China policy key factor driving Hong Kong interest in US election

Social media dominated by pro-Trump discussion but survey reveals Hongkongers’ more nuanced view of White House race

Many believe a Biden presidency would weaken Washington’s policy towards Beijing

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Published: 4:25pm, 2 Nov 2020Updated: 5:07pm, 2 Nov 2020

As voters in the United States prepare for the presidential election in November, the South China Morning Post is exploring the potential ramifications for China with its US election series.

Hong Kong interest in the US election extends far beyond the estimated 85,000 Americans in the city, with numerous Hongkongers hoping for a Donald Trump victory, because of his administration’s stance on China. For many, the question over whether Washington will continue to confront Beijing over the next four years is an existential one.

Among them is a 27-year old doctorate student from Hong Kong who stayed behind in Pennsylvania – a key battleground state – when most of her friends left because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Phoebe Wong – not her real name – has no vote in the November 3 election but has made it her mission to help get the US president re-elected.

Wong, who asked not to be identified because of the political sensitivities, said she and some of her friends from Taiwan feared a Trump loss would lead to a weakened US policy on China and put their homes at the mercy of Beijing.

“I try to convince the most random people to vote for Trump,” Wong said. She has made the case for a Trump second term to a waitress at her local restaurant and to a delivery man who brought her packages. The waitress was convinced, the delivery man remained undecided. “This is the least I can do for my home, Hong Kong, when I am far away.”

Wong’s concerns, and support for Trump, are echoed across Hong Kong protest accounts on social media, including the popular online forum LIHKG, which emerged as one of the virtual command centres for the city’s anti-government movement last year. The Reddit-like forum has in recent weeks hosted an almost single-sided discussion praising Trump’s pressure on China and pushing anti-Biden conspiracy theories also popular in US conservative circles.