Media have flocked to cover the fight between Xi Jin-ping and Li Ke-qiang in China. Li said there were 600 million people earning less than 1,000 RMB a month while Xi proclaimed that China was going to cast off poverty this year. Li advocated “street vendors economy” in an attempt to boost employment, but the official media criticized that “street vendors economy” disarranged cities’ complexion, environment and order. In addition, former real estate tycoon Ren Zhi-qiang and Cai Xia, Professor of Party School of the Chinese Communist Party(CCP), have lately spoken up against Xi. Critics have surmised that Xi may buckle under stress, and finally step down.

In the early 1980s, when Hu Yao-bang was the General Secretary, Zhao Zi-yang the Premier, and Deng Xiao-ping driving the reform and opening-up policy in China, the CCP divulged the plan to resume Hong Kong’s sovereignty. In retrospect, at that time, my stance against transfer of Hong Kong’s sovereignty prevailed all over my work of subediting and writing, though I was impressed by these communists. The reason behind is straightforward: Despite the fact that the benevolent are in power, preserving Party’s absolute power is always their priority.

An effortless deduction is that even though Xi steps down to make place for a more liberal leader, China, with its absolute power, will not stop short of enslaving the people and stifling Hong Kong

The deposition of Han Guo-yu is deemed a representative of the CCP kicked off by Taiwanese, which was contributed by Hong Kong. Also, it is believed that without the anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong, Han Guo-yu would most likely be elected the President, leading to the end of Taiwan.

Though Han is arguably a little close to China, it is a juxtaposition against the Democratic Progressive Party(DPP) that the Kuomintang (KMT) is intended to put up. To say that he is a representative of the CCP is the same as saying some Hong Kong people are undercover agents of the CCP, which is unfounded. The deposition of Han was due to his running for president shortly after being elected Kaohsiung Mayor, disappointing the people of the city who had had hopes in him. The anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong made an impact on Taiwan’s president election, not the dismissal of Han. In fact, even if Han was elected, it would not be the end of Taiwan. After Ma Ying-jeou, former Chairman of KMT who met Xi Jin-ping in his days, holding the reigns of Taiwan for 8 years, Taiwan was still intact. The stability of Taiwan hinges on the up-growing democratic system, in which rulers are empowered and monitored by the people, on top of the strategic protection from the US. We trust a system, not a person.

Support for Trump has plummeted amidst the US riot. Commentaries in Hong Kong are concerned that Trump will be beaten by the Democratic Party(DP) in the year-end presidential election. Though the pro-China measures adopted by DP in their reign is disconcerting, whether the US will change its policy on China and impose sanctions on the latter is not subject to party alteration, but public opinions and national interests.

Those with the abovementioned perspective have not yet broken away from the deeply ingrained mentality of the rule of man, believing that national policies are dependent on the man in power. The fact is that policies are reliant on a system, be it autocratic or democratic. The only difference is that preserving rulers’ power is the priority of an autocracy while public opinions and interests always come first in a democracy.

We should not hope for the plight of Hong Kong impacted by personnel change in China, Taiwan and the US, and vice versa. The ultimate goal of the anti-extradition movement protesters and their sacrifices is to stand up against the enslavement by the dictator’s brutal regime, not to seek international sanctions on China. China has been condemned by western countries unanimously. However, when it comes to actual sanctions on China, only the US and UK have taken actions. German Minister of Foreign Affairs even publicly dismissed sanctions on China. At the end of the day, a government empowered by the people is responsible for the people’s interests.

The external factors like Xi stepping down, the US president election and the stance of the West on the Hong Kong version of national security law are not what Hong Kong people should count on. Instead, we can only count on our own will. Let’s ditch the discussion about optimism and pessimism, be disillusioned and persevere in fighting hard.
(Commemorating the 1st anniversary of 6.9 one million people demonstration)

(Lee Yee, a prominent political commentator in Hong Kong who embarked on a career of writing and subediting in 1956, has been contributing unremittingly political commentaries to the local press.)

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