Talks broke down in Hawaii between US Secretary of State Pompeo and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo member of the Central Committee Yang Jie-chi. Apparently, Yang had failed to change US’s stance to impose on China anticipated sanctions that arise from China’s National Security Law for Hong Kong and other matters. Shortly after the talks, Xinhua News Agency suddenly announced that the drafted National Security Law for Hong Kong had been submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) for deliberation on Thursday. Among the original four offences, "activities of foreign and external forces to interfere in the affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" was changed to "colluding with foreign and external forces to endanger national security". This is an offence tailor-made for pro-democratic legislators of Hong Kong who have been in contact with foreign dignitaries, parliamentarians, etc. This law will amplify the deterrent effect on them by creating fear among those who try to defend their rights, so that the deterrent effects can be seen before the law is even passed. The National Security Law for Hong Kong was suddenly sent to the Standing Committee of the NPC for deliberation at the speed and malice akin to wolf warriors, which has undeniably stunned and astonished Hong Kong people, but I am convinced that whether the law will be passed quickly and implemented immediately is still subject to a lot of variables. On Saturday, words came out suddenly that the meeting was only to preliminary review the law, and it would neither be passed, nor would the draft provisions be made public.

The CCP is in the midst of a fierce power struggle. Opposition to this brutal and reckless legislation is rather severe from many officials and veterans; not everything that wolf warrior Emperor Xi says can be done as he wishes. Today is a far cry from the past. Currently, after the epidemic, China’s social and economic situation have fallen into the biggest crisis since China opened up its economy to the world. This has prompted those enlightened individuals in the CCP to rise in power, intensifying the power struggle, causing the conflicts between Emperor Xi and Li Ke-qiang to surface. Under the fierce power struggle, Emperor Xi’s wolf warrior-like fierceness and domineering are met with constraints and taboos. The abrupt submission of the National Security Law for Hong Kong to the Standing Committee of the NPC for deliberation does not mean that it will be passed overnight.  We need not panic and disrupt our disposition.

In addtion, what makes us optimistic and encouraging is that there has never been any authoritarian measure imposed by the CCP on Hong Kong that can unite the strong, unanimous opposition from all the countries in the free world like the National Security Law, and that the opposition is not merely verbal condemnation, but actions of censure. These upcoming sanctions and counterattacks have strengthened the enlightened anti-Xi forces within the CCP, which suppresses Emperor Xi’s ability to act rashly.  The strongest and most powerful counterattack from foreign countries comes from the former sovereign country of the colony of Hong Kong – the United Kingdom, which came as a surprise.

The United Kingdom has fully deployed a plan to "save" Hong Kong people. Once the National Security Law for Hong Kong has passed, London will give the green light to Hong Kong BNO passport holders and their spouse and children for applying for UK citizenship. Although offspring aged 19 to 23 cannot benefit from the plan, this issue seems not difficult to solve as Emily Lau Wai-hing has said that she would fight for their rights. The British government has fulfilled its historical responsibility for the people of Hong Kong, while making a strong and deterrent counterattack against the CCP’s illegitimate enforcement of the National Security La in Hong Kong. Britain’s "saving" measure for Hong Kong people will drain Hong Kong of its professionals, especially financial professionals and entrepreneurs.  It was these professional talents who had turned Hong Kong into a prosperous international metropolis of finance and trade. With these talents gone, Hong Kong will return to its original bleakness and bareness.The imperious National Security Law for Hong Kong will bring unprecedented losses to the CCP.Emperor Xi can imagine himself to be the wolf warrior as he likes, but enlightened officials and veterans will inevitably block him, especially after the Wuhan pneumonia pandemic, during which the Chinese economy has fallen into the severest crisis since China’s opening up of its economy. Emperor Xi, it is time to step down!

The British government’s astounding “save” Hong Kong plan not only fulfils its inescapable historical responsibility of taking in Hong Kong people when its former colony is in danger, but more importantly, also provides the UK with much-needed professionals and entrepreneurs from Hong Kong to fill the vacancies of non-British professionals and entrepreneurs that have left the UK after Brexit. Thus the British government’s granting the right of abode to the people of Hong Kong is a strategy that kills two birds with one stone.

The United States is taking the lead in the anti-China movement that is gradually heating up in the free world. Trump has imposed sanctions on the CCP for its imperiousness and refusal to follow international rules via the US-China trade war. This was followed by the Wuhan pneumonia epidemic, which has caused the loss of lives and properties of the American people, probably prompting Trump to impose a series of further sanctions and punishments on the CCP as his re-election strategy. It coincides with the CCP&’s implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong, violating international conventions and destroying the Basic Law in front of the world. This will be the starting point for punitive actions to hold the CCP accountable.

Needless to say, a series of sanctions may be included in his campaign strategy. The prohibition of shipping chips that contain US technology to China has already pushed Huawei and ZTE to the verge of a production close down with an immediate dismissal of half of its employees, affecting more than 75% of these companies’ products. This sanction alone has caused a severe blow to the CCP. If the United States bans the Chinese financial system from using SWIFT, a messaging and conversion system for transactions made by international financial institutions, the convenience and speed of transactions made by Chinese financial institutions to exchange US dollars will be no different from that of Iran under sanctions, that is, it will be necessary to physically bring cash to exchange US dollars in order to make a financial or trade transaction. In that case, China’s banking and financial services and foreign trade will almost be brought to a stop. In the current economic downturn with risks abound, how can the CCP bear such a severe blow? That is why Emperor Xi had no choice but urgently send Yang Jie-chi to Hawaii to make peace with US Secretary of State Pompeo. If the reconciliation talks fail, the consequence will be the CCP’s enlightened anti-Xi forces growing stronger. Faced with problems both in China and abroad, Emperor Xi’s throne will become unstable. Yet despite being in such a fragile position, he is vigorously launching the National Security Law for Hong Kong. This is no more than a greenhorn trick which deserves not much worry.

The National Security Law for Hong Kong may turn out to be much cry with little done, because China is not an island; it needs to provide bread and stability for its 1.4 billion people and therefore the CCP must reconcile with the free world headed by the United States. Deng Xiao-ping was right: all countries that are friends with the United States will prosper. China really prospered when it was in friendly terms with the United States before Xi came to power. Today the CCP is facing hostility from all around the world as the West stand united, thanks to Emperor Xi alone.  The United States and the free world cannot let China become an island as well. The Chinese economy is so large and efficient that without the participation of Chinese production lines, the supply chain of globalized goods and semi-manufactured goods will inevitably hinder the development of the global economy, increasing transaction costs and operation time, causing the overall world economy to shrivel. For the benefit of both parties, China-US diplomatic and trade relations will finally be reconciled. The biggest obstacle to the reconciliation between China and the United States is Emperor Xi’s regression to the extreme leftist ideology of the Mao era, plus his wolf warrior attitude in foreign affairs. I believe that officials of other factions in the CCP are well aware of this, which is why the recent Xi-Li conflict reveals that the power struggle in the CCP has turned white-hot. With Emperor Xi stepping down, the CCP’s policies will return to the right track of opening up China. Only then can Sino-US relations get back to a normal collaborative relationship, and China walk the broad path to real prosperity.  Perhaps we need not wait for long to witness this moment.

(Jimmy Lai is the founder of Next Digital, which publishes the Apple Daily and Next Magazine in Hong Kong and Taiwan.)

-----------------------------
Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app
To know more: https://bit.ly/2yMMfQE

Apple Daily mobile app latest version DOWNLOAD NOW