RE: Why this American Expat is 100% against the Protests in Hong Kong

Having lived in Mainland China for 7 years, I bring a different perspective to this argument. I have traveled to Hong Kong numerous times over those 7 years and always had nothing but respect and admiration for Hong Kong. Beijing lent Hong Kong to the British for 100 years (1897-1997) and the city transformed itself into the financial and shipping hub of Asia. During the handover in 1997, everyone feared communist China would regain control and change everything, instead Beijing admired what the British accomplished and kept Hong Kong the same.

You have no idea how much Hong Kongers have been suffered.

In the 17 years following the handover, the Beijing government has done nothing but help Hong Kong grow and having protests like this will only jeopardize Hong Kong’s relationship with China. A relationship that Hong Kong desperately needs. I’m currently writing this post from Scotland and can’t help but draw some comparisons to the recent vote of independence in this country. While many Scots wanted to leave the United Kingdom, the majority of them realized they were stronger together than they were by themselves and voted accordingly. This is exactly the same for Hong Kong, this SAR (Special Administrative Region) is much stronger with support from China.

Please think about why the independence referendum happened in the first place in Scotland. Hong Kong does not even has the right to choose.

My biggest issue with these protests are Hong Kong citizens have never considered how fortunate they are right now. They should be thankful for the tremendous amount of freedom they already have and realize that 1.4 billion Chinese people would give anything to be in their shoes.

Why we have to thankful while the freedom has been there for more than a hundred years, as a colony?

Here are some examples of what I mean:

1. When Hong Kong’s budget has a surplus (as in 2011) Hong Kong citizens and PR’s (Permanent Residents) receive a complimentary bonus from the government the last one was $HKD 6,000 ($USD 775). Not many countries in the world can run their budget at a surplus and certainly not many would redistribute the surplus back to it’s citizens.

Our sibling city, Macau, has even more surplus for many years and each resident (permanent or not) got MOC 1.8K to 9K every year. However, if you ask the Macau people, they are still not happy with the government.

2. The Hong Kong passport gives its citizens visa-free access to 152 countries around the world. Chinese citizens on the other hand can only visit 43 countries without a visa. This puts the Chinese passport on the same level as countries like Congo and Rwanda.

Please think about why other countries trust Hong Kong people more than Chinese.

3. Hong Kong citizens enjoy one of the lowest personal income taxes in the world, with the maximum rate fixed at only 15%, China’s maximum (along with many Western countries) is at 45%.

Low income taxes but high living expenses. Hong Kong people are using more than 50% of their income to pay their housing in average! Not to mention the living space is pathetically small.

4. The Index of Economic Freedom has ranked Hong Kong the World’s Freest Economy for 20 consecutive years (1995-2014). China currently ranks #137 in the world.

What is to point to compare Hong Kong with China...

5. Hong Kong has the world’s most developed transportation system in the world. Over 90% of daily travels are on public transport, the highest such percentage in the world. China’s public transport is extensive in major cities but still lacking in rural areas.

...again

6. Hong Kong legal system is completely independent from the legal system of Mainland China. Hong Kong continues to follow the English common law tradition that was established under British rule.

...again

7. Internet censorship in Hong Kong operates under complete different principles and regulations from those of Mainland China. Currently Mainland China forbids Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and many other social media websites.

...again

8. Hong Kong is a tax haven for imports. Everything from Bordeaux wine, Nike shoes, and Apple iPhones are imported into Hong Kong without any duty taxes, thereby making Hong Kong the cheapest place in the world to purchase many Western products. China’s duty taxes are notoriously high (between 50-100%) making it one of the world’s most expensive places to purchase a Western product.

...and again?

These are just a few of the many benefits citizens of Hong Kong receive. I read this list and find it hard to believe why people would want to protest a government that has provided such amazing benefits. In addition I haven’t even began to describe the social benefits like medical coverage, social security, and disability benefits for Hong Kong citizens that are much better than their neighbors in Mainland China.

What social benefits? You mean queuing up for years for cancer treatment or medical transplant? HKD 1180 a month for elderly?

My second issue with these protests is the Hong Kong citizens extreme and often raciest views towards Mainland Chinese. There is an opinion floating around Hong Kong that the island would be better without Mainland Chinese. Hong Kong people like to identify themselves as “Hong Kongers” and despise people labeling them as “Chinese”. In actuality all Hong Kong people came from the Mainland, this is a proven fact as every Hong Kong citizen can trace their roots back to the Mainland.

We are not racist to Mainland Chinese. We just hate the indecent behaviors like urinate and defecate on the street. Also, their shopping behaviors make so many local shops closing down that only a few shops are serving local people.

It is this hatred for Mainland Chinese that have caused Hong Kong citizens to protest against the government in Beijing. It is very naive in my opinion. Don’t Hong Kong citizens realize that Mainland Chinese tourists are the key to their booming economy? Long lines of tourists outside shopping malls are creating jobs, filling hotels rooms, airplane seats, and restaurant chairs as everyone wants to come to and experience this former British colony. As we approach the Chinese October holidays tourism companies are expecting a 30-50% decrease in Mainland Chinese tourism during the holiday. Hong Kong people will feel that they have won a small battle, until they see the effects of slower economy, rising prices, and loss of jobs as a major decrease in tourism will send Hong Kong’s economy into a recession. Over the last 5 years Singapore has emerged as the next hub for Asia’s finance, shipping, and entrepreneurial companies. As long as these protests continue Hong Kong’s economy will deteriorate and Singapore will take even more business away from Hong Kong.

Their shopping behavior is disrupting the daily lives for local Hong Kong people. And such tourism is only account for 1.8% of GDP!

My final issue with the protests is that democratic elections are not always the answer to everyone’s problems, ask any American voter in the 2000 United States Presidential Election. Fourteen years ago American voters participated in one of the closest presidential elections in American history. Democratic candidate Al Gore received 48.4% of the popular vote compared to George Bush’s 47.9%. George Bush lost the popular vote and still became the President of America! This is possible because George Bush won more votes from the Electoral College, which is the institution that actually elects the president in America, not the American voters themselves. Many Americans felt betrayed by the government. They shouldn’t have though this was actually the 4th time in American history a president failed to win the popular vote but went on to become president.

My point in bringing up America’s political system is to show everyone that even America, the world’s most famous democracy, you can have a public vote that still has government intervention, there is no such thing as 100% freedom.

We are asking for a fair democratic system. What do you think if you can only vote the presidential candidates belong to the party you are against with? If you do not like your system, you can have your own movement to ask for change. It is like the rights for African American and women, it can be changed.

I look around the world and see the unrest between Israel and Palestine, British and Americans hostages being executed by terrorist groups in Syria, the harsh conflict between Russia and Ukraine and feel I am so blessed to live in Hong Kong as an expat and have a tremendous amount of freedom.

So, you think it is OK to be monitored, jailed, and killed by the country just because they do not agree with the ruling party?

I challenge all Hong Kong citizens to think about the opportunities you’ve had compared to your brothers in Mainland China. Protesting against Beijing is not the answer, embrace your Chinese roots, cherish your British influence, and most importantly:

Challenge accepted. Now it's your turn.