Mixed bag.
We should stand for democracy/freedom and against communism/socialism wherever possible. It’s not always about money.
These people will be left out to twist in the wind.
Tianenmen Square 2.0.
Trump has proven that he has zero care for humanitarian issues when it comes to foreign policy.
His presidency drifts from narcissistic push button to push button.
Trump is a 14 year old playing a video game. Push a button and see what happens.
You voted for it.
he has policies. It's just that you don't like them.
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
HK is a huge tragedy in the making, a leaderless movement and a government which people lost faith on. Everybody thinks HK is the one of the best places in the world. A prosperous HK is long term interest not just to Hongkongers, but also to China, U.S. and the whole world.
China know they need HK, don't want HK become just an ordinary city and Shanghai can't replace HK as financial center at least in 30 years.
The headline should be that the US eases planned sanctions at the same time Reds are threatening Hong Kong. Actions speak louder than words, but most people who want Trump to "say something" are clearly missing the forest for the trees.
Timing of the things he and his trade reps could not be worse.
CNBC:
US Delays China tariffs for some items including cellphones, removing other products from list
from trump, then i will publicly apologize.
What would have Trump accomplished other than showing that his words mean nothing (a la Syrian red line) and further spoiling our trade negotiations?
These are honest questions, not rhetorical.
Also, I am of the opinion that we should do all we can to avoid stoking a war that could subsume ourselves.
And, I think he would provoke China to take worse action than they are currently contemplating. China is willing to take the long view (decades) on major political and economic issues...except for the issue of Xi's survival as leader of China. If he feels threatened, action will we quick and severe.
I heard that the protests are mostly over a new law allowing extradition to mainland China.
That's some serious shit, and a betrayal of the annexation terms. But is it really worth getting our pants in a wad? Are there other specific issues?
HK agreement between UK and China promises no change in HK for 50 years (starting from 1997). What happened in recent years are all about discomfort and anxiety on future.
HK needs a clear roadmap to 2047 and beyond.
But extradition alone is not nearly as bad as the underlying human rights abuses going on in mainland China. Shouldn't we take a stand against human rights abuses in China, as opposed to taking a stand against extradition to China?
...so, I didn't see your post until now.
Extradition to China is 1000 times worse than deportation to Mexico. So, I would think that most Americans would be on the side of the Hong Kong protestors.
Sure, things are bad in China for the inlanders, but your point below about realpolitic vs. idealpolitik is the key here. Voicing an opinion can make matters worse for them, depending on who does it and how it is done.
China is following the slippery slope that the HongKong (ians? :) ) all feared. I am not an expert, but it seems that if China is ever to change from within because of the influence of democracy from around the world on China, then now is the best chance.
But realpolitic vs. idealpolitik is always the million, er, trillion dollar question.
If the mainland Chinese were protesting en masse regarding forced labor camps or something similar, then the answer would be clearer, in my opinion.
is putting her life on the line while we watch it on TV. We take our freedoms for granted. Don’t piss me off. I know what the Chinese communists are capable of doing.
This is what I found, which matches up with what I heard earlier today on Bloomberg.
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Hong_Kong_anti-extradition_bill_protests
Are you saying that I don't understand the difference between our freedom of speech here, and the lack of freedom of speech? Because I do.
What demands are the Hong Kong protester's making with regard to "freedom of speech"?
