UK extends visa rights to 3 million Hong Kongers

[Monoriu]

So China is screwing them over on jobs just like we had been.

Everybody needs to be globally competitive   

[Sheilbh]

It isn't just about politics.  Taiwan's economy has not been doing well for the past decade or two.  The iphone factories are Taiwanese owned, but they are on the Mainland, employing Mainland workers.  Closer economic relations with the Mainland promise greater economic benefits for Taiwan.   

Although on that example Apple are currently looking to diversify their supply chain to avoid being too reliant on China and I think are manufacturing some phones in India now.

But also let's not forget your GDP only view of politics is fairly unusual

[Monoriu]

It isn't just about politics.  Taiwan's economy has not been doing well for the past decade or two.  The iphone factories are Taiwanese owned, but they are on the Mainland, employing Mainland workers.  Closer economic relations with the Mainland promise greater economic benefits for Taiwan.   

Although on that example Apple are currently looking to diversify their supply chain to avoid being too reliant on China and I think are manufacturing some phones in India now.

But also let's not forget your GDP only view of politics is fairly unusual

Food comes first 

[Monoriu]

There is increasing talk among the pro-establishment faction in Hong Kong that the National People's Congress Standing Committee will interpret the Basic Law due to the UK's offer of citizenship to BNO holders.  What will happen is that any HKer who goes through with this will be stripped of HK citizenship, voting rights, welfare (the main thing being right to public housing, which in HK is a gigantic deal), etc.  These people will no longer be able to travel to the Mainland using existing documents (HK and Macau residents have a special permit for travelling to and from the Mainland).  They will be treated as foreigners, meaning they could potentially be barred from entering the Mainland. 

[Richard Hakluyt]

There are 1.4bn or so people in China; why worry if 0.25m or so take up the UK offer? The CCP is easily rattled it seems, but why?

[The Brain]

There are 1.4bn or so people in China; why worry if 0.25m or so take up the UK offer? The CCP is easily rattled it seems, but why?

Humanitarian considerations speaking against 0.25m people moving to a Brexit country led by a PM who has a single continuous blond moment?

[Monoriu]

There are 1.4bn or so people in China; why worry if 0.25m or so take up the UK offer? The CCP is easily rattled it seems, but why?

Not sure.  My personal view is that, for the sake of long-term governance of Hong Kong, it is best for the unhappy people to leave.  Replace them with Mainlanders who will be very happy to be able to access Google in HK. 

The most obvious answer is brain drain.  The people who leave tend to be middle class, white collar, professional types.  They'll take their expertise, and capital with them. 

Actually the colonial British Administration once held similar views.  About a hundred years ago, many Chinese workers wanted to leave Hong Kong for better wages on the Mainland.  The colonial government wanted to stop them from leaving, so they fired live rounds into the migrants. 

[Monoriu]

Another theory I think is that, if the rioters have an escape route to the UK, then they'll be emboldened to continue the fuss.  So Beijing feels that they have to do something to make this escape route less appealing.  If they have no choice but to stay in HK, they'll have no choice but to continue to work and stay quiet. 

[garbon]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/31/china-hong-kong-security-law-american-citizen-exiles

China uses Hong Kong security law against US and UK-based activists

Hong Kong police have issued arrest warrants for six pro-democracy activists living in exile, the first time the city's authorities have used a sweeping new law to target campaigners living outside Hong Kong.

They include Samuel Chu, an American citizen who lives in the US, Nathan Law, a prominent campaigner who recently relocated to the UK after fleeing Hong Kong, and Simon Cheng, a former British consular staffer who was granted asylum in the UK after alleging he was tortured in China.

Chinese state media reported that the six men were wanted for "incitement to secession and collusion with foreign forces".

The move comes a month after China introduced a controversial national security law in Hong Kong. China said the legislation targets the crimes of "secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces" and carries penalties as severe as life in prison.

Critics warned that it would be used to target legitimate opposition, and highlighted the unusual decision to make the law applicable to both Hong Kong residents and non-residents. That apparently gives China jurisdiction beyond its own borders.

Chu, who runs the Hong Kong Democracy Council, a Washington DC-based advocacy organization dedicated to furthering Hong Kong's freedom and democracy, is the first person targeted under this aspect of the law.

He said China was sending a clear message to other activists by ordering his arrest.

"I would really emphasize how outrageous this really is," Chu told the Guardian. "I am the first non-Chinese citizen that essentially is being targeted. I think they do intend to try to make this an example."

Several countries have since suspended their extradition treaties with Hong Kong, including the UK, Australia and Germany, as a possible safeguard against attempts to use the national security laws to round up activists abroad. The US ordered an end to Hong Kong's special economic status earlier in July.

Chu, who has lived in the US as an American citizen since 1996, said the charges amounted to China "targeting a US citizen for lobbying my own government".

"We always knew that when the national security law went into effect there was a very troubling and illogical, irrational idea that they were claiming jurisdiction over anyone who is not even a Hong Kong resident, who is anywhere in the world, doing anything that they deemed threatening," he said.

The other activists charged wereRay Wong, Wayne Chan and Honcques Laus.

Wong, who is currently in the UK, told Reuters the charges showed that the Chinese government was afraid of the advocacy work of Hong Kong activists internationally.

"I think they want to cut off our connection with people in Hong Kong ... it will make people fear that they may violate the national security law by contacting us," Wong said.

[grumbler]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/31/china-hong-kong-security-law-american-citizen-exiles

China uses Hong Kong security law against US and UK-based activists

Hong Kong police have issued arrest warrants for six pro-democracy activists living in exile, the first time the city's authorities have used a sweeping new law to target campaigners living outside Hong Kong.

They include Samuel Chu, an American citizen who lives in the US, Nathan Law, a prominent campaigner who recently relocated to the UK after fleeing Hong Kong, and Simon Cheng, a former British consular staffer who was granted asylum in the UK after alleging he was tortured in China.

Chinese state media reported that the six men were wanted for "incitement to secession and collusion with foreign forces".

The move comes a month after China introduced a controversial national security law in Hong Kong. China said the legislation targets the crimes of "secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces" and carries penalties as severe as life in prison.

Critics warned that it would be used to target legitimate opposition, and highlighted the unusual decision to make the law applicable to both Hong Kong residents and non-residents. That apparently gives China jurisdiction beyond its own borders.

Chu, who runs the Hong Kong Democracy Council, a Washington DC-based advocacy organization dedicated to furthering Hong Kong's freedom and democracy, is the first person targeted under this aspect of the law.

He said China was sending a clear message to other activists by ordering his arrest.

"I would really emphasize how outrageous this really is," Chu told the Guardian. "I am the first non-Chinese citizen that essentially is being targeted. I think they do intend to try to make this an example."

Several countries have since suspended their extradition treaties with Hong Kong, including the UK, Australia and Germany, as a possible safeguard against attempts to use the national security laws to round up activists abroad. The US ordered an end to Hong Kong's special economic status earlier in July.

Chu, who has lived in the US as an American citizen since 1996, said the charges amounted to China "targeting a US citizen for lobbying my own government".

"We always knew that when the national security law went into effect there was a very troubling and illogical, irrational idea that they were claiming jurisdiction over anyone who is not even a Hong Kong resident, who is anywhere in the world, doing anything that they deemed threatening," he said.

The other activists charged wereRay Wong, Wayne Chan and Honcques Laus.

Wong, who is currently in the UK, told Reuters the charges showed that the Chinese government was afraid of the advocacy work of Hong Kong activists internationally.

"I think they want to cut off our connection with people in Hong Kong ... it will make people fear that they may violate the national security law by contacting us," Wong said.

Yeah, no surprise that the Chinese Occupation Government is terrified that people will tell the truth and it will get back to Occupied China.  After all, that's always the fear of occupiers; that the people will recognize that the occupiers are far less powerful than the people.

[Zoupa]

There are 1.4bn or so people in China; why worry if 0.25m or so take up the UK offer? The CCP is easily rattled it seems, but why?

Not sure.  My personal view is that, for the sake of long-term governance of Hong Kong, it is best for the unhappy people to leave.  Replace them with Mainlanders who will be very happy to be able to access Google in HK.

They won't be able to access Google in HK. Once you're one country, one system, that's it. You're just another random overcrowded Chinese city. If you're removing library books, why on earth would you have uncensored internet access?

[Monoriu]

There are 1.4bn or so people in China; why worry if 0.25m or so take up the UK offer? The CCP is easily rattled it seems, but why?

Not sure.  My personal view is that, for the sake of long-term governance of Hong Kong, it is best for the unhappy people to leave.  Replace them with Mainlanders who will be very happy to be able to access Google in HK.

They won't be able to access Google in HK. Once you're one country, one system, that's it. You're just another random overcrowded Chinese city. If you're removing library books, why on earth would you have uncensored internet access?

Because Goldman Sachs care about Google but not library books

[Zoupa]

Is Goldman Sachs running Honk Kong now? I thought the Chinese Communist Party was?

[Monoriu]

Is Goldman Sachs running Honk Kong now? I thought the Chinese Communist Party was?

The foreign investment banks don't run Hong Kong, but they are important in keeping Hong Kong running.  Beijing has no incentive to make the HK middle class happy, but it wants to keep the investment bankers.  The internet is important to them, so it won't be disturbed. 

[Hamilcar]

Is Goldman Sachs running Honk Kong now? I thought the Chinese Communist Party was?

The foreign investment banks don't run Hong Kong, but they are important in keeping Hong Kong running.  Beijing has no incentive to make the HK middle class happy, but it wants to keep the investment bankers.  The internet is important to them, so it won't be disturbed.

I for one won't miss you when you're cut off in the near future.