tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9138994904411225576.post2612479059495255423..comments2023-12-29T00:08:21.051-08:00Comments on fear of a red planet: "Caged Birds Think Flying Is An Illness" - The Stand-Off In Hong KongGilman Grundyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06607416440240634159noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9138994904411225576.post-4214567856421681832014-10-16T18:29:00.855-07:002014-10-16T18:29:00.855-07:00I think the CCP, or parts of it, is pretty worried...I think the CCP, or parts of it, is pretty worried about the Hong Kong situation. One the one hand, they <i>really</i> don't want to have to bring in the PLA, because that would destabilize the SAR as an international economic center and permanently turn off Taiwan to the prospect of reunification. <br /><br />On the other hand, it's also pretty embarrassing to have a bunch of people in a nominally democratic system demand that the government follow the law and then either a) not get their way or b) not get a lesson in blood for it mainland-style. <br /> <br />Liang Zhenying has failed to crush the protests by last Monday; he will likely fail to crush them by next Monday. He is also already on the way out as he has let down his masters in Beijing. <br /><br />But IMO this isn't really about Liang, or even Hong Kong. It's a game between Xi Jinping and the older generation of leadership in the CCP. Zhang Dejiang heads HK and Macau affairs; he also belongs to the faction of vested political and economic interests that Jiang Zemin set up and maintained for over a decade, and that Xi Jinping is now doing his damnedest to purge out of power. <br /><br />By releasing the White paper when he did, Zhang Dejiang was trying to buy what remains of his faction some time by creating a crisis for Xi to have to deal with. It's also a test for Xi, who in some ways is in a similar position to the late Zhao Ziyang vis-a-vis HK. <br /><br />How will Xi react in this 江派-engineered crisis? If he makes a wrong move, it could put the steam out of his offensive against the old order and even give them a chance to take the fight to him.Lunastrelkinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9138994904411225576.post-74925342550853757492014-10-08T01:53:18.645-07:002014-10-08T01:53:18.645-07:00Frankly, the Western (mainstream) media aren't...Frankly, the Western (mainstream) media <i>aren't</i> telling the whole story. I haven't read Kaiser Kuo's story, because I'm not familiar with navigating through Facebook anyway -, but the <i>intellectual leap</i> toawards considering OC "anti-China" is either made, or it is not. You can't keep thinking all the time of what others might twist your comments into.<br /><br />I often find it surprising how much conformism there is in "our" media, as decentralized as they may be. Yes, there are actually comprehensive and insightful remarks on television here in Germany every now and then, be it about China, Hong Kong, Russia or the Ukraine - but this usually happens when most people have gone to bed, and not at prime time. The BBC - at least the WS - does better, but they are deteriorating (in my view as an occasional listener).<br /><br />The way Chinese positions (and "feelings") are often shielded by CCP apologists like a species threatened by extinction is silly. But one shouldn't make the same mistake in defending Occupy Central against any analysis that might make them look a little less good.justrecentlyhttp://justrecently.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9138994904411225576.post-33751393516092062632014-10-07T05:47:00.230-07:002014-10-07T05:47:00.230-07:00Well, the problem is he also spoke about how it &q...Well, the problem is he also spoke about how it "hasn't been explored much" and then basically says that the media is repeating the protester's description of themselves. From that, to the idea that the demonstrations are "anti-China", that the 'western' media aren't telling the whole story, is a small intellectual leap that some of his followers make almost without thinking about it.Gilman Grundyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06607416440240634159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9138994904411225576.post-67934047103447407122014-10-06T19:32:32.054-07:002014-10-06T19:32:32.054-07:00I think Kaiser Kuo's comment wasn't meant ...I think Kaiser Kuo's comment wasn't meant like that. He just said that anti-Mainlander resentment is "one of the factors" behind the protests, which is probably true. Ji Xianghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03406727999722525339noreply@blogger.com