Hong Kong: the only Post-colonial city that wants to be “recolonised”?

LSE International Relations student from Hong Kong writes:

On the 1st of July, protestors stormed the Hong Kong Legislative Council building in opposition to the much contested China Extradition Amendment. Some waved the British Colonial Hong Kong flag, which has made an appearance at almost all pro-democracy rallies I’ve been to in my 21 years in Hong Kong.

● Clarification on the use of British HK colonial flags at LegCo occupation ●

We want to determine our own fates, not get juggled between imperialist powers.

It pains me to see the HKSAR emblem at a heavily institutionally Beijing-biased LegCo being covered by yet another symbol of imperialist injustice.

The UK literally gun-boat “diplomacied” their way into getting Hong Kong. Built us up to make themselves a shit ton of money. Then left us with unprotected freedoms. Whatever the protestor’s message, I find putting up the flag in this day and age to be deeply troubling.

If anything this flag should be used to shame the UK for -

1) not having enough spine all these years past to hold up their end of the Sino-British Joint Declaration

2) the hypocrisy, illusion of moral high ground, and inflated sense of-importance that plagues so much of the UK’s confused national identity in the 21st century

● Elaboration on the recent developments in Sino-British Relations on HK ●

1. A Spineless UK Foreign Policy

Jeremy Hunt’s public statements (Twitter this week) of “unwavering support” comes too little and too late.

Hong Kong’s autonomy has been under encroachment for the past 22 years, with intensification over the past decade under CY Leung’s grip.

Not one single one of the many events have prompted the UK government to speak up. From the Umbrella Movement, Lam Wing-kee bookshop keeper’s disappearance to Co-location), Hong Kong’s disappearing freedom has made international multiple times. The UK Foreign Office does a Report on the state of Hong Kong every 6 months. Not once has its serious observations been translated into the sort of effective response they warrant.

I can’t be certain why Jeremy Hunt decided to speak up now. Whether it’s to leverage on this issue’s incredible global visibility and Evil-China-vs-the-West narrative amid the PM contest, thereby making an international move to play a domestic game. or the actual threat this amendment poses to British expat interests. Either way, the UK’s “unwavering support” remains a convenient jab expressed in 140 characters on twitter, and politically unrealisable.

I also highly doubt the UK govt will ever put money where their mouth is amid the economic uncertainties of Brexit. Happy to be convinced otherwise with actions.

2. “Colonial Delusions” as a two-way street.

The Chinese Ambassador to the UK condemned Hunt’s comments as “colonial delusions.”

As a nation without little real coherent and agreed upon values to stand on, sure. (Those are thoughts for another discussion for another day.) Hunt’s comment, maybe. But UK’s interference in this matter is also their legal responsibility under a well established treaty. And the realistic effects of their “interference” remains negligible.

The real “colonial delusions” and romanisation comes from some parts of Hong Kong and some parts of the UK’s population. As seen in the use of British HK Colonial flags and British National Overseas passport banners in major rallies and in the stormed Legislative Council building.

It disgusts me to see imperialist flags being uncritically and pridefully interpreted in the west as the symbol of our own struggle for freedom.

But worse is in seeing this symbol for oppression actually being used by freedom activists who genuinely believe in swapping CCP interference for romanticised western imperialism.

Hong Kong is very likely the only place where you’ll see (some) people begging to be re-colonised.

I’ve never lived in Colonial Hong Kong. I don’t know where this fantasy came from.

But one final reflection I’m solemnly left with from all this -

How sad is it that we’ve never in history had the right to determine our own fates, and are so desperate that we confuse what all other post-colonial societies condemn, to be the path to our own freedom?