Hong Kong Protestors Resent Influence from Beijing

In recent weeks, many thousands of protestors have taken to the streets of Hong Kong to advocate for an increase in press freedoms. Protests reached a fever pitch just days ago, following the stabbing of Kevin Lau Chun-to, former editor of Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao, which is known for its investigative reporting, according to this report. The former British colony has been under Chinese control since 1997 and remains a bastion of economic freedom, but proponents for increased democratization charge Beijing with unnecessarily meddling in its political affairs. Some in the international community are putting recent events in the larger context of a struggle for complete independence. The aforementioned Al Jazeera report notes that "Communist Party officials have resisted public pressure for full democracy." U.S. and E.U. officials condemned recent developments in Hong Kong, though their influence in the region is very limited. Hong Kong is one of the finest examples of the modern fault lines between freedom and oppression, and the ramifications of the process by which its issues are resolved will be felt throughout the international community.

Posted by Colin Wescott