by Herman Tiu Laurel
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines, ASEAN, Asia, and the world need a global economic environment conducive to trade and investment more than ever. Nowhere is the opportunity to start creating that positive atmosphere better than in the economic-financial hub that is Hong Kong.
HK is especially important for the Philippines, given that there are at least 213,000 Filipinos domestics earning their living in Hong Kong and sending hundreds of millions of dollars back to the Philippines every year to sustain their families in their home country. Hong Kong is also the 12th largest trading partner of the Philippines with imports amounting to US $9.97-billion in 2019.
When I read the ill-informed comments spewed by some activists in social media or discharged by Filipino politicians in support of the violent so-called pro-Democracy protest in Hong Kong, I get deeply disturbed. These people don’t realize the danger they are putting these 213,000 Filipino jobs in HK and the huge trade revenues accruing to our country’s benefit. Or maybe, they are deliberately pushing us and our country into the precipice.
Even for the Americans, Hong Kong is the goose that lays the golden eggs. Hong Kong is one of the few countries with whom the U.S. enjoys a trade surplus, which means that the U.S. sells more to Hong Kong than the other way around. Hong Kong’s trade deficit with the U.S. amounts to more than US $ 30-billion a year. American banks also manage US $ 148-billion in bank deposits. in HK, with bank assets there of US $ 78-billion.
When the People’s Republic of China (PROC) recently approved the Hong Kong National Security Law, the intention was wholly positive and beneficent. The world benefits from stability and continuation of Hong Kong as an entrepot for world trade and economic engagement with China; and of course, China benefits also.
The reason why the PROC pushed for the HK National Security Law at this time is the experience of the last five years of destabilization chaotic demonstration. In particular, the PROC was concerned of a repeat of the violent demonstrations and deliberately irrational and unreasonable demands made during the 2019 so-called pro-Democracy demonstrations that threatened to make Hong Kong ungovernable.
The audiences of both global and social media have been witness to the violent spectacles that came out of the 2019 Hong Kong demonstrations, including the arson of buildings, targeted physical demolitions of stores and restaurants identified as demonstrator non-supporters, and attacks on civilians criticizing the demonstrators. In this regard, a non-compliant worker was doused with gasoline and burned, while another was hit with a brick and died.
There are countless YouTube videos of atrocities of the pro-Democracy rioters showing the sedition and separatism that the rioters and their leaders espouse. YouTube has given some of these rioter-leaders their day of fame, including protest financier Jimmy Lai who has spoken on U.S. news programs that the protesters are engaged “… in a new cold war” siding with the U.S. against China, or juvenile Joshua Wong saying that (we) are in an “infinity war” with China.
Some of the videos available on YouTube for your viewing pleasure show the protesters carrying U.S. and British flags, burning China’s flag, calling for independence of Hong Kong and begging for the U.S. to send troops to help the protesters. Worse, you can watch these HK protesters’ leaders meeting in huddles with foreign U.S. officials. Any sovereign nation seeing this can only conclude that this is none other that treason and must be stopped.
Hence, these opposition activities in Hong Kong have been dubbed by many observers as a “color revolution” attempt aimed at “regime change,” that is, the toppling and replacement of the government of Hong Kong under the Central People’s Government in Beijing. The U.S. is well-known for instigating such “color revolution” which it also inflicted on the Philippines in the 1986 “Yellow Revolution.”
In 2003, the HK government tried to enact national security legislation based on its Article 23 of its constitution, which says that the Special Administrative Region “shall enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the Central People’s Government, or theft of state secrets, to prohibit foreign political organization or bodies from conducting political activities in the Region…”
But in 2003, demonstrations also prevented the enactment of this constitution-mandated law, when entrenched neo-colonial interests and youth indoctrinated to discriminate against mainland China all conspired to engage in obstructionism to frustrate the fulfillment of the “One Country, Two System” framework that allows its unique liberal-capitalist system continues to flourish even as Hong Kong continues to be part of China.
Without doubt, neither the U.S. nor the British desire the completion and success of the “One Country, Two Systems” framework until 2049 when the fifty years transition from colonial rule shall end and integration is complete.
My proof is a 2014 Fox News interview with Michael Pillsbury, U.S. Dept. of Defense official. When asked if the U.S. is at fault in the HK unrest he said:
“… we are partially involved, we have a large consulate there (in Hong Kong) taking care of the Hong Kong policy act passed by Congress to ensure democracy in Hong Kong, we also have funded millions of dollars programs through the National Endowment for Democracy to help democracy in Hong Kong so in that sense the Chinese accusation is not totally false…”
The National Endowment for Democracy is the U.S. government funded institution that replaced the disreputable CIA that was known for assassinations and coups as well as “low intensity conflicts” of which such “color revolutions” and “people power” revolts are examples. So, there you have it – an admission of direct U.S. involvement and funding for the subversives in Hong Kong.
At a press conference during the National People’s Congress last May 24, 2020, China’s state and foreign Minister Wang Yi clarified and calmed the concerns of businessmen all over the world, including American businessmen who have a lot to lose and disagree with their government and quietly oppose Trump’s threat of sanctions on Hong Kong.
Minister Wang Yi said that the law will have:
“…no impact on Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents, or the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors in Hong Kong… Instead of becoming unnecessarily worried, people should have more confidence in Hong Kong’s future. This will improve Hong Kong’s legal system and bring more stability, a stronger rule of law and a better business environment to Hong Kong.”
That should be reassuring to all Hong Kong businessmen, both Chinese and foreign, and to our 213,000 Filipinos working there and serving mostly these businessmen. The stability and security of Hong Kong is especially vital to Asia and the Philippines as we are expecting hundreds of thousands of our overseas workers to be losing jobs worldwide due to the pandemic.
With our OFWs secure and our exports continuing to Hong Kong, those will be two worries less for our country.
