- Fascinating perpsective on neteps in Hong Kong h/t Pepe Escobar Archived Message
Posted by MikeD
on September 18, 2019, 5:51 pm
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CHINA MOVES SLOWLY, CAUTIOUSLY. BUT WHEN IT MOVES … It was suggested in this group recently that China’s public shaming of Hong Kong property lord -- and longtime shadow ruler -- Li Ka-shing was a watershed in the territory’s history. This unusual event also implies that Beijing may be nearing the end of its in-depth study of HK’s Cockroach Revolution and other, deep-seated problems. At the beginning of the turmoil, the CPC sent a high-powered team to Shenzhen to monitor developments in Hong Kong and report its findings to the Party leadership. Beijing openly promised a comprehensive, revised strategy to deal with the SAR’s problems. Since then several top-rankers have travelled to Shenzhen, including Vice President Wang Qishen, Xi Jinping’s close comrade and ace troubleshooter. Party chiefs apparently sussed out Hong Kong during their annual August retreat at the seaside resort of Beidaihe, near Beijing. According to a mainland insider, the Li Ka-shing fracas hints that a broader plan to deal with Hong Kong is falling into place. Key aspects: 1. Li, treated with virtual deference from the era of Deng Xiaoping through that of Hu Jintao, has fallen from favor. He has become a symbol of the “ancien régime” to be cleared out in the new era. 2. Hong Kong’s real estate sector, epitomized by Li Ka-shing, is no longer favored. Beijing has characterized the social problems brought on by high property prices as THE core problem of HK. The issue is also a warning that runaway real-estate costs in the mainland could spark an upheaval there. 3. Beijing has sorted through the rampaging young blackshirts. It is now tracking down the roots of the violence, notably those who have been inciting, funding and organizing the youngsters from behind the scenes. 4. The central government will no longer pander to Hong Kong’s wealthy businessfolk. This suggests Beijing’s work in HK will become less passive and more proactive, even aggressive. 5. The contest among various interests in Hong Kong will heat up. Beijing is preparing for a phase in its HK work that will resemble “intense, hand-to-hand combat.” 6. Beijing’s approach to Hong Kong is becoming focused, and its targeting of opponents is sharpening. The first card has been played. A list has likely been drawn up of the first batch of forces to be cleaned up. 7. In future, the various sectors in Hong Kong will have to take sides, as room for fence-sitting will shrink dramatically. Tapping the mainland’s huge markets and powerful patriotic sentiment, Beijing will see to it that enemies pay and friends prosper. Hong Kong seems set for a thorough reshuffling of its political and economic landscape. by Thomas Hon Wing Polin |
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