Hong kong was never "democratic". Britain ruled hong kong for about 150 years and never allowed democracy or elections until China forced them to return hong ko

Hong kong was never "democratic". Britain ruled hong kong for about 150 years and never allowed democracy or elections until China forced them to return hong kong. Oddly enough, Hong Kong became a "democracy" under Chinese Communist rule. Taiwan wasn't a democracy until fairly recently. Ironically enough, the first elections in taiwan was created by the japanese when they conquered taiwan. When the nationalist chinese took over taiwan, they banned elections. It was only within the past few decades that "democracy" flourished in taiwan. I suspect the only problem China has with the elites in hong kong and particularly taiwan are the pro-western elites. After all, Taiwan is a "client state" of the US and many of the nationalists and their descendents who rule taiwan are backed by the US. Look at how much hysteria and suspicion there is about Trump's unproven collusion with Russia. The nationalists and their descendents in taiwan actually colluded with the west. If china was really worried about "democracy" in Hong Kong, they would have simply not allowed it in the first place. And the idea that the elites of hong kong or taiwan care about democracy is simply not true. They, like all elites around the world, care about wealth and power.