LettersIf Brexit is foolish and will hurt UK’s future, what about the Hong Kong protests?

Both Britain and Hong Kong have embarked on campaigns that are emotional, irrational, perhaps foolhardy, and which will leave the economy worse off

If Britain is to become much poorer after Brexit, the same will happen to Hong Kong if the protests persist

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Campaigners from Our Future, Our Choice, a pro-European Union youth group, protest outside Downing Street in London on August 28. Photo: AP

Published: 8:00am, 26 Oct 2019Updated: 8:00am, 26 Oct 2019

I recently spoke to a Hongkonger in London who works in investment banking. He was very critical of Brexit and amazed at how Britain shot itself in the foot by embarking on the four-years-and-running Brexit saga. He designated it one of the most idiotic moves in political history, and which could undermine Britain’s future.

However, when the topic changed to the recent Hong Kong protests, he was very supportive. He shrugged off the forecast that Hong Kong’s economy could grow just 0-1 per cent this year, and is in recession. He was also underwhelmed by the fact that the protests have shaken Hong Kong’s reputation as an international financial centre and risk massive capital outflow.

Instead, his counterarguments were qualitative and emotive: the incidents of police brutality, the increasing encroachments on fundamental freedoms, and the deep sense of injustice resulting from social inequity.

Is it so though? There are many similarities between Brexit and the Hong Kong protest movement. Both are driven by a strong hatred of inequality and a feeling that a segment of society has been forgotten. Both were initially driven by a sense of historical pride: the glory days of the British Empire and Hong Kong’s days as the “Pearl of the Orient”. Both campaigns are emotional, irrational and perhaps foolhardy.

The recent incident of a JPMorgan banker from the mainland being punched by a protester sparked outrage on the internet. The banker in question was probably just as critical and confused as the Hong Kong banker in London. Why would these Hong Kong youngsters, arguably the most privileged group in China, embark on such audacious actions to undermine the future of the region? Do they not see the long-term harm they are causing?