US-China geopolitical struggle does not mean Hong Kong’s needs should be swept under the carpet

Hong Kong badly needs an independent commission of inquiry into the extradition bill protests. It is also time for a road map towards political reform so the city can finally elect its chief executive and legislature by universal suffrage

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A man waves a US flag as protesters attend a rally in Central, Hong Kong, on October 14, 2019, calling on US politicians to pass a bill that could alter Washington’s relationship with the trading hub. US President Donald Trump signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act into law at the end of November 2019, angering Beijing. Photo: AFP

Mike Rowse

Mike Rowse has lived in Hong Kong since 1972, and is a naturalised Chinese citizen.

Published: 4:15pm, 17 May 2020Updated: 4:45pm, 17 May 2020

Part of the reason Hong Kong’s politics are in such a mess is that numerous issues are in play on multiple levels. So when the various parties engage in discourse, they do so on different planes, making it likely they will simply talk past each other.

Take US President Donald Trump’s instruction to the military pension fund not to buy investment products which include Chinese companies. Clearly, this is part of the geopolitical power struggle between the two countries.

This move follows Trump’s imposition of tariffs, bans on the sale of advanced technology products, closer scrutiny of proposed Chinese investments into the US and the effort to keep Huawei out of the telecommunications infrastructure worldwide.

The rhetoric will only worsen in the run-up to November’s presidential election as Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden vie to secure the mantle of “toughest on China”. Bills have been introduced trying to remove sovereign immunity so American states and individuals can sue China for compensation over perceived responsibility for the spread of the coronavirus.

Hong Kong is not a player in this game; we are simply a stick to be used by America to beat the enemy. We are, after all, from a macro perspective irrevocably part of China.

A child wearing a paper mask depicting US President Donald Trump is interviewed by a journalist during a rally in Central on December 1, 2019, to thank the US for supporting the protest movement. Photo: Reuters