{"id":1471156,"date":"2022-05-11T08:17:07","date_gmt":"2022-05-11T12:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1471156"},"modified":"2022-05-11T08:17:14","modified_gmt":"2022-05-11T12:17:14","slug":"why-doesnt-hong-kongs-tragic-subjugation-get-as-much-attention-as-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-doesnt-hong-kongs-tragic-subjugation-get-as-much-attention-as-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Doesn\u2019t Hong Kong\u2019s Tragic Subjugation Get As Much Attention As Ukraine?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhy-doesnt-hong-kongs-tragic-subjugation-get-as-much-attention-as-ukraine%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1471156&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/HK-e1652206078518.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Hong Kong <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/hong-kong-committee-confirms-ex-policeman-john-lee-as-next-chief-executive-11652009425?mod=world_major_1_pos1\">\u201celected\u201d<\/a> a new chief while the world wasn\u2019t paying attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Hong Kong\u2019s current chief Carrie Lam will retire at the end of June. The selection of her successor has followed the rules Beijing dictated since it took control of Hong Kong in 1997. Beijing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2004\/04\/08\/hong-kong-interpretation-basic-law-serious-setback-electoral-reform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stamped out any hope of universal suffrage in Hong Kong in 2004<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Rather than letting more than 7 million residents in Hong Kong have a say in whom the city\u2019s chief should be, Beijing created a \u201cnomi\u00adnating committee\u201d (which has more than 1,400 members today), the majority of which are pro-Beijing elites. The committee would \u201cvote\u201d for a candidate from a list of candidates approved by Beijing. Beijing has ensured that Hong Kong\u2019s chief executive will always be its puppet through this arrangement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In previous \u201cselections,\u201d Beijing usually approved two or three candidates for the nominating committee to choose from, giving an illusion of an \u201celection\u201d even though the committee knew which candidate Beijing preferred. This year, Beijing dropped all pretense, so John Lee was the only candidate on the ballot.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Lee served as Hong Kong\u2019s security chief under Lam\u2019s administration. He helped Beijing crack down on the city\u2019s pro-democracy movement and enforced the draconian National Security Law.<\/p>\n<p>The National Security Law criminalizes any act of so-called secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with a foreign country or external elements, with a maximum penalty of life in prison. The National Security Law also gives Beijing unprecedented extraterritorial power to punish anyone\u00a0<em>anywhere in the world<\/em>\u00a0for advocating for democracy in Hong Kong.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Evidence that Democracy Has Already Died<\/h2>\n<p>Lee\u2019s hard-line approach didn\u2019t win him much public support. According to polls before last Sunday, Lee\u2019s approval rating was only\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/john-lee-former-policeman-poised-to-be-hong-kongs-next-top-official-11649244872?mod=article_inline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">35 percent<\/a>. He probably would have had little chance of becoming the city\u2019s chief had a general election been held. <\/p>\n<p>However, with Beijing\u2019s blessing,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/hong-kong-committee-confirms-ex-policeman-john-lee-as-next-chief-executive-11652009425?mod=world_major_1_pos1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1,416 out of the 1,428 members of the nominating committee \u201cvoted\u201d for Lee<\/a>. This means Lee will become Hong Kong\u2019s new chief executive by winning 99 percent of the ballots cast. Such irony has demonstrated how pathetic the Beijing-sanctioned \u201cselection\u201d process is.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another irony about Lee\u2019s \u201celection\u201d is that he will be the first Hong Kong chief under U.S. sanctions long before his term begins. In August 2020, the Trump administration imposed\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/hong-kong-committee-confirms-ex-policeman-john-lee-as-next-chief-executive-11652009425?mod=world_major_1_pos1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">economic sanctions<\/a>\u00a0against a dozen Hong Kong officials, including Lee and Hong Kong\u2019s current chief Carrie Lam, for \u201cundermining Hong Kong\u2019s autonomy after Beijing\u2019s imposition in 2020 of the national-security law.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>These Hong Kong officials\u2019 U.S. assets are frozen and U.S. persons and companies are banned from commercial transactions with them. Josep Borrell, the European Union\u2019s foreign affairs chief,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/hong-kong-committee-confirms-ex-policeman-john-lee-as-next-chief-executive-11652009425?mod=world_major_1_pos1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a>\u00a0Lee\u2019s selection as Hong Kong\u2019s chief \u201cyet another step in the dismantling of the \u2018one country, two systems\u2019 principle.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>National Security Law Silences Journalists<\/h2>\n<p>Unfortunately,\u00a0 the selection of Lee is hardly the only bad news out of Hong Kong. Reporters without Borders recently released the\u00a02022 edition of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/rsf.org\/en\/index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">World Press Freedom Index<\/a>, which assesses the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories. <\/p>\n<p>When this index was first established in 2002, Hong Kong ranked 18. Twenty years later, Hong Kong\u2019s press freedom score has dropped to 148 out of 180, only slightly better than Communist China\u2019s 175 out of 180.\u00a0Calling Hong Kong once \u201ca bastion of press freedom,\u201d RSF said the city had seen \u201can unprecedented setback since 2020 when Beijing adopted a National Security Law aimed at silencing independent voices.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>According to RSF, examples of Hong Kong\u2019s deterioration of press freedom include the government\u2019s forceful closure of two major independent local news outlets<em>,\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/06\/23\/media\/apple-daily-closure-intl-hnk-dst\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Apple Daily<\/a>\u00a0and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/12\/28\/media\/hong-kong-media-stand-arrests-intl-hnk\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Standard News<\/a>, in 2021 under the pretext of national security threats. In addition, \u201cnumerous smaller-scale media outlets ceased operations\u201d due to increasing legal risks. Dozens of Hong Kong journalists and media personalities\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/12\/13\/asia\/jimmy-lai-hong-kong-arrest-intl-hnk\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">have been arrested<\/a>\u00a0for \u201cnational security\u201d crimes since 2020, and some, including\u00a0Apple Daily\u2019s\u00a0publisher Jimmy Lai, are still languishing in prison.<\/p>\n<h2>West\u2019s Indifference<\/h2>\n<p>What\u2019s sadder than Hong Kong\u2019s demise as a free society is the silence and indifference from the rest of the world. While activists, corporations, and governments are taking a stand to help Ukraine preserve its democracy and resist Russia\u2019s invasion, very few talk about Hong Kong\u2019s worsening political environment. They have forgotten that Hong Kongers courageously fought for democracy in their city for more than two decades, including the famed \u201cUmbrella Movement\u201d in 2014 and the anti-extradition bill protests in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>There are likely three reasons for this collective silence and indifference to Hong Kong\u2019s deterioration. First, the draconian National Security Law and its broad applications have silenced many people, including those who live abroad, from expressing any support for Hong Kong\u2019s pro-democracy movement and activists. People are understandably worried they may have to face the Chinese government\u2019s harsh punishment if they speak up.<\/p>\n<p>Second, the danger Ukraine faces is immediate and highly visual due to Russia\u2019s invasion. Ukraine leaders such as Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky have gotten the world\u2019s sympathy by framing Ukraine\u2019s resistance to Russia as a historical fight for democracy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Hong Kongers didn\u2019t lose their political freedom overnight. It took more than two decades, and people outside of the city have been less alarmed by the gradual corrosion of residents\u2019 liberty. <\/p>\n<p>It is a typical \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/app.grammarly.com\/ddocs\/1571462725\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">boiling the frog\u201d syndrome<\/a>, \u201cthe failure to accept, acknowledge, or act against a problematic situation that will gradually increase in severity until it reaches calamitous proportions.\u201d Hong Kongers also have the misfortune that most of their city\u2019s elites, including many government officials, are more willing to sell out the city for fame and fortune than to advocate for people\u2019s political rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>China Has Weaponized Its Economic Power<\/h2>\n<p>Third, foreign governments and businesses have avoided criticizing China over Hong Kong due to economic interests. It is easier to take a stand against Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine because Russia\u2019s economy is no bigger than South Korea\u2019s. Other than the energy sector, criticizing Putin or ceasing business operations in Russia hasn\u2019t presented much economic sacrifice for many governments and businesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>China is the world\u2019s second-largest economy. Many foreign governments and businesses not only count on exporting their goods and services to China\u2019s large consumer market but also rely on China for supplies, from clothes to toys, to solar panels and materials for batteries for electric vehicles. Communist China has long weaponized its economic power to compel foreign governments and businesses to bend their knees and compromise their democratic values. China\u2019s approach is less bloody than Russia\u2019s invasion but still presents a serious threat to democracy.<\/p>\n<p>Hong Kong\u2019s fall from being one of the freest places in the world to merely another city under the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s authoritarian rule is one of the most tragic events in our lifetime. It\u2019s no less devastating than Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. If the rest of the world truly cares about defending democratic values, they should speak up and take a stand for Hong Kong, the same way they do now for Ukraine.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  This byline marks several different individuals, granted anonymity in cases where publishing an article on The Federalist would credibly threaten close personal relationships, their safety, or their jobs. We verify the identities of those who publish anonymously with The Federalist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hong Kong \u201celected\u201d a new chief while the world wasn\u2019t paying attention.\u00a0 Hong Kong\u2019s current chief Carrie Lam will retire at the end of June. The selection of her successor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":771,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1471156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1471156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/771"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1471156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1471156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1471156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1471156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1471156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}