When Hong Kong was handed over to China on July 1, 1997, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate their return to the motherland. The drug of a "greater China" worked on Hong Kongers' nationalist sentiments to great effect, confusing their brains and blurring their vision so that they could not distinguish which value is higher, the concept of a greater China or their personal freedom.
Seven years later, the memory of this joyous scene is still fresh. But more than 500,000 people hit the streets once again to protest Beijing's autocracy, which has deprived them of their freedom to directly elect their chief executive in 2007 and lawmakers in 2008. Over the past seven years, freedom, the economy and social culture in Hong Kong have all deteriorated. In the people's own words, the territory is becoming more and more like China's hinterland.
Hong Kongers used to think that they could be more proud to be a colony of China than of the UK. Unexpectedly, their status has declined sharply within a decade after they returned to the arms of the motherland. Before the handover, the people of Hong Kong who frequently entered and left China were proud of themselves. What the Chinese people envy the most about Hong Kongers is not the cash in their hands, but their freedom to cross the border between the two places, as well as their freedom to speak, sing and do business without any mental and physical threats or restrictions that may endanger their own safety.
Unfortunately, the territory's media long ago introduced self-censorship of news, its entertainers have learned to speak with a Beijing accent and its businesspeople have learned not to express their political opinions. Not long ago, three famous local talkshow hosts did not behave themselves and even criticized Beijing boldly.
But they were forced to shut up and eventually resign their posts after receiving death threats. In fact, half a million Hong Kongers took to the streets on the torrid summer days of this and last year simply because they have already had a taste of the bitter, poisonous medicine that the Chinese people have suffer for over half a century. Thus, they have just begun to experience the bitterness of being a Chinese citizen.
Nevertheless, having known the taste of freedom in the past, people in Hong Kong understand that only by fighting Beijing can they truly protect themselves. The massive demonstration last year successfully aborted the implementation of Article 23 of the territory's Basic Law.
The major demonstration this year will also restrain Beijing's impudence. The Hong Kong example serves as an inspiration to the oppressed Taiwan: we can only protect our own businesspeople, entertainers, and this democratic and free country, if we unite together against Beijing.
Cao Chang-qing is a writer based in New York.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
In the event of a war with China, Taiwan has some surprisingly tough defenses that could make it as difficult to tackle as a porcupine: A shoreline dotted with swamps, rocks and concrete barriers; conscription for all adult men; highways and airports that are built to double as hardened combat facilities. This porcupine has a soft underbelly, though, and the war in Iran is exposing it: energy. About 39,000 ships dock at Taiwan’s ports each year, more than the 30,000 that transit the Strait of Hormuz. About one-fifth of their inbound tonnage is coal, oil, refined fuels and liquefied natural gas (LNG),
To counter the CCP’s escalating threats, Taiwan must build a national consensus and demonstrate the capability and the will to fight. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) often leans on a seductive mantra to soften its threats, such as “Chinese do not kill Chinese.” The slogan is designed to frame territorial conquest (annexation) as a domestic family matter. A look at the historical ledger reveals a different truth. For the CCP, being labeled “family” has never been a guarantee of safety; it has been the primary prerequisite for state-sanctioned slaughter. From the forced starvation of 150,000 civilians at the Siege of Changchun
The two major opposition parties, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), jointly announced on Tuesday last week that former TPP lawmaker Chang Chi-kai (張啟楷) would be their joint candidate for Chiayi mayor, following polling conducted earlier this month. It is the first case of blue-white (KMT-TPP) cooperation in selecting a joint candidate under an agreement signed by their chairpersons last month. KMT and TPP supporters have blamed their 2024 presidential election loss on failing to decide on a joint candidate, which ended in a dramatic breakdown with participants pointing fingers, calling polls unfair, sobbing and walking
In recent weeks, Taiwan has witnessed a surge of public anxiety over the possible introduction of Indian migrant workers. What began as a policy signal from the Ministry of Labor quickly escalated into a broader controversy. Petitions gathered thousands of signatures within days, political figures issued strong warnings, and social media became saturated with concerns about public safety and social stability. At first glance, this appears to be a straightforward policy question: Should Taiwan introduce Indian migrant workers or not? However, this framing is misleading. The current debate is not fundamentally about India. It is about Taiwan’s labor system, its
RSS