Protests as Hong Kong marks 20 years since handover

Blackleaf

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Nicola Sturgeon’s dismal failure to stand up to China

Stephen Daisley
21 August 2019
The Spectator


SNP leader and Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

Nicola Sturgeon fancies herself as something of an international stateswoman, jetting off to the United States to boost her profile and touring the capitals of Europe in search of allies against Brexit. She is fond, too, of tweeting her commentary on global affairs, in the hope that others may learn from her example so that, one day, they too can lead a country with a £12.6bn deficit that can’t teach its children how to read.

A network of de facto embassies has been steadily assembled, nominally to promote trade ties (which the UK Government already does) but in reality to promote Scotland externally as a separate state.

Those who point out that such matters are wholly reserved to the UK Parliament, and the SNP leader has no business using taxpayers’ money to build her own foreign policy apparatus, are dismissed as gurning pettifoggers. The cooing commentariat longs for Westminster to produce someone of Sturgeon’s calibre, as though the Labour backbenches weren’t chockers with earnest, well-meaning junior ministry talent.

Finally, as was always going to happen, a foreign relations nightmare has fallen in her lap. Simon Cheng Man-kit, a 28-year-old trade official with the Scottish Development International section, has been seized by Chinese authorities. Cheng, who is based in the British consulate in Hong Kong, went missing after boarding a train from Shenzhen to Hong Kong on August 8. His last message to his girlfriend came as the train approached the former Crown colony: ‘Passing through. Pray for me.’ The Chinese foreign ministry told the Times that Cheng was being held in administrative detention for ‘violating the law’. What that means is not clear, though it has been reported that the official expressed support for the Hong Kong protestors.

The Foreign Office has issued its boilerplate helping-the-family, talking-to-authorities statement. Where, though, is Nicola Sturgeon? Cheng is, after all, a staffer for one of her agencies. The Scottish Government has put out its own boilerplate statement but beyond that, silence.

Of course, caution and sensitivity are called for while back channels are worked to establish Cheng’s alleged offence and secure him access to legal representation and family contact. The current Prime Minister is an object lesson in how not to handle overseas detentions.

But the SNP leader is seldom shy in sharing her thoughts on international topics and human rights, whether in parliamentary statements or through her restive Twitter account.

In recent years, she has ventured into foreign affairs to condemn Donald Trump for recognising Israel’s capital, to denounce detentions at the US border, to declare deaths in clashes at the Gaza boundary ‘not acceptable’, to raise ‘concerns’ with the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, and to oppose US airstrikes in Syria. On Cheng’s detention, her Twitter account is still silent as of this afternoon — not even a bland reassurance that everything is being done to help him.

A cynic might suggest that the reason for this is the same reason Sturgeon has been similarly muted on the Hong Kong anti-extradition protests, even as they approach the five-month mark. Her government is heavily invested in strengthening links with Beijing and she has paid an official visit to this end, even after a madcap £10bn ‘trade deal’ her officials signed with China humiliatingly fell apart. Freely decrying the US while keeping schtum as a Communist dictatorship holds one of your emissaries under lock and key is a curious approach to both foreign affairs and human resources.

If Sturgeon wants to play world leader, she has to accept the responsibility that comes with it. Foreign policy is not just about racking up the air miles, grinning for selfies with mid-level functionaries and expecting the Foreign Office to do the heavy lifting when things get tight.

Whatever Cheng is alleged to have done — and whether he actually did it — the head of the government he serves ought to be showing leadership, not least by telling Scots what is happening and imparting confidence that necessary steps are being taken. That’s what a real-world leader does, instead of leaving her citizens asking: Where is Nicola Sturgeon?

One of her team is being held by one of the world’s leading human rights abusers. His detainers accuse him of breaking the law; he is reported to have expressed dissenting political views. Scotland’s relations with the PRC have taken a sudden, troubling turn.

Where is Nicola Sturgeon? In Shetland, campaigning in a by-election.
https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2019/08/nicola-sturgeons-dismal-failure-to-stand-up-to-china/
 

Blackleaf

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Nope, because you did SFA in 14 when it was declared void by the Chinese.
Sadly, true. The British can complain all they want, but China has decided since the agreement was broken, they don't need to listen.
Where was the anger 5 years ago? Why didn't the British step up and do something big THEN? Why do they have to wait until now?
Well DUH! Way to state the obvious.
That's not my point.
My point is BECAUSE of China's negating the agreement in 14, the voice of Britain has no more weight to happenings in Hong Kong than any other nation in the world.
It sucks, it's not right, but that's the reality of the situation.
You being stupid about it and saying Britain would go to war with the Chinese is just typical arrogant ignorance we can expect from you. Meanwhile, people who actually know more about reality than you realize that this entire issue, while it IS bullshit, isn't something the British can really get involved outside of that one voice among many.

So the British getting angry with the Chinese because they are reneging on an Anglo-Chinese treaty and bullying a former British colony is arrogance, is it?

I wonder who most Hong Kongians agree with: me or you.
 

Serryah

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What proof?



How Britain isn't even saying SFA right now to China. Last one to 'stand up' in any government to China was Hunt, in July. And China told him to watch it then.

And I've looked for any reports *anywhere* that has people asking for war with China; absolutely nothing's popped up.

But there's opinions about what Britain should do, there's requests from those in HK for the UK to step up and do something... but nothing so far.

So... what's the Government's position?
 

Serryah

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So the British getting angry with the Chinese because they are reneging on an Anglo-Chinese treaty and bullying a former British colony is arrogance, is it?

I wonder who most Hong Kongians agree with: me or you.


No.

YOU are arrogant in thinking Britain should just go to war with China because HK WAS a colony, now it's not.

From what I've read, people in HK would love for the Brits to step up and say SOMETHING, but so far they've done very little.


You seem to think that because I keep saying the Brits can't really do anything but be a voice in dozens, it means I side with China.

Which is absolutely effin' wrong. Personally I hope something GOOD comes out of this, though the reality would be likely against that. At least I'm realistic though; not full of some vain-glory fantasy BS like you.
 

Blackleaf

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No.
YOU are arrogant in thinking Britain should just go to war with China because HK WAS a colony, now it's not.


The difference between me and you is that I think Britain is right to be angry at China for reneging on the treaty and bullying Hong Kong... and you don't.

That says far more about you than it does about me.
 

Serryah

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The difference between me and you is that I think Britain is right to be angry at China for reneging on the treaty and bullying Hong Kong... and you don't.

That says far more about you than it does about me.


That's not what I'm saying either.

Ugh, ffs...
 

Serryah

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Oh, yeah, definitely.


No, you mono-focused moron.

I have NO issue that Britain SHOULD be angry over what's going on in Hong Kong.

But it shouldn't have expected anything else. What I have 'issue' with is that you seem genuinely SURPRISED that China would reneg on the agreement.

What I have 'issue' with is your statement that the UK should go to war with China, over a piece of land that is NO LONGER a colony of the UK.

And as I've BEEN saying - Britain can say all it wants about the situation; it is now just a voice among dozens because to China, the UK DOES NOT MATTER.


I think it also says a lot that since July, no one in your Government, before and after BoJo got in, has said BOO about the escalation of things. If Britain IS as upset as you keep making it out to be, why is there nothing in the news about it? Why are protestors asking for the UK to step in yet there's no record of a response?

I've got a good guess: it's because they KNOW they can't say/do shyte really about the issue, other than 'express displeasure' all they want. In the end, China will do what it wants and there's nothing the UK can do.
 

Jinentonix

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Face it Blackie, naively believing that China would honour said agreement would be like believing the nazis when Chamberlain came back from Berlin waving a piece of paper saying, "peace in our time".
 

Blackleaf

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What I have 'issue' with is your statement that the UK should go to war with China, over a piece of land that is NO LONGER a colony of the UK.

We go to war with China because it reneged on an Anglo-Chinese treaty.

And as I've BEEN saying - Britain can say all it wants about the situation; it is now just a voice among dozens because to China

the UK DOES NOT MATTER.
I would say the UK matters more in this development because the Chinese have broken the promise they made to Britain and the treaty they signed. Of course it matters to the UK, you goit.

I think it also says a lot that since July, no one in your Government, before and after BoJo got in, has said BOO about the escalation of things. If Britain IS as upset as you keep making it out to be, why is there nothing in the news about it? Why are protestors asking for the UK to step in yet there's no record of a response?

I've got a good guess: it's because they KNOW they can't say/do shyte really about the issue, other than 'express displeasure' all they want. In the end, China will do what it wants and there's nothing the UK can do.
Johnson has made several comments regarding the situation in Hong Kong since he became PM:

The people of Hong Kong and many British MPs have urged Johnson to take action:



Last weekend, the zombie government in Hong Kong took little notice of the peaceful, defiant, dignified and polite protests that were emerging.

But as temperatures and tensions rise in the region, political solutions feel increasingly out of reach and international concern is beginning to grow.

Boris Johnson should be prepared to be drawn further into the developing conflict, as protesters demand Western attention. At the Power to the People rally held in Chater Gardens last Friday night, many of the estimated 11,000 attendees were waving union jacks.

Stars and stripes could also be spotted, and even colonial era flags were raised by protestors bathing in the neon glow of the towering HSBC building – the symbol of capitalist Hong Kong.

Organisers called for support from the USA and UK – and for Boris Johnson to declare that China had breached the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, which mapped out the future of post-handover Hong Kong.

“The UK is responsible for giving the city to an authoritarian state. The UK did not ask the Hong Kong people for their opinion in 1997 before they abandoned us,” says Ellie Wan, one of those attending the rally.

Many protesters I spoke to also called for Boris Johnson to offer holders of British National Overseas (BNO) passports full right of abode in the UK. The BNO passport, held by some 3.4 million people, could be described as a sort of Mickey Mouse British passport. It became available to Hong Kongers from 1985 to assuage their anxiety about the handover to communist China, but it only allows six-month visa-free entry to the UK as a visitor. It was once dubbed the “second-class passport”; but I think that’s generous. It’s not even recognised by the e-passport gates at Heathrow airport.

“China is definitely ruining the contract signed by the UK and China, so if the UK is still responsible for Hong Kong people, the BNO status should allow full rights,” says Ho Wing-tung, a Hong Kong student studying in Taiwan. She and her friend are holding a blue colonial era Hong Kong flag with the union flag displayed in the top left corner.

“This flag is about our unique history and our unique culture,” says Ho.

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/hong-kong-protests-boris-johnson-carrie-lam-china-a9072136.html
 

Serryah

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We go to war with China because it reneged on an Anglo-Chinese treaty.


Agreement, not treaty. And if that were the case, again, why didn't it happen in 2014 when China said the agreement was null and void?



And as I've BEEN saying - Britain can say all it wants about the situation; it is now just a voice among dozens because to China

I would say the UK matters more in this development because the Chinese have broken the promise they made to Britain and the treaty they signed. Of course it matters to the UK, you goit.


Agreement, not treaty. And if that were the case, again, why didn't it happen in 2014 when China said the agreement was null and void? (Repeated question, because you're not answering it)


Johnson has made several comments regarding the situation in Hong Kong since he became PM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFt7vbdNZKY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFt7vbdNZKY


From July 3, nothing more recent???


The people of Hong Kong and many British MPs have urged Johnson to take action:



Last weekend, the zombie government in Hong Kong took little notice of the peaceful, defiant, dignified and polite protests that were emerging.

But as temperatures and tensions rise in the region, political solutions feel increasingly out of reach and international concern is beginning to grow.

Boris Johnson should be prepared to be drawn further into the developing conflict, as protesters demand Western attention. At the Power to the People rally held in Chater Gardens last Friday night, many of the estimated 11,000 attendees were waving union jacks.

Stars and stripes could also be spotted, and even colonial era flags were raised by protestors bathing in the neon glow of the towering HSBC building – the symbol of capitalist Hong Kong.

Organisers called for support from the USA and UK – and for Boris Johnson to declare that China had breached the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, which mapped out the future of post-handover Hong Kong.

“The UK is responsible for giving the city to an authoritarian state. The UK did not ask the Hong Kong people for their opinion in 1997 before they abandoned us,” says Ellie Wan, one of those attending the rally.

Many protesters I spoke to also called for Boris Johnson to offer holders of British National Overseas (BNO) passports full right of abode in the UK. The BNO passport, held by some 3.4 million people, could be described as a sort of Mickey Mouse British passport. It became available to Hong Kongers from 1985 to assuage their anxiety about the handover to communist China, but it only allows six-month visa-free entry to the UK as a visitor. It was once dubbed the “second-class passport”; but I think that’s generous. It’s not even recognised by the e-passport gates at Heathrow airport.

“China is definitely ruining the contract signed by the UK and China, so if the UK is still responsible for Hong Kong people, the BNO status should allow full rights,” says Ho Wing-tung, a Hong Kong student studying in Taiwan. She and her friend are holding a blue colonial era Hong Kong flag with the union flag displayed in the top left corner.

“This flag is about our unique history and our unique culture,” says Ho.

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/hong-kong-protests-boris-johnson-carrie-lam-china-a9072136.html


I don't see anywhere in the article you posted about BoJo saying SQUAT yet. Why hasn't he if it's so important for the UK?? Also...



No one wants the Brits back of course; people like Ho and her friend just want Beijing to respect their identity and their existing rights. It’s not rocket science but compliance-obsessed Beijing just does not seem to get it.



By all accounts, Boris Johnson has quite a lot on his political plate at the moment – and none of it looks very appetising. The notion that the UK prime minister would antagonise an economic behemoth on the eve of Brexit and inflame an already tense situation in Hong Kong in order to support a colonial relic is hardly likely. The idea of Mr. Johnson persuading the anti-immigration contingent of his own party to make special provision for 3.4 million Chinese people to enter the UK legally to fulfil an obscure ethical obligation, dating back to 1984, is even more implausible.


Even the people in Hong Kong get it over you. You should listen to THEM, not your own twisted sense of superiority.
 

taxslave

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The British didn't merely hand over all control to China. They demanded the Chinese respect their freedom, democracy and wealth and all the other good things that the British Empire bestowed on its peoples. But the Chinese have gone back on their word. Britain would be right to take action.
As for saying "the treaty doesn't exist anymore" - can you explain to me why Britain and China would sign a deal relating to the post-handover life of Hong Kong that becomes null and void once Britain hands Hong Kong back to China?
Because the briddish do not have either the power or the balls to enforce it. CHina has both.
 

taxslave

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The difference between me and you is that I think Britain is right to be angry at China for reneging on the treaty and bullying Hong Kong... and you don't.
That says far more about you than it does about me.
Your comprehension skills, like your military skills are somewhat below zero. While we agree that some briddish pub dwellers are doing some mumbling your government, like ours does not have the balls to stand up to CHina. As I recall when Hong Kong was handed over there were many predictions that what is now happening would come. ANd it has. Since you have less naval power than any one port in China the CHinese don't give a flyin fukk what you think, do or say.
The moral of the story is don't deal with communist countries period.
 

Blackleaf

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Your comprehension skills, like your military skills are somewhat below zero. While we agree that some briddish pub dwellers are doing some mumbling your government, like ours does not have the balls to stand up to CHina. As I recall when Hong Kong was handed over there were many predictions that what is now happening would come. ANd it has. Since you have less naval power than any one port in China the CHinese don't give a flyin fukk what you think, do or say.
The moral of the story is don't deal with communist countries period.

Good to see you on the side of the Chinese.

And are you suggesting the Chinese Navy is stronger than the Royal Navy?
 

Blackleaf

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Agreement, not treaty.

Oh, that's alright then.

I don't see anywhere in the article you posted about BoJo saying SQUAT yet. Why hasn't he if it's so important for the UK?? Also...

Even the people in Hong Kong get it over you.
Not all of them:

“The UK is responsible for giving the city to an authoritarian state. The UK did not ask the Hong Kong people for their opinion in 1997 before they abandoned us,” says Ellie Wan, one of those attending the rally.


I find it rather disturbing that you would rather Hong Kong was ruled by China rather than Britain.
 

Serryah

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Oh, that's alright then.


Just correcting your post, as usual.


Not all of them:

“The UK is responsible for giving the city to an authoritarian state. The UK did not ask the Hong Kong people for their opinion in 1997 before they abandoned us,” says Ellie Wan, one of those attending the rally.


I find it rather disturbing that you would rather Hong Kong was ruled by China rather than Britain.


And where have I said I'd rather China be in control of Hong Kong? No where. Personally I'd rather see it be it's own Island Nation, but I'm also realist enough to know that would never happen.


And no, not all of them, but most do. And even this woman brings up that the UK ABANDONED Hong Kong without consulting them about the turnover.


But then you misunderstood what I said by the people of Hong Kong "get" it, also not surprising.