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I feel like you list conflicting reasons. I imagine as in most situations there is more than one root cause and this is a multi-factor problem. Economic inequa

I feel like you list conflicting reasons. I imagine as in most situations there is more than one root cause and this is a multi-factor problem. Economic inequality may be one of the contributing economic factors. Regarding your statement "Britain is as much to blame for this situation, they never had intention to grant autonomy". This statement does not touch on economic inequality but autonomy of the state. From what I can tell Hong Kong diverged from China on a cultural level where by many would idenify as being from Hong Kong over China which has a more homogeneous culture. You go on to say "they were very clever, as they did in every colony, to let the subsequent administration take the blame" which makes it sound as if a key objective of the transistion was to ensure subsequent administrations were to blame which is far fetched. This statement is followed by: "But they are the one to blame" where you put 100% of the blame on Britain.

dragonsh 7y ago
I couldn't disagree with you more. Economic inequality and no hope for future triggers world wars and revolutions. This bears same signs. If you see China as a single homogeneous place then there is no point to even argue. Even two individuals are not same painting 1.4 billion people with single brush, I can't even fathom. Hong Kong is similar in culture to few parts of China not all of China. As China is also diverse in it's own way. Hong Kong does differ in administration, judiciary and education which is still same in Hong Kong as granted under basic law. Today most of Hong Kong people are with Chinese Nationality i.e. Hong Kong passport with Chinese Nationality and all accepted on their own accord not by force. I do put 100% blame on British for current situation, when they reaped profits and economic benefit for 150 years, they left without significant economic or political reforms in Hong Kong on the contrary worked to safeguard their own economic interests. They didn't put a fight, because it will cost them economically. Did not offer British citizenship to all the Hong Kong people who wanted to choose British Nationality in 1997, which indicates they just considered Hong Kong as a colony for profit and economic exploitation only. That's the reason my point if Britain has any remorse and sympathy should grant British Nationality to all Hong Kong permanent residents, whether they take it or not is another issue. Indeed British should pay reparations to Hong Kong like they owe it to other colonies. [1] [1] https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2050394/does-britain-owe-reparations-india-and-other-former-colonies https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2050394/does-...
- Blackstone4 7y ago
  > If you see China as a single homogeneous place then there is no point to even argue. I said "more homogeneous". Please re-read my statement. EDIT - You make it sound like I completely disagree with you regarding the implicatications of economic inequality. I do not. I said it may be a contributing factor to a complicated issue. Clearly there are cultural differences between HK and China. I am not sure you have a firm grasp of English. >Indeed British should pay reparations to Hong Kong like they owe it to other colonies Hong Kong has a higher GDP per capita (46k USD source: World Bank) than either the UK (40k USD) or China (9k USD). So Hong Kong has been independent of the UK for 22 years and is richer than both the UK and China. Yet the current situation is 100% the fault of the British!? This screams victimhood. From what I can tell, the people of Hong Kong are industrious, intelligent and hard working. The fact that inequality is so high is that the rich are richer than ever before. Are you telling me that the people of Hong Kong and China in the 22 years since independence had no say in the governing and running of the country?! That they made no choices in how the country was run? That they share no responsbility? Often when things go wrong in former colonies, the people, rather than take responsbility and move forward in a constructive manner, they blame all their problems on the imperialists. Of course, the successes are of their own making but the mistakes and misfortune are laid at the feet of imperialists who have and will cause their country to suffer for forever more no matter what they do. This is not a binary issues so I'm not saying countries like Britain are not at fault. The answer is far more nuanced and not black and white like you painted. In order for people to to make a change to their lives they need to take responsbility for their own actions. As an example, Ireland has suffered under British rule for ~700 years but is now a successful, thriving, independent country.
  - heavenlyblue 7y ago
    >> Ireland Is it? You can find a straight-face porn studio next to a LinkedIn office and an embassy in Dublin. Guess who’s paying taxes?
    - Blackstone4 7y ago
      On a relative basis, I would say Ireland has done well. There are hundreds of countries which are worst off. It's easy to be critical. Name any major top 10 country and I could give you a litany of faults...

dragonsh 7y ago

I couldn't disagree with you more. Economic inequality and no hope for future triggers world wars and revolutions. This bears same signs. If you see China as a single homogeneous place then there is no point to even argue. Even two individuals are not same painting 1.4 billion people with single brush, I can't even fathom. Hong Kong is similar in culture to few parts of China not all of China. As China is also diverse in it's own way. Hong Kong does differ in administration, judiciary and education which is still same in Hong Kong as granted under basic law. Today most of Hong Kong people are with Chinese Nationality i.e. Hong Kong passport with Chinese Nationality and all accepted on their own accord not by force. I do put 100% blame on British for current situation, when they reaped profits and economic benefit for 150 years, they left without significant economic or political reforms in Hong Kong on the contrary worked to safeguard their own economic interests. They didn't put a fight, because it will cost them economically. Did not offer British citizenship to all the Hong Kong people who wanted to choose British Nationality in 1997, which indicates they just considered Hong Kong as a colony for profit and economic exploitation only. That's the reason my point if Britain has any remorse and sympathy should grant British Nationality to all Hong Kong permanent residents, whether they take it or not is another issue. Indeed British should pay reparations to Hong Kong like they owe it to other colonies. [1] [1] https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2050394/does-britain-owe-reparations-india-and-other-former-colonies https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2050394/does-...

Blackstone4 7y ago
> If you see China as a single homogeneous place then there is no point to even argue. I said "more homogeneous". Please re-read my statement. EDIT - You make it sound like I completely disagree with you regarding the implicatications of economic inequality. I do not. I said it may be a contributing factor to a complicated issue. Clearly there are cultural differences between HK and China. I am not sure you have a firm grasp of English. >Indeed British should pay reparations to Hong Kong like they owe it to other colonies Hong Kong has a higher GDP per capita (46k USD source: World Bank) than either the UK (40k USD) or China (9k USD). So Hong Kong has been independent of the UK for 22 years and is richer than both the UK and China. Yet the current situation is 100% the fault of the British!? This screams victimhood. From what I can tell, the people of Hong Kong are industrious, intelligent and hard working. The fact that inequality is so high is that the rich are richer than ever before. Are you telling me that the people of Hong Kong and China in the 22 years since independence had no say in the governing and running of the country?! That they made no choices in how the country was run? That they share no responsbility? Often when things go wrong in former colonies, the people, rather than take responsbility and move forward in a constructive manner, they blame all their problems on the imperialists. Of course, the successes are of their own making but the mistakes and misfortune are laid at the feet of imperialists who have and will cause their country to suffer for forever more no matter what they do. This is not a binary issues so I'm not saying countries like Britain are not at fault. The answer is far more nuanced and not black and white like you painted. In order for people to to make a change to their lives they need to take responsbility for their own actions. As an example, Ireland has suffered under British rule for ~700 years but is now a successful, thriving, independent country.
- heavenlyblue 7y ago
  >> Ireland Is it? You can find a straight-face porn studio next to a LinkedIn office and an embassy in Dublin. Guess who’s paying taxes?
  - Blackstone4 7y ago
    On a relative basis, I would say Ireland has done well. There are hundreds of countries which are worst off. It's easy to be critical. Name any major top 10 country and I could give you a litany of faults...