Live data from Hacker News

China Seeks to Buy Control of Hong Kong Companies

bloomberg.com

11–20 of 63 posts

Re: China Seeks to Buy Control of Hong Kong Companies

#11
post #5

A significant number of the seats in Hong Kong government are voted/belong to "industry/corporations", and these have been able to decide the Government recently. China buying control of the corporations will further subvert the democracy.

> A significant number of the seats in Hong Kong government are voted/belong to "industry/corporations"

Sounds like they're pulling an America

Re: China Seeks to Buy Control of Hong Kong Companies

#12
post #5

A significant number of the seats in Hong Kong government are voted/belong to "industry/corporations", and these have been able to decide the Government recently. China buying control of the corporations will further subvert the democracy.

Sounds like their cup didn't runneth over with democracy even beforehand... that's bizarre. Like a modern House of Lords that just leans into giving corps a seat in government...

Probably more like the Corporation of London

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London_Corporation

Re: China Seeks to Buy Control of Hong Kong Companies

#13
post #5

A significant number of the seats in Hong Kong government are voted/belong to "industry/corporations", and these have been able to decide the Government recently. China buying control of the corporations will further subvert the democracy.

CEOs/industry could be boycotted induce political change. To mitigate that risk, China really should just have elected representatives as a political proxy. Then HK can have the same system we do where corporations really run the show.

Re: China Seeks to Buy Control of Hong Kong Companies

#14
post #5

A significant number of the seats in Hong Kong government are voted/belong to "industry/corporations", and these have been able to decide the Government recently. China buying control of the corporations will further subvert the democracy.

> A significant number of the seats in Hong Kong government are voted/belong to "industry/corporations" Sounds like they're pulling an America

It has been this way since 1997; Hong Kong is the only terretory I know of governed by a CEO.

Re: China Seeks to Buy Control of Hong Kong Companies

#15
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A significant number of the seats in Hong Kong government are voted/belong to "industry/corporations" Sounds like they're pulling an America

It has been this way since 1997; Hong Kong is the only terretory I know of governed by a CEO.

> Hong Kong is the only terretory I know of governed by a CEO

Many US counties have a similarly-titled head of government.

Re: China Seeks to Buy Control of Hong Kong Companies

#16
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A significant number of the seats in Hong Kong government are voted/belong to "industry/corporations" Sounds like they're pulling an America

It has been this way since 1997; Hong Kong is the only terretory I know of governed by a CEO.

The City of London has a system not too dissimilar.

Note: The City of London is not the same thing as London. It’s real weird.

Re: China Seeks to Buy Control of Hong Kong Companies

#17
post #5

A significant number of the seats in Hong Kong government are voted/belong to "industry/corporations", and these have been able to decide the Government recently. China buying control of the corporations will further subvert the democracy.

Rather like the City of London then [1] - not the only similarity between the two places. I think the system dates to British rule in Hong Kong, which became partly democratic rather late in the day.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London#Elections note: this is the City of London (~1 square mile) not the metropolis.

Edit: ninja'd by louthy and djcapelis

Re: China Seeks to Buy Control of Hong Kong Companies

#18
post #5

A significant number of the seats in Hong Kong government are voted/belong to "industry/corporations", and these have been able to decide the Government recently. China buying control of the corporations will further subvert the democracy.

Rather like the City of London then [1] - not the only similarity between the two places. I think the system dates to British rule in Hong Kong, which became partly democratic rather late in the day. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London#Elections note: this is the City of London (~1 square mile) not the metropolis. Edit: ninja'd by louthy and djcapelis

Towards the end of British rule in Hong Kong the Brits sought to make HK more democratic but were rebuffed by Beijing, as in the 1960s [1].

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/28/world/asia/china-began-pu...

Re: China Seeks to Buy Control of Hong Kong Companies

#19
post #5

A significant number of the seats in Hong Kong government are voted/belong to "industry/corporations", and these have been able to decide the Government recently. China buying control of the corporations will further subvert the democracy.

> A significant number of the seats in Hong Kong government are voted/belong to "industry/corporations" Sounds like they're pulling an America

No, since when America practicing functional constituency [0]? It was invented long before 1997 when HK was still under British rule, nothing to do with China, so I think you can take easy with whataboutism.

[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_constituency_(Hong_...

Re: China Seeks to Buy Control of Hong Kong Companies

#20
post #5

A significant number of the seats in Hong Kong government are voted/belong to "industry/corporations", and these have been able to decide the Government recently. China buying control of the corporations will further subvert the democracy.

Companies are buying the American democracy through lobbying and campaign contributions. The disastrous decision of the supreme court called "Citizens United" puts the US in a similar situation as Hong Kong. That's why the flow of foreign money (including Russian money) will not stop to influence US politics in the foreseeable future.
Post reply on HN