Letters | US interests ill served by keeping Hong Kong leader John Lee out of Apec summit

Readers discuss the need to rise above petty politics to de-escalate tensions in US-China relations, the short-lived mutiny in Russia, and Indian leader Narendra Modi’s visit to the US

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Letters

Published: 11:30am, 30 Jun 2023

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I refer to the article, “US urged to lift Lee sanctions for Apec” (June 26).

Earlier this month, the US State Department backtracked on an invitation to Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. Lawmakers from the two major US parties have urged the State Department to prohibit Lee from setting foot on US soil as he is under US sanctions for his role in implementing the Hong Kong national security law.

However, apart from delighting some exiled Hong Kong separatists and Sinophobic US voters, isolating Hong Kong benefits neither US interests or Sino-US relations.

Apec’s aim is to foster regional economic dialogue through promoting free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. It is also an excellent opportunity for the US and China to work together to restore our damaged global economy. The participation of a financial powerhouse like Hong Kong is vital to the region’s economic stability and growth.

Apec is purely an international forum focusing on economic cooperation. US politicians should not take advantage of this summit to take jabs at China for petty domestic political gain. Therefore, Lee should be allowed to participate in the Apec summit.

America has dominated nearly every aspect of the international order since the end of the Cold War. China’s rise clearly threatens such influence. By inviting Lee to the Apec summit, America will show the world that it remains a confident, competent and responsible superpower willing to play by the rules.

In addition, there are close to 1,400 US companies in Hong Kong. Our city is one of the largest US export markets for goods and agricultural products. Sanctioning our chief executive and preventing Hong Kong from participating in an international summit is harmful to American political and business interests in Hong Kong.

President Xi Jinping met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the highest-ranking US official to visit China since Joe Biden became president, on June 19 in Beijing. This meeting symbolised commitments from both countries to heal rifts and stabilise deteriorating Sino-US relations.

Actions speak louder than words. Inviting Lee to Apec could be a concrete action for the US to show its goodwill in de-escalating Sino-US tensions, protecting US business interests in Hong Kong, and helping the region to bounce back after the pandemic years.

Christopher Ip, North Point

Short-lived mutiny no reflection of Putin’s grip on power

In the article, “Wagner mutiny highlights Putin’s weakness, but outcome of Ukraine war remains unpredictable” (June 27), your correspondent’s reasoning is like a drunkard’s search for his keys under a street light – because that area is lit – although he lost them in a dark park. Actually a Kremlin leader becomes weak only when the shops in Russia are empty, but now they are all full.

There is no need to read history books to see the origin of the mutiny. In Kill Bill, the 2003 film by Quentin Tarantino, during a yakuza council, a Japanese gangster expresses his displeasure at being ruled by a Chinese leader. Likewise, Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, was one of a handful of Russian commanders unhappy to receive orders from Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, an ethnic Tuvan.

I am myself an ethnic Tuvan and although I bade farewell to my Kalashnikov in 1985, I still remember a great motto of the Russian army: if you don’t know how to obey orders, we will teach you, and if you don’t want to, we will make you.

And the very fact that no single shot has been fired during the mutiny means ordinary soldiers know whose orders to obey.

Mergen Mongush, Moscow

India needs US support to counterbalance China

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US has strengthened bilateral trust and security interdependence, amid the two countries’ concerns about China and Russia.

Cooperation between Delhi and Washington creates a win-win situation for both. The US wants to see India reduce its dependence on Russian-made arms. For this to happen, it must bolster its military ties with India that go beyond just arms sales.

On its part, India sees benefit too in working with the US to boost its long-term security.

China’s assertive behaviour in Asia and beyond has led many other countries, including India, to realign their policies and approaches. The Himalayan border is strategically important not only to Delhi but also to the West, which sees it as a crucial second front that can divert Beijing’s attention and resources from a sole focus on the Indo-Pacific, especially the South China Sea and Taiwan.

With the United States’ loss of Afghanistan as a strategic geographical asset in counterbalancing China’s Central Asia manoeuvres, India remains the most crucial US partner in encircling China from its most vulnerable land front, its western flank.

India’s peaceful rise as a global player has often been overlooked, but it plays a vital regional role in counterbalancing China. To do this, it needs America’s full support.

Collins Chong Yew Keat, Selangor, Malaysia