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China isn't like the US, where Apple can use their trillions and lawyer up. China will just shut you down and take your shit. Guess where hkmap.live and the Chi

China isn't like the US, where Apple can use their trillions and lawyer up. China will just shut you down and take your shit. Guess where hkmap.live and the Chinese App Store employees responsible for approving it end up when that happens. Similarly if the "moral" thing for these companies to do is to divest from China, then HK will only be served by Chinese companies, and good luck trying to provide a police tracking app there too. This is totally different from the Rockets situation, where it really is just a matter of principle over money. If Morey and the NBA stick to their guns, the NBA can just leave China, and other than some hazy concepts of goodwill and cultural exchange, nothing is lost except money. I'd rather have Apple and others in China than without. A Chinese company capitulates immediately to the government, a multinational at least can put up some semblance of resistance, with international relations as a bargaining chip.

Thorrez 7y ago
>Similarly if the "moral" thing for these companies to do is to divest from China, then HK will only be served by Chinese companies Would it be possible to divest from all of China except Hong Kong?
- wonnage 7y ago
  No, because unlike Taiwan, Hong Kong is internationally recognized (as well as by its own government) as a part of China. The Qing government declared a war on drugs in the 1800s, and started seizing and destroying British opium shipments. The British retaliated by occupying HK and forced the Qing to cede it, resulting in a 99 year lease. So while the other concessions were returned to China after the modern era began, Hong Kong remained British until 1997. Come 1997, the Brits tried to tie various conditions on the return, mostly around them maintaining control over the government despite the territory now being owned by China. These were made under the guise of protecting freedom, but arguments can be made that they were just trying to hold on to some power. Given relative weakness of China at the time, they eventually agreed to this One Country, Two Systems compromise you might've heard of. All this is to say, it's complicated; China has actually adhered to most aspects of it to date - there's no Great Firewall, HKers have their own passports, various freedoms of speech and assembly you'd be familiar with in the West. But it has no sovereignty of its own, and is very vulnerable to China encroaching on its citizens.

Thorrez 7y ago

>Similarly if the "moral" thing for these companies to do is to divest from China, then HK will only be served by Chinese companies Would it be possible to divest from all of China except Hong Kong?

wonnage 7y ago
No, because unlike Taiwan, Hong Kong is internationally recognized (as well as by its own government) as a part of China. The Qing government declared a war on drugs in the 1800s, and started seizing and destroying British opium shipments. The British retaliated by occupying HK and forced the Qing to cede it, resulting in a 99 year lease. So while the other concessions were returned to China after the modern era began, Hong Kong remained British until 1997. Come 1997, the Brits tried to tie various conditions on the return, mostly around them maintaining control over the government despite the territory now being owned by China. These were made under the guise of protecting freedom, but arguments can be made that they were just trying to hold on to some power. Given relative weakness of China at the time, they eventually agreed to this One Country, Two Systems compromise you might've heard of. All this is to say, it's complicated; China has actually adhered to most aspects of it to date - there's no Great Firewall, HKers have their own passports, various freedoms of speech and assembly you'd be familiar with in the West. But it has no sovereignty of its own, and is very vulnerable to China encroaching on its citizens.