China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) has approved the resolution for a vicious national security law tailor made for Hong Kong. As expected, Communist China has not backed down because of the threats from the United States. NPC is China’s top legislature and the resolution has been made known to the world. How embarrassing it will be if the resolution is withdrawn under pressure! Hence Communist China will not rest until the law gets implemented in Hong Kong.


Hong Kong people’s struggle for democracy and autonomy, which began with the anti-extradition bill protest, has lasted for almost a year. With the US and China now clashing over the Hong Kong issue and the impending national security law, our struggle meets new challenges.


The problem now is that the aspirations of Hong Kong people can no longer be achieved by our own struggle. Communist China has torn the Basic Law apart. The circumstances for “rightful resistance” no longer exist. Hong Kong will gradually and inevitably become a mainland city. The vicious national security law will be enacted any time; “national education” is swiftly implemented, brainwashing secondary and primary students; businesses have unanimously kowtowed to Beijing; Hong Kong people are in dire straits. Fortunately, Americans have responded rigorously in a timely manner, resulting in direct a confrontation between the US and China. The fate of Hong Kong now depends on the outcome of the struggle between the two superpowers.


In other words, whether we will win or lose is no longer subject to our endeavour, but the upshot of the wrestling between the US and China. Nevertheless, if Hong Kong people give up on our own struggle and take a free ride on the Sino-US fight, it is not only unethical, but also dampening to our fighting spirits. Therefore, giving up is out of the question; what we have to consider now is how to persist in the combat.


Hong Kong’s situation will deteriorate with the implementation of the vicious law. The massive arrests made by the police recently is just a prologue to making apprehensions indiscriminate, which aims at scaring protestors away. Those arrested will be put on trial according to the new law and convicted inevitably so that people will be terrified. The police will continue to crack down on street protests brutally until no one dare to take to the streets.


No one can foresee how long the Sino-US fight will last. It may be as brief as one to two years or as lengthy as 7-8 years. If we continue with our former fighting tactics, we will definitely be burnt out in no time. To persevere, we have to contemplate new tactics.


The day will come when either side emerges victorious. We must persist until that day. If we lose, we have to accept failure and wait for the next opportunity. If we win, we have to rebuild our home upon ruins. Between now and then, we have to preserve our strengths and avoid sacrifices. No matter how big the sacrifice is, it will be of no avail, but only disempower ourselves. Since self-immolation does not help, we shall adhere to the principle of avoiding sacrifice as much as possible.


Hongkongers are dauntless and intelligent. We should not self-immolate needlessly. We shall find other ways out, leveraging our strengths and avoiding head-to-head battles. Only in this way can we endure and fight till the end.

(Ngan Shun Kau is a veteran publisher and writer. His publications and works are award-winning.)

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