PLA was doing innuendo charged manoeuvres for the past 2 months all over the province.
Today, they were finally moved to the HK bridge terminus.
They even plastered banners with something like "you got it" on their APCs
Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over
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Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over
#12I don't understand why HK hasn't done anything about this? I mean, the protests. This doesn't look like your average worker strike and people seem genuinely determined to get a change of direction. Anyone who has been involved with this, can you comment on the latest government response to the "demands" from people?
Because the HK government are Chinese puppets. They can't (and don't want to) do anything, because their communist overlords don't want to.
There's too many protestors to dissapear them all.
Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over
#13"Not sure what the HK protesters endgame is here." People are fed up about how the system works and about their life and the life of people they know. They want things to be "better" without having to clearly define and write a 167 page law that will probably not benefit them. People are expressing their dissatisfaction and IMHO that's a valid justification for protesters and good enough for me.
Everything you say seems correct.
The problem is that movements without specific, clearly defined policy goals tend to fail.
It is easy to come together to oppose some bad thing, but it is really hard to find consensus on what to do after the bad thing has been defeated. So while movements without specific policy goals can win elections, the usually cannot bring effective change.
Is independence the goal here?
Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over
#14Not sure what the HK protesters endgame is here. It's unthinkable that China would step down. If anything, they are forcing China to take direct action, because if they let HK do its own thing, it won't end there for China.
I am a Hongkonger. I think the protesters have shifted their target to HK airport because of its value in logistics and tourism. The airport is also a place with lots of visitors, who may be the potential witnesses if HK police did anything unreasonable.
Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
So they should stay at home and accept anything that comes from China?
I thought they should have stopped the protests when the administration suspended the extradition bill. But then again as it is, people are disappearing from HK and reappearing in Chinese jails, so maybe they are right to push on. It's hard to see them winning though.
The protesters announced that suspension seemed like a ploy to wait for a time when the public lost focus and reintroduce it again later. It's a pretty legitimate concern IMO.
Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over
#16Not sure what the HK protesters endgame is here. It's unthinkable that China would step down. If anything, they are forcing China to take direct action, because if they let HK do its own thing, it won't end there for China.
This year is the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen protests and the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China (to be celebrated on October 1st).
In January the Presidential election will also take place in Taiwan.
And, of course, there is also the tense situation between China and the US at the moment.
We can imagine a lot of scenarios and competing interests at play here.
Forcing China to take direct action may indeed be the goal of some of these interests, and China knows it.
Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over
#17"Not sure what the HK protesters endgame is here." People are fed up about how the system works and about their life and the life of people they know. They want things to be "better" without having to clearly define and write a 167 page law that will probably not benefit them. People are expressing their dissatisfaction and IMHO that's a valid justification for protesters and good enough for me.
The protesters may not clearly understand their own endgame, but the CIA certainly understands its own... which is to precipitate an armed crackdown that diminishes Chinese prestige - giving the U.S. further leverage in the current battle for global pre-eminence that is occurring between the two powers.
And no - I don't have evidence of CIA involvement, except for the somewhat co-incidental timing of the unrest relative to the trade war and the long well-known history of CIA involvement in such events. I will nonetheless consider disbelief - as conspiracy - to be the height of naivety.
Ironically - despite it's flaws and incumbent president, I still would much prefer the U.S. to win this particular bout of dirty Realpolitik - over an authoritarian regime that truly deserves it's comeuppance.
It's just a shame that the U.S. does this shit to authoritarian states and democracies alike (while also aligning itself with authoritarian states as well)... if and only if such choices promote U.S. interests.
It's also a shame that the HK people are going to be made to suffer deeply for this. They can't win - China can only lose... a little status. I have friends there. I hope they will be ok. :(
Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over
#18Not sure what the HK protesters endgame is here. It's unthinkable that China would step down. If anything, they are forcing China to take direct action, because if they let HK do its own thing, it won't end there for China.
They’re forcing China to change their current strategy which was to slowly and quietly impose their sovereignty. They’re putting China into a position where there are no good moves.
Maybe we’ll see a unilateral declaration of independence.
Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over
#19Not sure what the HK protesters endgame is here. It's unthinkable that China would step down. If anything, they are forcing China to take direct action, because if they let HK do its own thing, it won't end there for China.
Agreed. I don't think that HK have an actual plan here. They just protest for the sake of protesting. China will never step down and if anything HK makes it really really easy for China to claim more control now over HK because HK proves itself to be not in control of its citizen. China is the most important market in the world, no other country will intervene with China, especially not given that the largest country…
Luckily, for their own sake the people of Hong Kong aren't cowardly and acquiescing to the loss of their freedom.
Letting China get away with dominating Hong Kong isn't going to do them 1 tiny iota of good long term, if they ever hope to make a stand, the time is now.
Re: Hong Kong Airport shuts down as protesters take over
#20Not sure what the HK protesters endgame is here. It's unthinkable that China would step down. If anything, they are forcing China to take direct action, because if they let HK do its own thing, it won't end there for China.
Agreed. I don't think that HK have an actual plan here. They just protest for the sake of protesting. China will never step down and if anything HK makes it really really easy for China to claim more control now over HK because HK proves itself to be not in control of its citizen. China is the most important market in the world, no other country will intervene with China, especially not given that the largest country…
> I've been to China and Hong Kong. In China people looked relaxed, spent time relaxing in parks and socialising.
I assume you did not visited Xinjiang where Uyghurs are not really relaxing in parks.