There is also more than likely genocide being conducted in China.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
And China makes tons of our stuff, so it's not like we are going to stop doing business with them overnight. People like their smartphones and computers, and other cheap shit.

Doesn't just about everyone who wants one already have a smart phone? Just how awful would it really be to have to keep using the one you have a while longer?

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by BamaJeepster:
Another shot:

Hmm... That looks like the backdrop of some anime.

It is. It's a shot from Akira showing Neo-Tokyo.

Yes, it was shown as a comparison to the first photo, which is real life.

Xi Jinping Will Have His Way With Hong Kong.

The people of Hong Kong deserve freedom. But deserve’s got nothing to do with it.

By
Tom Sauer

on
August 31, 2019

Imagine the sight of tanks and armored personnel carriers juxtaposed against a backdrop of once impeccable glass and marble department stores, freshly-abandoned street markets, and modern skyscrapers. Masked by clouds of tear gas as they menacingly roll through this 21st century metropolis, the People’s Liberation Army plows effortlessly through makeshift roadblock barriers, rolling over and crushing dozens of young student protesters—leaving a trail of intermittent screams and lifeless bodies in their wake.

It may not require a massacre or even a severe crackdown, but the totalitarian Chinese government will prevail in Hong Kong, regardless of the means required to do so.

Machine gun fire rakes the streets of Kowloon’s Nathan Road, perhaps the most iconic boulevard in all of Asia, as PLA forces advance south towards Hong Kong’s Cross-Harbor Tunnel where they gun down hundreds, perhaps thousands of unarmed protesters and clear the way for their march on Hong Kong Island.

Mass arrests. Martial law. Summary executions.

One can only hope we’ll never see such grisly scenes in the days and weeks ahead, but such events have become a very real possibility as Beijing begins to lose patience with the pro-democracy protests in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong. This widespread pushback is the latest iteration of resistance to Beijing’s tightening grip on Hong Kong, their financial and cultural gateway to the rest of the world. These protests have metastasized into the greatest challenge to the Chinese Communist Party’s power since the Tiananmen Square protests and subsequent massacre in 1989.

Sadly, and despite wishful thinking around the world that freedom might prevail in favor of the pro-democracy movement, the outcome of such a contest is all but certain. It may not require a massacre or even a severe crackdown, but the totalitarian Chinese government will prevail in Hong Kong, regardless of the means required to do so.
Protests in Hong Kong

Protests in Hong Kong

NO WAY OUT. NO BACKING DOWN.

Despite overwhelming widespread support throughout Hong Kong and abroad against a controversial extradition bill that will fundamentally change Hong Kong’s way of life, the simple reality is that there’s no true recourse against Beijing’s will. None.

Despite lip service and limited intelligence support from the West (possible, but unsubstantiated), their only real options at the moment are capitulation, prison, or death.

Yes, the PRC cares about its public image on the world stage, up to a certain point. Beijing has shown some patience with the protestors for the sake of keeping up appearances in upholding the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984. In 2017, their patience apparently ran out when the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that the declaration no longer has meaning.

For those asking how China will likely tolerate continued protests, the answer is simple: they won’t.

To predict the PRC response to persistent would-be-secessionists in Hong Kong, one needs to look no further than Xinxiang, Inner Mongolia, or Tibet. The empirics tell a consistent story, that China will act forcefully and decisively toward perceived separatist threats to maintain the integrity of their states as unquestionably unified.

Anyone, whether inside Hong Kong or out, who thinks there’s any real possibility that Beijing will listen and bend to the will of Hong Kong’s people doesn’t understand how power works in totalitarian dictatorships. The CCP has demonstrated countless times, from the Great Leap Forward to the Hundred Flowers Campaign, to the Cultural Revolution, that dissent will not be tolerated, and there are tens of millions of bodies to prove it.

For their part, the protesters have shown few signs of backing down. They view this as an existential threat to their freedoms and way of life.

“We have to keep fighting. Our worst fear is the Chinese government,” said a 40-year-old teacher who declined to be identified for fear of repercussions. “For us, it’s a life or death situation.”

Leaders in the movement, particularly among Hong Kong’s youth, made it clear over the weekend that they have no future in a fully communist and totalitarian dictatorship. That said, they have no meaningful way to resist.

They are unarmed and trapped on all sides by either water or mainland China. Despite lip service and limited intelligence support from the West (possible, but unsubstantiated), their only real options at the moment are capitulation, prison, or death.

There’s simply no way out for the protestors, and China understands this well.
Protests in Hong Kong, crackdown

Protests in Hong Kong

WEAKNESS WELCOMES AGGRESSION

The CCP pays attention to history and knows what they’re up against. Chinese state-run propaganda outlets cite examples from history of so-called “color revolutions,” or those like it around the world that lead to (mostly) peaceful attempts at overthrowing totalitarian or otherwise oppressive regimes.

A full-scale, Tiananmen-style armed crackdown on Hong Kong is possible, but it’s an unlikely and undesirable last resort for the PRC.

The CCP rightly views these protests as a direct challenge to their sovereignty over the largest nation on earth, as it would likely embolden calls for Hong Kong independence, followed by a contagion of freedom that would further destabilize CCP authority in the Chinese mainland. Previous examples from the USSR, the Balkans, and the Middle East are cautionary tales for China, and they point the finger at the “black hand” of the United States and her allies for corrupting the populace and fomenting a subversion of Beijing’s authority.

From the CCP’s perspective, giving in to protestor demands won’t quell the disruption. It will only make the situation worse. They’ve seen this movie before.

Make no mistake: if necessary, they’ll kill thousands if that’s what it takes to stay in power, regardless of the cost. They’ve done it before, and they’ll do it again if they have to.

Deng Xiaoping acknowledged that the massacre of Tiananmen, although “painful,” was necessary to “achieve the common good” and maintain the stability and security of the most murderous regime in human history. Sadly, it worked.

That said, a full-scale, Tiananmen-style armed crackdown on Hong Kong is possible, but it’s an unlikely and undesirable last resort for the PRC.

For example, the Soviets’ crackdown in Hungary in 1956 tarnished their already horrible reputation around the world, even among communist sympathizers in the West. Not only would China lose significant political capital on the world stage, but they would also suffer an outflow of foreign capital from one of the most important financial centers on earth. Despite China’s move towards its own closed, international economy through their Belt and Road Initiative, they would likely see dramatic diplomatic and economic sanctions from their critical trade partners in the West.

What’s an authoritarian dictator like Xi to do?

A “SOFT” CRACKDOWN THAT’S ALREADY BEGUN

From Beijing’s perspective, there are easier and far more palatable ways to achieve the same desired results, and they’ve been carrying it out for months. Despite thinly-veiled threats of an armed invasion by the People’s Armed Police Force, China appears to have adopted a multi-pronged strategy using fear, arrests, state-run propaganda, organized crime, and tactical patience.

Pro-Beijing and state-run media outlets have flooded broadcast and social media across the world in an attempt to reframe the narrative as a choice between security, safety, and prosperity versus chaos, instability, and lawlessness. Beijing is much more media-savvy than they were 30 years ago, and are attempting to influence the mainland and Hong Kong youth through a variety of information campaigns, to include the hashtag #SaveHongKong, and even anti-democracy rap videos:

The CCP also enlisted the vocal support of the world’s most famous living Hongkonger, Jackie Chan:

In addition to fighting the information war for control of the political narrative, Beijing appears to be using organized crime to subvert and intimidate the protesters, sending gangs of armed men to attack and terrorize them.

Finally, Beijing appears to exercise tactical patience by allowing the chaos on the streets, the continued disruption of ordinary life, and the breakdown of law and order to wear on both the protesters and the rest of the populace, who may very well turn against the student activists over time.

State-run media is capitalizing on this and amplifying the message:

Classes are scheduled to resume at Hong Kong’s universities in September, and there’s an expectation by some that many of the student-protesters will run out of steam and return to class. Whether or not this will happen remains to be seen, but the PRC is betting that the movement’s enthusiasm will dissipate over time and a desire for stability will eventually win out.

Rest assured that, as the protests, disorder, and violence simmers, Beijing is identifying leaders within the movement. We’ve already seen examples of this in recent days with the coordinated arrests of pro-Hong Kong independence leaders Andy Chan, Agnes Chow, and Joshua Wong.

AN EYE ON THE LONG GAME

Although a mainland invasion and military occupation of Hong Kong is still on the table, it’s far more likely Beijing will find more subdued ways to impose its will on Hong Kong. China is patient; while the West thinks in weeks and months, Beijing thinks in decades and centuries. This is fully in line with their plans to become the dominant global hegemon by 2049.

According to the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, Hong Kong will be formally and fully absorbed by the People’s Republic by 2047, but if the CCP decides to accelerate that timeline, there’s almost nothing anyone can do to stop it.

Coverage of the ongoing protests has highlighted sympathy for Hong Kong’s democratic yearnings, as well as criticism against an increasingly authoritarian Chinese response, but ultimately this international spotlight does little to change the reality of the situation.

Regardless of the means, a sad and dismal outcome in Hong Kong is all but certain.

Xi Jinping will get his way, one way or another.

https://humanevents.com/2019/0...3A%2F%2Face.mu.nu%2F

China historically and culturally plays the long game. They think in terms of millennia while most cultures think generationally. If the world does not intervene with Hong Kong (they will not) China will pull them back into the body politic.

quote:

China will pull them back into the body politic.

Except there is no 'body politic'. There is the CCP which rules with an iron fist. The 'people' get in line, or get killed. Communism = tyranny.

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
China has never won a war of any consequence with a foreign opponent. They lost to Mongolia, Taiwan, Japan. And despite the efforts of the party to control everything, there's just too many damn people to keep track of. Many laws and regulations are not enforced. They cannot simply shut down cellular communications to stop video of using force in HK from getting out, not without affecting too many other things.

China is very very interested in keeping up appearances and making things look good on the surface. Why? Because there's a billion people there who haven't benefitted much from the economic expansion. The cities are filled with millionaires and billionaires (well connected of course) driving exotic cars and spending fortunes on imported luxury goods and 2-3x the price we pay here. The party is most worried about internal revolution, as they should be.

The sure haven't because they were too busy fighting within. In WWII they had the commies fighting Chiang for control of the country rather than uniting to fight the Japanese who absolutely destroyed China.

For this reason, I think this would be an opportune time to topple China by supplying the poor with weapons. Let them all kill each other and decide their fate that way. We don't need their cheap shit, we can bring our manufacturing back here. Sorry ass sweat shop companies like Nike will take a beating but we are better off without them.

If there is an international movement of force on this, which there won't be, I bet the north koreans would have to be really concerned as they share a border and there would be no one else to prop up their "government."

Here in Orlando we have Chinese "investors" paying $500,000 cash for homes, they're buying them 10-20 at a time and renting them out.

China can go to hell. Nothing but a bunch of hypocrites who enslave people.

My grandparents said of the commies during the Mao regime: we were always hungry...

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:

quote:

China will pull them back into the body politic.

Except there is no 'body politic'. There is the CCP which rules with an iron fist. The 'people' get in line, or get killed. Communism = tyranny.

Perhaps I should have put quotes around body politic; that was a sarcastic poke at the lack of same.

Subtle as a Brick Through a Window...
Posted on July 15, 2020 by sundance

For those paying close attention, it appears the background geopolitical economic cold-war between President Trump and China has intensified. As a consequence, all U.S. entities who have cemented their affluence in a partnership with Beijing are now in a position of considerable risk.

The executive order signed yesterday by President Trump supports the liberty of Hong Kong yet accepts an unfortunate reality; a full communist movement to control HK is a foregone conclusion.

[…] I therefore determine that the situation with respect to Hong Kong, including recent actions taken by the PRC to fundamentally undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy, constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in substantial part outside the United States, to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. I hereby declare a national emergency with respect to that threat.

[…] Sec. 4. All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person, of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in:

(a) Any foreign person determined by the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, or the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:

(i) to be or have been involved, directly or indirectly, in the coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning of individuals under the authority of, or to be or have been responsible for or involved in developing, adopting, or implementing, the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Administrative Region;

(ii) to be responsible for or complicit in, or to have engaged in, directly or indirectly, any of the following:

(A) actions or policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions in Hong Kong;

(B) actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, stability, or autonomy of Hong Kong;

(C) censorship or other activities with respect to Hong Kong that prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of freedom of expression or assembly by citizens of Hong Kong, or that limit access to free and independent print, online or broadcast media; or

(D) the extrajudicial rendition, arbitrary detention, or torture of any person in Hong Kong or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights or serious human rights abuse in Hong Kong;

(iii) to be or have been a leader or official of:

(A) an entity, including any government entity, that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, any of the activities described in subsections (a)(i), (a)(ii)(A), (a)(ii)
(B), or (a)(ii)(C) of this section; or

(B) an entity whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.

(iv) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this section;

(v) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this section; or

(vi) to be a member of the board of directors or a senior executive officer of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this section.

(b) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted before the date of this order. (read more)

The confiscation of wealth and property for any entity, including Americans, who support the efforts of the Chinese Communists is a very significant up-tick in the Trump administration position toward China.

Simultaneously Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted out this rather tongue-in-cheek picture of his pup’s favorite chew toy:



https://theconservativetreehou...indow-2/#more-196793

I was there yesterday. Hong Kong used to be one of my favorite places. Presently, it sucks.

It takes two hours to get past the airport on arrival, between the bus ride to the convention center, spitting in a cup and the lengthy instruction on how, the paperwork, and then the subsequent quarantine, it's great. Not.

They just cancelled the weekend elections because too many pro-democracy people won races and would put them in the majority.

So China just used their newly passed "Ehhh, whatever..." law to say NOPE! to the results.

Hong Kong used to be one of the best places in the world. I was last there about 6 weeks ago and they were fully open downtown. Have not had the pleasure of the spit test or any quarantine though.

Shit is about to get real there.

Hong Kong is done.

The inhabitants will lose everything.

Lose everything to whom?

Have you seen a typical apartment in Hong Kong?

That's the whole apartment.

The one way they can resist, is take advantage of having engineers and chemists, etc as members of their resistance.

A) Make guns.
B) Make and deploy chemical weapons against the Communists.
C) IEDs against communist soldiers.

It will be awful and messy. We lost 3% of our population getting free of the English dictator.

What a shame that place has become. I was born there under British rule. Really want to bring my daughter back to visit but I don't think that will happen with the way things have gone and the way they're headed.

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
The one way they can resist, is take advantage of having engineers and chemists, etc as members of their resistance.
A) Make guns.
B) Make and deploy chemical weapons against the Communists.
C) IEDs against communist soldiers.

It will be awful and messy. We lost 3% of our population getting free of the English dictator.

All of that may happen, and it will be awful and messy. But still, in the end, Hong Kong is done. What's left of it won't be what any of us remembers as Hong Kong. It's China now. The people living there wish they could have the autonomy they enjoyed, but China will continue to slowly squeeze them like a boa constrictor.

I have not been back to Hong Kong since the rona. Have family there... I can only imagine.

I worry about Taiwan as well. It is likely just a matter of time. If pretty much anyone other than Trump is prez after Jan 2021 China can do whatever they like and nothing will be said.

Hong Kong's toast. China is marching towards reclaiming it's lost territories- Macau and Hong Kong were the first 2 and Taiwan's the last one (I think). It's an official policy and goal.

Woe be unto those who stand in it's way.