Hong Kong’s human chains may add to Beijing’s fears of emerging ‘colour revolution’
- Protest stretching along three railway lines was a nod to the Baltic Way, when 2 million people joined hands across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
- Mainland academics say it was ‘like a provocation’ and that the city’s political crisis is totally different to that of the three Baltic states 30 years ago
Tian Feilong, a Hong Kong affairs expert at Beihang University in Beijing, said while the central government had so far stopped short of labelling the mass protests a colour revolution – referring to political uprisings in the former Soviet Union in the early 2000s and movements in Central Asia and the Middle East – the rally would add to its concerns.
“This was like a provocation, especially after the Hong Kong government initiated steps for dialogue,” Tian said. “[The protesters] have fantasised that Hong Kong’s relationship [with the mainland] will be like that between the Baltic nations and the former Soviet Union, but that is just not true.”
Zheng Yifan, a Beijing-based historian who specialises in the Soviet Union, agreed. He dismissed comments made by pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, who linked the political crisis in Hong Kong with those of three Baltic countries – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – 30 years ago.
“Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were independent states before they were annexed by the former Soviet Union and their demonstrations were about calling for independence. This was totally different from [the situation in] Hong Kong,” Zheng said.