China’s assault on Cathay Pacific • Hacker News Board

Re: China’s assault on Cathay Pacific

#51

Post by paggle » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 4:57 PM UTC

johnzim wrote: post #26

toomuchtodo wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you’re a Hong Kong resident, what are your options? Can you flee the country with a visa to a first world country with rights less under pressure from a totalitarian state? Edit: I genuinely appreciate all of the replies to this comment as this humanitarian crisis unfolds.

In the early 90s many countries started opening up pathways for HK citizens fearing this - there was a lot of talk of "Brain Drain" in HK. Canada in particular did a great job of encouraging emigration. These days it's a little harder. The classic "HK passport" is the BNO - British Nationality Overseas which doesn't give you right of abode in the UK because racism. Asylum is also extremely difficult to achieve - you'…

Canada encouraged emigration to the point of completely fucking over Vancouver and Toronto housing markets.

Re: China’s assault on Cathay Pacific

#52

Post by pm90 » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 4:57 PM UTC

cltsang wrote: post #39

cdiamand wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks, I've read those and they're great, but I'm looking for something that's less of an analogy. Something that puts China in the context of modern geopolitics. Preferably helping me understand their development in the last century.

In that case I'd recommend The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower [0] by Hudson Institute's China expert. and Unrestricted Warfare: China's Master Plan to Destroy America [1] These are rather hawkish but unfortunately also nailing the truth. [0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20696000-the-hundred-yea... [1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/855077.Unrestr…

Any emergent superpower will want to replace the existing one. China hawks seem to rule Washington but Chinas prosperity has been beneficial for the rest of the world by decreasing the costs of electronics and manufactured goods. It goes without question though that the largest and most populous countries on earth will rapidly grow (barring geopolitical events that completely break the system) and eventually attain the status of coequal powers, if they manage to not start more wars.

Re: China’s assault on Cathay Pacific

#53

Post by devoply » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 4:59 PM UTC

Varcht wrote: post #15

erikpukinskis wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No disagreements with your base assessment, but how did the west create this situation? China has a longer continuous timeline than the western powers by far. Are the current political moires there not another node on that chain?

This type of argument always kind of bothers me as well, be nice to state it as "helped create" or something but then there is a lot to say for the old saying "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem".

Without the West's various investments and opening of trade partnerships and eventually ushering China into the WTO, China would be in nowhere near the position that it is in today.

Re: China’s assault on Cathay Pacific

#54

Post by seanmcdirmid » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 5:00 PM UTC

theseadroid wrote: post #49

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The protesters are more working class than the richer HKers with multiple passports. Sure, they can leave, but it is much harder for them to establish themselves in a new country. They can buy a plane ticket, but then what?

I'm not saying it's easy, but it's better than not having the option right? Many HKers have done this during the 90s when HK became part of China.

The richer ones did as a hedge, the poorer ones not really. There were more than a few economic immigrants from HK in the 60s, 70s and even 80s, but the jobs they could get were the ones we typically associate with economic immigrants (think Bruce Lee washing dishes at a restaurant, and the old China town feel). I’m not sure if that is very viable today.

Re: China’s assault on Cathay Pacific

#55

Post by spacehunt » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 5:00 PM UTC

llIIlIlIllIIlIl wrote: post #33

> When the Chinese aviation authority, absurdly, accused the airline of imperilling safety because its employees had joined the protests, Cathay dumped its chief executive. Question: Is there even remotely a legitimate security concern here? Let's say in a hypothetical scenario, the unrest spirals out of control into a state of complete desperation. The HK government and the CCP refuse to compromise on any of the fiv…

If this is the case, seeing that there are lots of people around the world who are sympathizing with Hong Kong protesters, shouldn't the security directive also apply to every airline worldwide that have mainland Chinese among their passengers?

Re: China’s assault on Cathay Pacific

#56

Post by seanmcdirmid » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 5:01 PM UTC

mytailorisrich wrote: post #48

I don't know if this is a coincidence but Cathay Pacific is symbolic of colonial times. The founders were not Chinese, the main shareholder has always been British, the CEO until a week ago was British. It's always been a western (anglosphere) company operating in China/Asia, not a Chinese company and perhaps the Chinese authorities want to make clear that it is now a Chinese company.

Air China owns 30%.

Re: China’s assault on Cathay Pacific

#57

Post by AimForTheBushes » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 5:03 PM UTC

Honestly, this shouldn't surprise anyone.

Re: China’s assault on Cathay Pacific

#58

Post by 29_29 » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 5:04 PM UTC

cdiamand wrote: post #12

Can anyone recommend a good book on China, or modern geopolitics?

The China Dream: Great Power Thinking and Strategic Posture in the Post-American Era

https://www.amazon.com/China-Dream-Thinking-Strategic-Post-A...

On China by Henry Kissinger:

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/on-china_henry-kissinger/26645...

Destined for War - Graham Allison:

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/destined-for-war_graham-alliso...

Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World:

https://www.amazon.com/Lee-Kuan-Yew-Insights-international/d...

See China with your own eyes!

I also recommend traveling to China. I found this to be very eye opening, and to be honest, despite all of our great problems it made me so thankful to live in a free country.

Re: China’s assault on Cathay Pacific

#59

Post by mytailorisrich » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 5:06 PM UTC

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #56

mytailorisrich wrote: post #48

I don't know if this is a coincidence but Cathay Pacific is symbolic of colonial times. The founders were not Chinese, the main shareholder has always been British, the CEO until a week ago was British. It's always been a western (anglosphere) company operating in China/Asia, not a Chinese company and perhaps the Chinese authorities want to make clear that it is now a Chinese company.

Air China owns 30%.

Yes, that's quite recent (10 years or so iirc) and that in itself means something.

The largest shareholder is still Swire (British HQ'd in London), and I believe that the departing CEO came from there.

Re: China’s assault on Cathay Pacific

#60

Post by komali2 » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 5:07 PM UTC

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #42

wbl wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Visa free travel to the US. The situation isn't that desparate yet. But I fully expect this President will toss them back into the jaws of tyranny.

Yeah, the US is cracking down hard on asylum rights. There's been a lot of people in dire conditions--fleeing human trafficking or government oppression--turned away from the southern border and sent home in danger of their lives, because they don't check all the boxes on the extremely narrow definition that ICE is using now.

Or, you know, locked up indefinitely in a cell.

The USA is explicitly anti immigration right now, asylum or no. We can't even get people in on working visas to our SF office that have worked here before. They get arbitrarily denied.