the USA, which is possibly more important than anything else. Also, Hong Kong's democracy cravings can be used to drum up support aimed at impeding the spread of Chinese technology plus trade.

In the end, it's all about trade, right? Cleverly coating it with human rights, freedom of speech hides the vulgarity of profit hungry ambitions.  

As French philosopher Voltaire said: when it's a matter of money, everyone is of the same religion.
Towheed Feroze is a journalist and
teaches at the University of Dhaka










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