TURMOIL IN HONG KONG

The Hong Kong pro-democracy protests: They’re still going on.

With the modern news media machine being what it is, you’ll undoubtedly have heard the name “Hong Kong” a million times by now. And at this point, it’s probably just another bit of white noise to filter out, a concern you can’t be bothered to reflect on anymore, but the story is ever-evolving.

The protests that have been occurring since March of this year have maintained a steady escalation in both violence and media coverage. Protesters continue to clash in fierce standoffs with the police, yet no real movement toward amicable resolution has been offered by China, despite pro-democracy leaders winning a massive majority in Hong Kong’s district council in recent elections.

The latter still have little authority to dictate their own future without the cooperation of leaders in mainland China and the chief executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam.

However, with President Trump somewhat reluctantly signing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act after it passed nearly  unanimously in both the U.S. House and Senate, a certain level of global pressure has now been applied to China that might officially begin a slow turn toward appeasement for the weary protesters.

The Act aims to institute a yearly review of the United States’ special trade agreement with the region, in accordance with their maintenance of human rights. It also prevents the export of nonlethal riot equipment, such as tear gas, tasers, and rubber bullets, from the U.S. to China.

But things are never so simple and perhaps it’s just wishful thinking, especially in light of the recent retorts from the Chinese foreign ministry.

“We urge the U.S. To grasp the situation, stop its wrongdoing before it’s too late, prevent this Act from becoming law and immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs,” a ministry spokesman is reported to have said. “If the U.S. continues to make the wrong moves, China will be taking strong countermeasures for sure.”

True to their word, as of Dec. 2, China has declared that U.S. warships and military aircraft will no longer be allowed to make stops in Hong Kong due to so called “bullying behavior” by America. As tensions rise between the United States and China, it’s likely to prevent further mutually beneficial interactions from taking place for the foreseeable future, such as Trump’s proposed trade deal, which now finds itself in jeopardy.

That’s where the current state of affairs finds itself, and so it seems the protests are destined to continue. With any luck, there won’t be any further escalation of violence as police continue to exchange Molotovs (flaming cocktails) and tear gas with protesters, especially with rumors of police brutality already weighing over the whole situation.

For now, unless you want to fly to Hong Kong and participate in the protests yourself, arguably the best way to show support for the pro- democracy movement is to vote for American candidates who support Hong Kong, in both local and national elections.