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The New ‘Norm’-al
The future of Hong Kong is uncertain. But resilience and overcoming adversity is the key to rebuild post-covid democracy.
Immediately after passing the first draft of a draconian national security bill, China sent demarches to other countries. On scanning the text, the reader may be left wondering if this is indeed a well-intended diplomatic step or a plain warning. It says, “Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of China. The legislation for upholding national security in the Hong Kong SAR is purely China’s internal affair. No foreign country may interfere in this matter.” The last sentence is of particular significance here — while the rest of the world is battling against a pandemic, a different agenda is on China’s mind.
For the Asian giant, priorities have shifted to establishing ownership, be it in Hong Kong, Taiwan, or the South China Sea. And Xi, in the race to become the next best ruler after Mao, views the time to be ripe now for showing his power to neighbors and opponents within.
What This Means for the Rest of the World
The plight of Hong Kong is not an isolated situation — this can happen to anybody. Populist campaigns and leaders have, in the last decade, gained more centralized power. Even in the world’s oldest democracy, you can find…
