Hong Kong :(

My understanding is that Bush Sr. was very good at crafting coalitions with the internation community to tackle issues.

Iraq 1 was supposed to be a masterful coalition.

I’m sure Trump and his Administration are eagerly awaiting China’s almost certain military crackdown response to the Hong Kong protests because it sets the precedent so that if/when there are similar anti-Trump protests in the US he can simply send in the troops to beat and arrest the “terrorists”.

Frankly, I’m more than a little surprised the GOP (or their minion groups like the Proud Boys) haven’t adopted the Chinese Government tactic of sending in their own people disguised as protesters to incite violence and carry out attacks against Trump supporters and police to attempt to turn public opinion against the real protesters. They’re probably just waiting until closer to the election to get the vote swing that would result.

We live in the worst fucking timeline, both here and internationally.

The HK police is super corrupt with their pretending to be protesters and then inciting violence as well as bringing down violence against those providing medical assistance to protesters…

Beijing has also been posturing with the local PLA hold anti-riot drills. Among countless measures, they exerted pressure by targeting Cathay Pacific, stating any staff that participated in illegal protests or activities will be denied entry into China

I would worry as street life down below will still be affected. They can’t stay barricaded inside their Ritz for undefined, extended period of time. HK is small.

That’s what scares me. Like you said, they’re just itching to move in and bring the hammer down. Chinese leadership will have fears this attitude could spread into China proper so they’re looking to smash this any way they can.

CBSN is streaming live video from Hong Kong airport right now. Protesters have built a barricade of luggage racks etc, police are on the other side a refined looking man in a business suit standing on the police side of the barricade yelling at them, apparently trying to stop them from going after the protesters. Police seem to have backed off for now.

This airport thing will likely be the point where the government decides that extra force is needed because it affects commerce.

I think your point was too subtle.

Folks, Tianamen Square was during Bush Sr’s presidency.

There is your answer. What did Bush Sr do during that? The answer is barely more than ‘fuck all’

Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later - but I have to admit I’m surprised that it’s happening now. I’ve always assumed that we were a decade or so out before the tipping point is reached.

I do feel like the timing of this is pretty ill-advised though - the pressure on China is going to limited with Trump and Brexit going on at the same time.

I don’t think timing was a thing. The heavy hand of China was coming down to pluck dissidents out of Hong Kong violating the original treaty. What the protesters are doing now is a natural extension of the original gatherings voicing their frustrations with their Beijing lackey mayor. I’m sure if they could choose the timing of this they would have wanted to do it when they knew America could/would support them by having a decent president.

Which is probably a non trivial reason why this is happening now.

Yeah, exactly, the timing was chosen by China, not by the protesters.

I understand that and that the timing of this new law in China is certainly not a coincidence.

My understanding is that the framing of the law around extradition is fairly limited. Of course, it will naturally expand to cover more and more types of “dissidents” but that would take time and I can’t shake the feeling that the outcome of this will look very different if it happens in 2022 vs right now.

Would love to be proven wrong in this instance though.

Yeah, if the international community didn’t do much in 1989, when China wasn’t what it is now, when I think it was still possible for Western companies to threaten to leave and be taken seriously, it’s not gonna do much now.

The reason it is happening now is that we have a President who has broken the international order and coalition for stability while giving China the green light to do it now. There isn’t anyone to oppose doing it now, and nothing to be lost by doing it now. So of course the Chinese leadership, who are not fools, do it now.

Exactly. The time is now for totalitarian regimes all over the world, from China to Russia, Iran to North Korea, to crack down, solidify their power and flex to the world because America (and the U.K. as well) is distracted by internal division and shitty leadership. China and Russia aren’t just fucking with America’s social media and trying to influence our elections for fun, they fully realize the potential gains to be made from a weak and divided America. If they could somehow push the United States to the brink of civil unrest/war in the leadup to the 2020 election, that would just be icing on the cake.

Blaming this on Trump is absurd to me. Communist China has never stopped oppressing deporting opposants in masse, and the only difference here is that HK’s name is known internationally, thanks to its past and maybe its movies.
The artificial unity of the country has always been the main concern and worry of China from my understanding, and to think they would let anything of that sort pass even remotely is dreamful thinking.

Yes, it is very strange indeed.

This has nothing to do with Trump. China has gone China through Republican and Democratic presidents. Arguably, Trump has done more to be antagonistic toward China than former presidents. In the end, it doesn’t really matter, because China likes to crush people with tank treads, regardless. Just like Putin invaded the Crimea on Obama’s watch.

I understand everything needs to have an “I hate Trump agenda,” but place the blame where it belongs here - China.

There’s enough stuff to hate Trump about without making it seem like China is his fault. Neither the Dems nor Republicans are going to stand up to their human rights abuses at this point.

It IS his fault that Cheeto Shitgibbon and his administration have no political will to actually support truth, justice and “The American Way” outside of meaningless platitudes sometimes when they are not actively and brazenly dismantling institutions and abandoning support for Taiwan and HK while they’re at it.

The problem with Trump, is that he’s parroting Chinese authoritarian talking points, trying to paint the protesters as criminals and rioters, rather than freedom fighters.