My TakeBipartisan trip to US a waste of time

Washington has already decided to exploit the city’s political unrest and instability as part of a multipronged cold war against China

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Thousands of protesters gathered in Central on Thanksgiving Day to express gratitude to Washington for signing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act into law. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Published: 9:00pm, 9 Mar 2020Updated: 10:27pm, 9 Mar 2020

It’s amusing to read that a group of executive councillors and opposition lawmakers had gone to meet American officials for an exchange of views in California, on a trip financed by the US State Department.

One major concern was the issue of “sanctions mechanism” under a new US human rights law targeting Hong Kong. I wonder why they bothered. Did the Executive Council members seriously think they could change the view of Washington, now that both dominant US political parties have decided to exploit the city’s political unrest and instability as part of a multipronged cold war against China?

As for the pan-democratic opposition, well, they have won a major round, with the passage of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in November. Perhaps they went over there to pour the champagne and celebrate with their US friends. Hope they didn’t get too chummy.

Being used as convenient pawns and useful idiots against your own country doesn’t guarantee protection from America when push comes to shove. Read some US history books, or just the news about how Washington abandoned the Kurds in Syria time and again; the latest one was last year. It was textbook American betrayal.

Washington cares about human rights in Hong Kong only when the issue can be weaponised against Beijing. It doesn’t give a hoot about such things when it comes to friends and allies. Consider India.

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Washington has already decided to exploit the city’s political unrest and instability as part of a multipronged cold war against China

Washington has already decided to exploit the city’s political unrest and instability as part of a multipronged cold war against China