US President Donald Trump has described protests in Hong Kong as “riots” that China will have to deal with itself, signaling a hands-off approach to the biggest political crisis gripping the former British colony in decades. Millions have taken to the streets in the past three months to protest against an extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party.
The protests are the most serious political crisis in Hong Kong since it returned to China 22 years ago. They also pose the greatest popular challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012 and come as Xi already grapples with a Sino-US trade war and tensions in the South China Sea. Some activists have waved the US flag during the demonstrations, while Beijing has accused US officials of being behind the violent chaos and warned against interference.
Trump was asked by reporters before leaving for a campaign event in Ohio on Thursday whether he was concerned by media reports that China might intervene in Hong Kong and said the city had experienced “riots for a long period of time”.
Trump’s labeling of the demonstrations as riots is certain to rile activists in the Asian financial center who have called on the city’s government to drop the use of the word to describe the protests. On Wednesday, 44 people were charged with rioting for their role in one recent protest that turned violent when thousands of activists clashed with police near Beijing’s main representative office in the city. Rioting is defined under Hong Kong law as an unlawful assembly of three or more people where any person commits a breach of the peace. A conviction can carry a 10-year prison sentence.
This comment is most unbecoming for a leader of the free world–unless he happens to think like Vladimir Putin. He is acting like a Chinese poodle. It is in contrast to a fresh bipartisan call from Washington lawmakers urging the US President to take Beijing to task over threats to demonstrators.
Trump understands cash but not human values like human rights and freedom. He is condemned in his own country by his own people for his insensitivity to human rights and human dignity. It is a punishment for great American people to have a president who does not have the greatness of a great nation. America does not lie in thinking like a third world country that its own interest must come first.
We are glad that things are changing in China for the better. China has become a rich and powerful country by accepting economic capitalism. China should now strive for accepting that a country belongs to the people and hopes and happiness of the people must be an important consideration for their government. What is best for the people — let the people have the voice to bring to the attention of the government. The progress for development and stability must come protected by the people themselves. The fissure between the government and the people is not the way to peace and progress. The world has changed.
The people of Hong Kong have accepted Hong Kong to remain as a part of China and China also has accepted one China and two systems. The economic liberalism must be backed by changes in human rights situation.
China has benefited from this arrangement. The leadership in China is not to think too much about political control over Hong Kong when within the mainland China centralisation is being relaxed.
So there is nothing wrong for Hong Kong people to demand freedom against extradition to the mainland China where the system is still different. Logically also this idea of extradition from Hong Kong is unnecessarily creating an alarming crisis and the fear of being uprooted among the people of Hong Kong.
