The Economist (probably paywalled) takes its turn on Hong Kong’s ‘soft resistance’…
The way the term is often used by party-controlled media in Hong Kong suggests it could apply to any political activity that the government doesn’t like.
…In recent months officials in Hong Kong have picked up on the theme. Their strident tones on the subject suggest a push from Beijing. “Various acts of soft resistance continue to occur and spread through online media, cultural and artistic channels,” said John Lee, the territory’s chief executive, in June.
…In May a full-page article in Wen Wei Po attacked activists who have been campaigning on behalf of residents of Hong Kong’s notorious “subdivided flats”…
…Chinese officials say grievances over Hong Kong’s acute shortage of affordable housing were a leading cause of the unrest in 2019. The city’s government has vowed to speed up construction of subsidised flats. Yet Wen Wei Po suggested that complaining about these efforts could spark renewed unrest. It said vigilance was needed against people who use the housing issue as a form of soft resistance by arousing “negative emotions among citizens”. A sinister-looking graphic showed recent tiny housing-related protests morphing into tear-gas filled scenes from 2019.
This points to an environment in which the population is forbidden to take any part in politics (ie the process by which a society decides how to run itself), which must instead be the preserve of a small group of insiders working behind closed doors. That’s the system in the Mainland.
Speaking of which – you thought it was bad having to attend a one-hour environmental, social and governance seminar every six months. Bloomberg on bankers in China having to study Xi Jinping Thought…
The study sessions — viewed by some as time-consuming chores — underscore the growing role of ideology in China as Xi tries to increase the party’s influence over many aspects of local life, including a corporate sector that’s been chastened in recent years by a series of government crackdowns.
While few would dispute the importance of becoming familiar with the world view of the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, skeptics privately question the usefulness of spending hours each week poring over often-arcane sayings by the Chinese president.
At a time when economic growth is consistently trailing expectations, some also worry about the hit to productivity. Even if time spent studying Xi Jinping Thought is unlikely to appear in any formal economic models, it’s symptomatic of the government’s elevation of politics above everything else.
And, yes, there will be a test on Friday…
…China International Capital Corp., one of the nation’s top investment banks, had to step up efforts to study Xi Thought in recent months as authorities were unhappy with their learning outcome…
A thread on a statement by the PRC embassy in Manila.
I note that softresistance.com .org .net .info etc are all available for the taking.
Surely someone could put them to good use.
“This points to an environment in which the population is forbidden to take any part in politics (ie the process by which a society decides how to run itself), which must instead be the preserve of a small group of insiders working behind closed doors. That’s the system in the Mainland.”
Ummm…thought we all agreed that HK is part of the mainland now and has zero so-called unique “rights”??
And as for Winnie…it stands to reason that the Housing Sec would have more than a few houses right? She’s an influencer and aspirational role model after all.
“If I can own four homes then YOU can too!! 加油!!”
If you need any proof that Hong Kong is “back to normal”: this week I encountered an Indian “fakir” telling me that I have a “lokky face”, a fake Buddhist monk sitting at the entrance of an MTR station (keeping a cool head), various crippled beggars from China and legions of mainland hookers in places like Yau Ma Tei and Lan Kwai Fong.
Yup: Happy Hong Kong days are here again.
It’s gonna be tough for Winnie with only four properties. You need one to live in, so that only leaves three for rental income. And, okay, she’s on a fair wack now, but when she retires she’ll be down to, what, say 200 grand a month pension. She’ll need that top up to maintain the lifestyle she expects (and rightly deserves, I hasten to add!).
I feel for her.