GSHK Newsletter Vol.VII (April 2021)

NEWSLETTER VOL. VII APRIL 2021

GERMANY STANDS WITH HONG KONG

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR IN THIS ISSUE:

GSHK SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM

1. A Word from the Editor

2. Highlighted Past Event

3. Ongoing Concerns

No sooner was the Christmas newsletter published, 47 political activists who participated in the pro-democracy preliminaries last summer were arrested on 6 January for “conspiracy to commit subversion”, a crime that is punishable by at least three years of imprisonment and possibly a life sentence. They were forced to put through long court proceedings as they desperately applied for bail, most of which were denied by the handpicked National Security Law judges. The small portion of activists who were granted bail were forced to pledge to not speak out on political matters and deactivate their social media accounts, stripping them of their rights and freedoms.

It is perhaps not an exaggeration to say that this is one of the biggest political crises faced by most Hongkongers. But this is not a fight that only matters to Hongkongers, Uyghurs, Tibetans or the Taiwanese.

This is a fight that matters to Europeans and Germans as well. The recent sanctions by China on Europeans are a clear sign that China will want Europe to sit by and do nothing, which is one thing that

1

2

APRIL 2021 | VOLUME VII

4. Opinion Introduction of the Chinese View of International Politics: Ruguanxue

Germany must not do. As a country that rose from the ashes of a dictatorship, Germany must not repeat the mistakes and must fight against the incursion of a vile totalitarian regime that demands others to bow to its will. Only then can the values of democracy and freedom prevail.

The arrival of spring brings the first rays of sunshine to the cold, frozen earth, allowing the glimmer of hope to be reignited after a long winter. However, there will be sudden hail storms in our way that threaten to jeopardize what we have achieved. Our only option is to continue down the long and winding path, no matter the storms, until the new world embraces us with our success.

5. Letter from David Missal

Let's Sanction Hong Kong's Beat-up Cops and China's Genocide Perpetrators at Least!

”My anxiety is not that this community's autonomy would be usurped

by Peking, but that it could be given away bit by bit by some people in Hong Kong.“ Chris Patten

Highlighted Past Event 07.03.21 Hong Kong Flash Mob Protest in Berlin

In support of the arrested 47 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, over 30 Hongkongers and Berliners gathered in Alexanderplatz and held a solidarity rally.

Photo credit: Cmw Boni

APRIL 2021 | VOLUME VII

ONGOING CONCERNS EU SANCTIONED OVER CHINA The European Union, Canada, US and UK imposed sanctions against several Chinese officials for “serious human rights abuses” against the Uyghurs.

In retaliation, Beijing announced its own sanctions on 10 EU citizens, including 5 members from the European Parliament, and UK lawmakers. The ratification of the freshly negotiated EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) was then ceased. We strongly urge the EU to continue its sanctions to continue applying pressure on the Chinese government.

Photo credit: GSHK

“PATRIOTIC” ELECTORAL REFORM IN HONG KONG On March 30, 2021, China’s government imposed an overhaul in Hong Kong’s electoral system by a vote of 167-0, in order to consolidate it’s power.

While overall seats in the Legislative Council increased from 70 to 90, the number of directly elected seats fell from 35 to 20, which allows Beijing to appoint more Hong Kong lawmakers.

The Election Committee that selects the Chief Executive of Hong Kong will be expanded by 300 new representatives

from members of China’s top political advisory body and other patriotic groups. Meanwhile, all 117 district council seats in the committee will be removed.

With mostly jailed democrats and the limited seats in the Council, the parliamentary system in Hong Kong will soon become a rubble stamp under the control of Beijing, which is why Germany and the EU should continue their sanctions to punish the aggressors.

Photo credit: Standnews

MASS ARREST OF POLITICAL ACTIVISTS On January 6, 2021, 47 activists were arrested by the police for "subversion" under the National Security Law, for participating in the pro-democracy primaries in July 2020. By coordinating amongst one another, it was hoped that more seats could be won by the prodemocratic camp through coordination.

3

APRIL 2021 | VOLUME VII

4

OPINION

Photo credit: Epoch TImes

INTRODUCTION OF THE CHINESE VIEW OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS: RUGUANXUE Political discussions on the Chinese Internet are obscure to foreigners and outsiders due to the language barrier and the terms employed by authors to avoid censorship.

Such discussions are nevertheless vivid for years and have shaped their readers’ understanding of international politics.

The idea of Ruguanxue ( ) has been circulating since 2016 and has been gaining traction with the pandemic since 2020. Its literal meaning is “The School of Crossing the

⼊關學

Pass” and it can be roughly translated as barbarians at the gate. Historical analogy is at its centre by comparing the current situation to the historical events culminating in the fall of the Ming dynasty and the rise of the Manchus.

In the following article, I wish to introduce this rather popular school of thoughts to the readership.

In order to understand Ruguanxue, the historical background on which the analogy is based must be given.

To put a long story short, it is about the Manchu barbarians capitalising on the internal turmoil of the Ming dynasty to cross the Great Wall and their eventual conquest of China. analogy is based must be given.

To put a long story short, it is about the Manchu barbarians capitalising on the internal analogy is based must be given.

To put a long story short, it is

about the Manchu barbarians capitalising on the internal turmoil of the Ming dynasty to cross the Great Wall and their eventual conquest of China.

According to Ruguanxue, China is the barbarians of modern times and America is the centre of the civilised world. The adherents of this school find much resemblance between the 17th and 21st Century. For example, the Ming dynasty was regarded by her tributary states as the political and cultural leader of the known world and the same is true for America, which, in their words, had been the hegemon since the 1940s.

But there is a more fundamental issue, they believe that America considers China the barbaric threat which must be eradicated, and there is no hope that America would spare China. The logic behind this is that America has been promoting Democracy and countries that rejected the

APRIL 2021 | VOLUME VII

democratic ways were demonised. Ruguanxue draws therefore parallels between the Confucian Ming dynasty, which regarded Confucianism as the kingly way and thus had a distaste for those rejected Confucianism, and America for its constant promotion of universal values, of which democracy is a part. The conclusion is simple: America will not tolerate China and will attempt to eliminate its existence, no matter what China does and thinks.

Another pillar of Ruguanxue is the recognition of the American material abundance. America, just like the Ming dynasty, is not only the economic powerhouse, but also the land of plenty. On the one hand, this wealth and abundance can solve the issue of Chinese domestic poverty; on the other, it may spell disasters for China if the American government decides to muster her resources in a possible conflict. With the assumption that America will confront China at some point in the future, Ruguanxue suggests that China must take the decision action of “crossing the pass”, which implies breaking the first island chain and securing a free passage in the Strait of Malacca. These actions may result in a war with America, but such a war had always been inevitable, according to Chinese netizens. America is however the country with the strongest economy and military, it is therefore impossible for China to win in case of a war, regardless of its duration. The timing of this war or, to be precise, its initiation is thus the centre of the issue.

Historical analogy fills the gap here. The Ming dynasty suffered from internal decay and peasants revolts before the Manchus crossed the pass (and therefore the Great Wall) and entered China proper, China in the 21st Century by the same

token, should make similar moves when internal instability plagues America. To the adherents of Ruguanxue, the pandemic of 2020 and the incidents taking place in the aftermath of the 2021 presidential election are the signals of a decaying America or, at least, signs of more events ready to unfold themselves in the coming future. Such developments serve as a reminder for preparation.

They have a firm belief that other countries, may they be western or those in the global south, will switch their allegiance or even fall into submission once China exhibits her power and exposes the weaknesses of America. Historical precedent is again invoked, as most tributary states recognised the Qing dynasty established by the Manchus without a fight, American allies may simply do the same.

While the Chinese Government has not publicly adopted this school of thought yet, the censorship against it is not in full swing. It is true that the earliest proposer of Ruguanxue found his account of Zhihu (the Chinese version of Quora) suspended in 2020, he could still propagate his ideas in other platforms, including those with a visible party presence, and established a large following.

Ruguanxue now flourishes on the Chinese Internet with quite a number of variants and it, as a whole, echoes with such Chinese foreign policies as the “Belt and Road Initiatives'' and the “Maritime Silk Road Programme”, both of which aim to expand Chinese influence in an attempt to break the possible encirclement against China. It would be not an extravagation to say that Ruguanxue is going mainstream and has a prospect of becoming part of the official policies.

5

6

APRIL 2021 | VOLUME VII

LETTER LET US SANCTION HONG KONG'S BEAT-UP COPS AND CHINA'S GENOCIDE PERPETRATORS!

by David Missal

Cruel torture, long prison sentences, forcibly administered drugs all this is everyday life for Chinese human rights activists. The Chinese state persecutes critics of the one-part dictatorship with more determination than ever before. We must finally find a clear answer to this.

Since party leader Xi Jinping took office in 2012, the situation in China has worsened dramatically: Hundreds of lawyers, priests and activists are tortured by the party in its prisons. About one million Chinese Muslims are interned in camps because of their faith. In Hong Kong, the Communist Party is breaking international law and bringing the unjust state even to the only city in China that was a haven of freedom for two decades.

What is our response to this? Almost always: silence. Doing nothing.

Watching.

When it became known in May that the Chinese Communist Party wanted to impose a state security law on Hong Kong, the German government first found no words - and then only extremely weak ones. There have been no real reactions to date. Yes, the European Union has agreed to suspend extradition agreements or to regulate the export of surveillance technology. But these measures have so far been insufficiently implemented or are pure symbolic policy. For example, no German court would agree to extradition to Hong Kong for a long time. Real answers are now needed to China's aggressive behavior at home and beyond. We must act if we do not want Taiwan to soon fall victim to the imperialist fantasies of the Chinese leadership.

Union has agreed to suspend extradition agreements or to regulate the export of surveillance technology. But these measures have so far been insufficiently implemented or are pure symbolic policy. For example, no German court would agree to extradition to Hong Kong for a long time. Real answers are now needed to China's aggressive behavior at home and beyond. We must act if we do not want Taiwan to soon fall victim to the imperialist fantasies of the Chinese leadership.

One of many necessary measures is personal sanctions. In a petition to the German Bundestag, I, together with more than 50,000 fellow campaigners, demand sanctions for Chinese human

David Missal is a sinologist and human rights activist. Together with Hong Kong activist Glacier Kwong, he has initiated a petition on Hong Kong's State Security Law to the German Bundestag in September 2020.

rights criminals. Specifically, we demand: Freeze accounts and deny visas!

What may sound harmless and ineffective at first glance can be an important instrument, especially with regard to Hong Kong. Hong Kong is an international city, so are its citizens. From Hong Kong Chief Executive Lam to regime-affiliated lawyers to brutal thug police officers, they all have connections to the world - vacationing in Paris, having a vacation home on the Mediterranean, or visiting their children studying in the United States.

They will not want to do without all this.

If an alliance of democracies - led by the United States and Europe imposes sanctions on Carrie Lam and her henchmen, even the beat cop will wonder: is it my turn next?

Sanctions are our chance to send a clear signal to Beijing - and to put the implementers of inhumane policies in their place.

APRIL 2021 | VOLUME VII

FOLLOW US

An initiative that organizes a diverse range of events in Germany to support the democratic movement in Hong Kong.

Click "HERE" to Subscribe to our Newsletter https://gwshk.typeform.com/to/cUrSolJ6

Email: germanystandswithhk@gmail.com

Written and edited by GSWHK Social Media Team.

7