In 2014, there was the Umbrella Revolution. In 2016, there was the Mong Kok Riot. On both occasions, protestors wanted and tried to get western attention and intervention - hoping it would put more pressure on the Chinese/HK regime. Of course, nothing came our way. There were some lukewarm sympathies, but no one would really want to tear up their relations with Beijing, with all their financial interests. Everyone, even the UK government, claimed that HK's autonomy was still largely intact. (This was of course not helped by the fact that "pan-democrats" said the same. Those left-plastics are just Beijing-sympathizers in disguise.)
Both uprisings failed, people were thrown to jail. Morale was extremely low. There was no way HongKongers can defeat the state machine of China
without some foreign power intervening, and there was no reason to
believe western countries would want to change their relationships with
China. All theories on how HK's separation/independence could work relied on the scenario of
支爆 (China economic implosion), and although it was much speculated, it
never really seemed like it would happen. In fact the western countries would probably be the first to offer help if China's economy does implode. There was no hope.
Until Trump.
The President may have no idea about this, but he is admired by many
pro-independence / localist / "right-wing" HongKongers, who all hate
China and want China to go bust. And he is the one who dramatically turned the political wind of the whole world against China. This is unthinkable just two years ago.
Over the last two years, with his many accomplishments, "mainstream" commentators in HK (and China) have gradually realised that their prejudice against him (like those in the West) were wrong and he is doing something really seismic and has to be taken seriously. And for the first time, China's implosion might, just might, be possible.
This blog is called "Save Hong Kong from China". Honestly, I never thought it was possible. It is more about documenting its slow death. But in Trump, we saw a new hope. If anyone can save Hong Kong from China, it is Trump.
