nick’s (n)-line life

A strange things has been happening in China & Hong Kong in recent days. A new sort of Politics is taking shape: the kind that shifts and moves before one’s eyes; the kind that can be hard to pin down or define; and the kind that appears to be largely subjective. One might go as far as to suggest a certain disingenuous double-standard in terminology.

Hopes that China would not rise to the bait of politically motivated Olympics protests have come to nothing - at least to judge by this supposedly autonomous city.

The Olympic torch arrival is being marked by feverish efforts to raise patriotic zeal, with a massively publicized torch relay on May 2 and bans on the entry of several foreign critics of China. Both run contrary to the territory’s liberal and internationalist traditions. So much too for the protestations by Beijing - and International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge - that sports should not be mixed with politics.
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it is equally clear that governments in Hong Kong and Beijing have been as determined as the demonstrators to use the games for political ends.
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These events have underlined the exclusionary character of Hong Kong’s Olympic selection process and the nationalist, patriotic agenda which the games represent.

By excluding anyone not holding Chinese nationality - and there are tens of thousands of locally born non-Chinese residents, mostly of south and southeast Asian ancestry - some of the best local equestrians as well as other athletes are unable to compete for Hong Kong even though it has separate Olympics participation from China.
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But officials seem to fear they would compete for the territory of Hong Kong, and not for the red flag or Han ethnic pride.
[Read more...]

I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the torch yesterday as it completed its tour de Hong Kong (and no I didn’t protest or pro-Nationalise, in my view both sides have now become fully radicalised and I wouldn’t dream of supporting either of them). I actually feel quite lucky to have borne witness to the historic sight. However, as the media has been pushing, nationalism sentiment has certainly been evoked in Hong Kong, just as much as in the mainland. Mostly this has been constructive and the ‘kid’s day out’ atmosphere was palpable. However, somewhere along the way to this evocation the voice of reason, free speech, and debate seem to have taken something of a beating:

[...] the strong feelings for China boiled over and caused conflicts with pro-Tibet and democracy protesters.

One large group of torch supporters confronted pro-democracy activists, yelling “running dog,” “traitor” and “get out.” One heckler said, “Do you think this is Paris?” — a reference to the French relay leg disrupted by protests.

About 80 police surrounded the protesters and eventually put them in a police van for protection.

Pro-Tibet protester Christina Chan, a university student, was threatened by 30 torch supporters who pushed and shoved a dozen officers protecting her. Several onlookers heckled Chan, shouting “What kind of Chinese are you?” and “What a shame!”
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As the crowd became more hostile, police put Chan in a van against her will.

“What right do they have to take me away? I have a right to express my opinion,” she said.
[Read more...]

The most disturbing aspect of the whole Olympic torch process is not the racially based violence and anger directed against foreign critics. But rather the fierce and violent suppression of moderate voices of ordinary Chinese by ordinary Chinese. This was seem most dramatically, of course, by the supposed “race-traitor” (汉奸), Grace Wang (Wang Qianyuan 王å?ƒæº?) for the crime of taking the middle ground and trying to reason with nationalist-crazies (1, 2, 3). The message to all Chinese is quite clear: ‘you’re either with us, or against us’, and in this there is no compromise.

This is the real tragedy and travesty of the Free-Tibet movement; they are the ultimate root of the obliteration of sensible discussion on Tibet and China. It is thanks to them that there is no longer anyone to take a moderate position in the mainland.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong has faced the greatest test of One Country, Two Systems so far. The results have not been encouraging: It began with the deportation of Jens Galschiot and others, moved on to the self-censorship of the academic press (read the censored article), create a fuss over central government fiddled with the list of torch bearers, and ended in the government (apolitically of course) calling for all Chinese to wear red to show support the motherland and resistance against foreign criticism.

As the red tide subsides and the Olympic torch, that great symbol of human unity, heads to Macau and on to China proper, Hong Kongers can sit back and consider the ramifications. The trail of ‘unity’ left by the torch has left its mark on so many places from London to Paris, Tokyo, Seoul and beyond. It is with great fear that I reflect on the fact that Hong Kong may have just have experience a glimpse into its own future; a brave new world of Politics redefined.