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My Take | Others cannot solve our own problems

Opposition figures are wrong to think they can run to London or Washington to internationalise conflicts between Hong Kong and the mainland

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Former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten is shouting in an echo chamber, Alex Lo writes. Photo: Edward Wong
Alex Loin Toronto

No well-functioning government in the world would tolerate outside interference.

Whatever you think about the central government, it is behind a well-functioning state. So, besides the historical sensitivity of Chinese to Western meddling, it’s just a function of the modern sovereign state to resist outsiders sticking their noses where they don’t belong.

The only states that have to tolerate outside interference are failed ones, where life is poor, nasty, brutish and short.

It’s a fundamental error among many opposition figures – such as Martin Lee Chu-ming, Anson Chan Fang On-sang and Joshua Wong Chi-fung – to think they can achieve anything by running to London and Washington, to try to internationalise cross-border conflicts and problems between the mainland and Hong Kong. Only we can resolve our own problems; and yes, I admit, they are legion.

I have some sympathy with the British government. Under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, it at least has a treaty obligation to keep an interest in the well-being of its former colony. Contrary to our last colonial governor Chris Patten, the light touch of the current Tory government, as articulated by Simon McDonald, permanent undersecretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in an interview with the Post, is exactly right.

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