HK isn't even a democracy, Carrie Lamb is the proof... She got chosen to push even more Commie agenda stuff into HK, below is a article from 2017 about her. The economy is imploding hard, HK going down the toilet with or without the Bill, the Bill is more about Humans Rights then anything else at this point... It will be overkill for their economy if passed tho, make no mistake about that, they are clearly aware of that in HK and fighting for their lives Perhaps it is a sense of duty which drove her to seek Hong Kong's top job. It certainly wasn't popularity. She lagged consistently behind her rival in public opinion polls during the campaign, dogged by allegations that she was remote and out of touch. She was finally elected on just 777 votes from an electoral committee dominated by pro-business and pro-Beijing figures. With only 0.1% of the public voting for her, I ask how she can claim a mandate to lead Hong Kong. "Well, I don't think it's a question of a number. The question is about legitimacy," Mrs Lam says. "And as you all know, the election committee by itself is formed from a much larger electorate representing broadly all the sectors in society in Hong Kong." But election committees are a sore point. In 2014, Hong Kong saw massive democracy protests precisely because protesters wanted the right to elect their leader without a committee screening the candidates.
Those global firms tolerated this treatment because they had no other choice. Now there is a strongman who reigns in this unethical and immoral overreach by China. So you are Asian American and lived most your life within your 4 walls and claim to be the expert on Asia because of your skin color? Alright, you are the self declared expert then, though your arguments are extremely weak. Let's see how this all pans out, I place my bets on the West that much is sure.
The only good thing about doing business in Hong Kong is the low tax rate and the rising real estate price. It will change tho, which is a sure thing.
I am not arguing as what you are saying is too broad to argue against. I do understand both the western and chinese sides points of views and agree what Trump is doing is reasonably correct. But so what. What you say is companies themselves will reduce chinese exposures willingly and on their own discretion (not due to trade policy/tariffs blah blah) as a structural business shift? Japanese companies can mostly be traced back to the war and the government and the post-war economy was centrally planned. Japan opened its capital acount to join OECD but put on multiple redtapes and invisible barriers to prohibit overseas competition/imports. US tolerated it because of the cold-war needing a strong ally in the east. China is in many ways what japan was but a much larger market. If companies don't understand these economic background and be suddenly surprised how unfair things are, they shouldn't be doing business in Asia to begin with. The wind might have changed, but those who have done the research and committed in the region will remain while some less committed might relocate
I just realized that there is no Chinese word for the word honor. Google translate give me something that means glory instead.
Or China will be forced by the global trade community to end its abusive practices. That looks most likely to happen.
That's what non-asians dont seem to get. If you have spent much time in Japan, you surely realise the many contradictions involving capitalist/democracy on the surface/in letter of the laws but protectionist/socialist in substance/practice, which are due to culture/contraductory postwar restructuring by US Japan/institutional conflicts etc. Many are deeply rooted in japan as if they define the japanese culture. Same goes to China. If China were to accept those demands, it would fundamentally have to change the social structure and put the communist party at risk. You have to understand Chinese history and fundamental mindset to see how impossible it is for them to accept. While from a western point, they are reasonable demands. It is a fundamental conflict between two different value systems. Can't reconcile.
So hk is "suspending" the bill now? I truly admire the mass hk crowd out there doing the protest amid such high tension and risking potential arrest. This scale of protest or antigovernment movement is impossible in Japan. Except some useless marches by either rightswing Yakuza or oldmen hikers
You argue as if we as internatinal community need to give a shit how the inner fabrics of Chinese culture work. Did we force China into the WTO community? No, China begged for it and agreed on the terms of membership which they subsequently disregarded and ignored. You are saying that the world has to understand the pre constitution Weimar Germany and we need to understand how Jews were troublemakers that had to be extinguished. There are international laws and agreements and there are universal concepts of decency ethics and morals that we should hold everyone accountable to when they join our international community. We don't need a PhD in China study in order to hold China to not steal, lie, bully. And I think we reached the point where we could not care less about the Chinese face saving culture. We say to China "get your shit together or we will squeeze and cut off your access to outside technology and raw materials and access to international markets because you have used up all our goodwill". It's really that simple. Let's not overcomplicate things.