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posted by martyb on Wednesday August 14 2019, @01:20PM   Printer-friendly
from the gunboats,-always-associated-with-diplomacy dept.

Hong Kong Airport Paralysed for a Second Day by Protesters:

The US is claiming its naval ships have been denied entry to Hong Kong, as Donald Trump suggests troops are “moving towards the border”.

A US Commander has confirmed China has blocked the Pacific Fleet’s naval ships from entering ports in Hong Kong.

Two US naval ships due to visit Hong Kong have been denied scheduled access to the city’s ports by China, the US Pacific Fleet confirmed today.

A US Navy spokesman today said two vessels had been blocked from entering the port, hours after President Donald Trump said China was moving its troops towards the border.

The president’s claims were made without specific evidence, according to The Australian

Commander Nate Christensen, the deputy spokesman for the United States Pacific Fleet, confirmed this morning the two US ships, USS Green Bay and USS Lake Erie, had been barred from entering the port. The first vessel, an amphibious dock landing ship, was due to stop in Hong Kong on Saturday, and the second was due in the city next month.

The last time the US Navy visited Hong Kong was in April.

Our Intelligence has informed us that the Chinese Government is moving troops to the Border with Hong Kong. Everyone should be calm and safe!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2019

[...]Hong Kong’s 10-week political crisis, in which millions of people have taken to the streets calling for a halt to sliding freedoms, was already the biggest challenge to Chinese rule of the semi-autonomous city since its 1997 handover from Britain.

But two days of protests at the airport have again raised the stakes for the financial hub.

Beijing is sending increasingly ominous signals that the unrest must end, with state-run media showing videos of security forces gathering across the border.

[...]All check-ins were cancelled on Tuesday afternoon after thousands of protesters wearing their signature black T-shirts made barricades using luggage trolleys to prevent passengers from passing through security gates.

[...]Demonstrators say they are fighting the erosion of the “one country, two systems” arrangement that enshrined some autonomy for Hong Kong since China took it back from Britain in 1997.

While Hong Kong is a sovereign part of China, the former colony has significant differences to the mainland, including separate legal and political systems, distinct currency, national sporting teams and a greater tolerance for freedom of expression.

Hong Kong also retains many of its pre-colonial features, including driving on the same side of the road as Britain and Australia but not China, the retention of many British place names and statues of British monarchs and dignitaries.

Those two different systems are supposed to remain in place for at least 50 years.

However, Beijing has sought to erode these freedoms in recent years through changes to the law, attempts to not allow pro-independence politicians to take their seats in the region’s parliament and even the disappearance of booksellers critical of the Communist Party leadership.

See also: Navy Times, Business Insider, CNN.


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday August 14 2019, @02:15PM (3 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 14 2019, @02:15PM (#880208) Journal

    "for fifty years" means "until I have the power to do as I wish".

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  • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Wednesday August 14 2019, @02:55PM (2 children)

    by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 14 2019, @02:55PM (#880243) Journal

    How many people will trust Chinese agreements in the future? What about when it comes to solving the current US/China trade war. What will the US expect from any agreements?

    • (Score: 2) by jmorris on Wednesday August 14 2019, @04:08PM

      by jmorris (4844) on Wednesday August 14 2019, @04:08PM (#880291)

      Exactly the same number as trusted them before. Zero. Same for most treaties by most countries throughout time. They are a piece of paper representing only an understanding of the situation at the time they were signed. So long as the situation remains mostly stable treaties are obeyed. But when the situation greatly changes and one side will greatly benefit, a reason is always found to ignore the treaty. This is reality. And all your bleating about morality, the U.N., etc. is just demonstration of ignorance of how the world actually works.

      When the Hong Kong Treaty was signed there were two powers signing it, one strong yet fading, the other weak but growing. Time has rendered the submissive posture China assumed in the treaty unnecessary so it has been discarded. England is in no position to enforce its treaty and everybody knows that. The people in Hong Kong certainly appear to understand, which is why they are appealing to the U.S. But we didn't sign that Treaty, we never had the benefit of possessing Hong Hong, we have to tie to it. It is not our problem. There is only downside to our CIA's current meddling there.

    • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday August 14 2019, @04:13PM

      by Phoenix666 (552) on Wednesday August 14 2019, @04:13PM (#880295) Journal

      How many people should trust any treaty the US government has ever signed? If we count they number of treaties it has used like toilet paper against those it has honored, the answer should be "none." Just ask the Indians.

      How treaties work in practice is how well one party can make the other party suffer for a breach. The best treaties, those that are best honored and last longest, are between parties whose real power is more or less equivalent. If that changes, let's say one suffers internal dissent that weakens it considerably, you better believe the stronger party will take advantage by openly violating it or by re-negotiating it on much less favorable terms.

      --
      Washington DC delenda est.