Democracy Dies in Hong Kong

One last nail is put in the coffin. Democracy in Hong Kong. It only gets worse from here. China Uncensored, Chris Chappell. Well, I've got good news for the Chinese Communist Party. They've successfully killed democracy in Hong Kong. Now to be fair, democracy in Hong Kong was always a bit shaky. For example, Hong Kong citizens were never allowed to directly vote for their chief executive. That position is chosen by a group of 1,200 influential Hong Kong citizens, mostly tied to the Chinese Communist Party. And while the Hong Kong Legislative Council has 70 seats, Hong Kongers were only allowed to vote for 35 of those legislators. Most of them support Hong Kong's freedoms, but that doesn't matter because the rest of the legislators are directly awarded to the pro-Beijing side and special interest group. But now, even having elected representatives is basically done. The pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong's legislature have decided to resign en masse in protest of the expulsion of four of their own, who were accused by the city government of endangering national security. It's the latest in a tense ongoing dispute over the autonomy of China's freest city. The opposition lawmakers had threatened earlier this week that they would resign from the 70-seat council if any members were disqualified. And then on Wednesday, it happened. Politicians Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-Kee, Kenneth Leung and Dennis Kwok were expelled, but the city government did not elaborate on the accusation of endangering security. Ever since the Chinese Communist Party forced a national security law on Hong Kong over the summer, Hong Kong's freedoms have been strangled. Political arrests have become common. But the latest, with four pro-democracy legislators fired for allegedly endangering national security despite no other information being given, that's a huge escalation. So the last remaining 19 pro-democracy legislators decided to call it quits, since I'm pretty sure everyone knew it's just a matter of time before they got purged, too. Legislative elections, which were supposed to be held in September, were postponed for a year because of the coronavirus. Right. And now they might as well just cancel elections altogether. Essentially, the Chinese Communist Party has what it wants. The people of Hong Kong have no say in their government anymore. Hong Kong is just like any other Chinese city now, subject to the arbitrary policies of communist officials. Which means Hong Kong's days as an international financial center are also over. On November 9, the US sanctioned four more Chinese officials over Hong Kong. They are Deng Zhonghua, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Edwina Lau, Deputy Commissioner of Police in Hong Kong, and Li Jiangzhou and Li Kuiwa, two officials at the newly established National Security Office. The sanctions prevent them from traveling to the US or having access to any US-related assets. These are actually pretty hard-hitting sanctions. The US has already imposed sanctions on other Hong Kong officials, including Chief Executive Carrie Lam. For more, check out our episode on that. Hong Kong's rich elite are screwed. Last month, the State Department warned major international banks that they could easily get caught up in those sanctions, too. But while sanctions are effective at punishing individuals involved in killing Hong Kong's freedoms, things are still looking grim for the regular people of Hong Kong. This week also saw the arrest of another student activist for assisting fugitives. All in all, I think Hong Kong is a pretty good warning as to what happens when the Chinese Communist Party gains more power and control over a place. Hey Taiwan, ready for a peaceful reunification? And now it's time for me to answer a question from a fan who supports China Uncensored on the crowdfunding website Patreon. Mark Hewitson asks, Hey Chris, besides watching the show and becoming aware of these issues, what can people do to help? That's an excellent question. I get that a lot. So as you said, watching China Uncensored is a good way to learn about China. And sharing episodes with your friends and family can also help them understand the threat from the Chinese Communist Party. Even just telling them about what's happening makes a difference. But what more can you do? For one, you could tell your elected officials to stand up to the Chinese regime. You can call your representatives and senators and tell them you want them to support a tougher China policy. You can vote for officials who understand what the Chinese Communist Party is doing. The Chinese Communist Party has very successfully infiltrated the United States at all levels of society. So take a look at your own community. For example, does your college or university have a Confucius Institute? Or does it get money from the Chinese government? If you're a young person who is interested in China, I would encourage you to go study Chinese history, language, and culture. Study the Communist Party. We need more people who understand what the Party is doing in our own government, think tanks, and military. Or you could become a reporter. Or start your own thing on YouTube or other social media platforms to share what you know. This is an information war. From that perspective, we're all soldiers. Thanks for your question, Mark. And if you'd like me to answer your question on the show, join what I call the China Uncensored 50-Cent Army on Patreon. Join me in the fight against the Chinese Communist Party. For as little as the price of a cup of coffee, you can help us keep the show going. Go to Patreon.com slash China Uncensored to learn more. Once again, I'm Chris Chappell. See you next time.