That's a mature, bilateral viewpoint. Despite being raised anti-communist myself, after travels to China and Vietnam this decade, there's definitely two sides to every coin. That being said, I'm still in favor of Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan choosing their own path, and I'm 100% sure that path isn't communism.
The problem is China wanting to annex HK before the agreed 2047 date. If they're willing to break the agreement, it doesn't leave them on any leg to stand on for HK to wanting to reneg on joining the mainland. Macau will likely go along, Taiwan is a completely different animal and I never see them joining the mainland. I'm afraid China will pull a Crimea if they so wished to and the best the west can do is to get China back on board to the 2047 deadline, we won't get into armed or even political conflict just as we didn't with Russia. This way as many HK'ers who want to leave will as they have been doing since 1997
it's only 27 years. which isn't that long from now. that 50 years is for anyone who don't want to live under communist rule to adjust or leave. HSBC moved to the UK. and is planning to move back to Hong Kong HSBC is one of the largest banks in Asia and is headqaurter is in UK? Hong Kong is just port city or area, it was never a separate country prior British annexation of the zone. or port.
That's what I said, but if mainland wants to encroach into the politics and lawmaking of HK before the agreed date, then don't expect HK sit idly or reneg on the agreement themselves.
Let Kansas City and Miami decide for itself. If it was so this world would be in utter chaos. The supreme feature of western countries is a) sovereign rights, meaning a country can decide for itself how it wants to pursue its goals and b) that decisions are made in the interest and by the vote of a majority within a sovereign region. HK belongs to China, fair and square. (Taiwan is a more complicated issue). China can do in HK what it likes. We, as western nations may disagree with other sovereign nations' decisions but unless we want to stoop as low as other despotic nations we should mind our own business and not meddle in others affairs unless international law is violated.
You made one simple error: HK belongs to China. To nobody else. Even if China breaks its promises it made to HK it is if nobody else's business. Just as it is of zero business to the US whether Europe sources parts of its natural gas needs from Russia (Nordstream 2)or not. Europe does not violate any international laws with its decision. Would you like it if China or Europe told the US that it cannot lay oil pipelines from Canada into the US? Or if China dictated how the US runs policies towards Puerto Rico?
I think you are skating his real point, which is that one nation is meddling in the SOVEREIGN affairs of another country. It is irrelevant whether you like or dislike the policies of another country. It's not your backyard nor under your sovereign control. But you can voice wishes and wants of course.
Agree with you, but what if the US violated a federal agreement it has with California or Alabama? Should Europe, Russia, and China block US citizens from travelling abroad, freeze all assets and otherwise punish the US for something that lies squarely within America's sovereign territory?
Sure, just don't expect the world to sit idly by. The world is free to embargo China and turn it into Cuba for not respecting agreements. After all, it's every country's decision if they want to deal economically w/despotic rule.