Far from Hong Kong being a negative and putting Xi under pressure, as is commonly believed by most foreign commentators, including myself, the ongoing disturbance and violence have achieved two things for the Communist Party: fatal damage within China to democracy’s brand and confirmation of the US’s agenda of regime change within China.
In a discussion with someone who might loosely be described as a “princeling”, and certainly someone from a once powerful and intellectual family, but whom the eddies of China’s elite politics over the past thirty years have pushed to the outer edges of Xi’s court, a quite different view was expressed from what one usually hears on the implications of Hong Kong for China’s domestic politics.
It was said that the “Party never admits to an error but is very good at learning from its mistakes”. It will not repeat a Tiananmen Square in Hong Kong. The military will not be used violently. Instead it will be used cheekily, as we’ve seen in recent days, coming out onto the streets with much publicity to clean up the rubble left by protestors.
This cocks a snook at the West and plays well domestically.
The daily images from Hong Kong of disruption and violence screened into China’s homes strengthens the Party’s narrative. People have concluded that if that is what democracy allows, then they do not want it on the mainland.
The use by demonstrators of US and UK flags and of a Japanese wartime phrase (I didn’t catch it) to describe Chinese show this is foreign orchestrated (helped of course by Beijing’s propaganda). The takeout is that the US can never be trusted and that the US and UK seek nothing short of regime change in China.
When stability is restored, education in Hong Kong will be a major priority for Beijing. It will become much more directly involved in education in Hong Kong. The Party is convinced now that the HK Government failed badly in one of its most important task, to educate the next generation of patriots. Beijing may even “flood” the Universities with mainland students.
Revenge will also be taken on the tycoons who are seen to have let down Beijing for their personal greed. Beijing now realises it was a mistake to think it could run Hong Kong through a small clutch of sycophantic wealthy business people.
Xi apparently is particularly angry at them. He also has a long-standing grudge against Li Ka-shing who reneged on a deal for developing old central Fuzhou and destroyed much of the heritage quarter to Xi’s anger when he was Governor.
There was more, but this gives an insight into Beijing’s thinking from a liberal minded individual having lived for extended periods outside of China but who now lives back in Beijing.
The conversation concluded with a reflection by my friend on an important difference in attitude between the West and China. In the West, politics is argued over some notion of the “truth”, there being one correct path. In China, people are comfortable with many “truths”, even contradictory ones. People want prosperity and the key to that is stability. Hardly anyone in China would view sympathetically the behaviour of people in Hong Kong creating instability and undermining prosperity. Nor could they comprehend how a government could allow it.
Geoff Raby is a former Australian ambassador to Peking
Geoff Raby was Australia’s Ambassador to China from 2007-11, during which he visited all provinces in China officially. He served in Beijing as First Secretary (Economic) and then Counsellor (Economic), 1986-91. He was Ambassador to the WTO in Geneva, Ambassador to APEC, and Deputy Secretary, 2003-07. He was also head of the Trade Policy Issues Division of the OECD, Paris, 1993-95. He is a non-executive independent director of ASX listed-companies Yancoal, where he chairs the Health, Safety, Environment and Community Committee, and sits on the Board of the Gavan Foundaton.
His most recent book, Great Game On: the contest for central Asia and global supremacy, was published by Melbourne University Press on 12 November 2024. His previous book was China’s Grand Strategy and Australia’s Future in the World Order (MUP Nov 2020). He regularly contributes op eds and travel writing to the Australian Financial Review. He holds a PhD in economics. He was awarded the Order of Australia (AO) in June 2019 for services to Australia-China bilateral relations and to multilateral trade.
Comments
3 responses to “GEOFF RABY. Beijing’s Winning Hand in Hong Kong”
Why the dichotomy: “Hardly anyone in China would view sympathetically the behaviour of people in Hong Kong creating instability and undermining prosperity.”
Western world’s demonstrations foment future prosperity.
But a tyrant can’t see -far less admit – that.
I can report that many overseas Chinese in Malaysia and Singapore (including myself) feel the Hong Kong demonstrators are unreasonable; it’s fine to demonstrate publicly, but why be violent? I personally feel the Western commentary has tended to legitimise the violence. Sure, no one will expressly say it is OK to be violent; but people will argue that the violence is “understandable”.
The violence creates a dilemma for the Hong Kong democrats. Their legitimate grievances need to be clearly distinguished from the illegitimate violence; but the Hong Kong democrats have not done enough to make their opposition to violence clear. Instead, they continue to resort to silly stunts like shouting down the Chief Executive when she was trying to give a speech.
Beijing is absolutely right, this is not true democracy.
Thank you Geoff Raby. This is the best analysis and informationI have read about the events in Hong Kong and China. It’s in stark contrast to the simplistic, shallow reporting from journalists on this. The ABC TV reporters on the ground there are particularly egregious examples.