HK independence advocacy manifests variants of racism

Zhou Bajun says rising anti-Asian sentiment in the West has parallels in the city, with active separatist campaigns and biases against mainland Chinese

The COVID-19 global pandemic is fueling an unprecedented shift in the global order. With it, a new phenomenon has emerged in the West, where, along with populism, racism against nonCaucasians, especially Asians, is on the rise. In the United States, even upper-class Chinese Americans are subject to scorn by white people.

The 2016 Brexit referendum and US presidential election in which Donald Trump claimed victory were regarded as two landmark events in the rise of populism in the West. Back then, racial discrimination targeted refugees from the Middle East and Muslims who have long settled in the West. Today, as the Trump administration took the lead in accusing China of causing the COVID-19 pandemic, certain Western nations and mainstream media blindly echoed Washington’s view by instigating racial discrimination and social exclusion against Asians.

Populism, together with racial discrimination against Middle East refugees and Islamic immigrants in 2016, is considered a symptom of the collapse of the liberal international order championed by the West. Now racial discrimination against Asians, particularly Chinese, implies not only the aggravation of anti-globalization, but also a possible major war.

We should take a lesson from history. World War II was not triggered by the Great Depression alone. Racism was also a contributing factor that gave rise to German fascism and Japanese militarism. Now the global economy is set to plunge into a severe recession or even depression. This, coupled with the rise of racism in the West, warrants our vigilance as it could lead to the reoccurrence of another world war.

Some say that World War III will not occur as major countries now possess nuclear weapons. However, a new world war may not necessarily take the form of a hot war. Cyberattacks could be a new form of war. Of course, if major powers waged a mega cyberwarfare against each other, it might eventually evolve into a hot war. Hence, we must take the possibility of a Great Depression and the rise of racism in the West seriously.

Against this backdrop of a rapidly shifting global political and economic landscape, it is not difficult to realize that Hong Kong’s advocacy of independence by anti-China and anti-communist political forces is in fact a reflection of racism that is rife in the West.

As Hong Kong predominantly consists of Chinese residents, some can hardly relate it to racism even though a gang of separatists pursue Hong Kong independence. My understanding is that anti-China and anti-communist political forces are a group of self-proclaimed Westernized Chinese. In their eyes, their Chinese identity is nothing more than their lineage, with their ideology and even nationality belonging to the West. Prominent figures of the anti-China and anti-communist political forces cannot deny their racial traits, while insisting they are superior to their compatriots. That explains why these opposition forces are being manipulated by the United States and the United Kingdom, with their chief figures traveling all the way to Washington and London to take orders.

In Hong Kong, there are quite a number of people who think they are superior to mainland Chinese. Not long ago, an honorary assistant professor and a professor at the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong jointly published an article defending Western politicians and mainstream media who used the smearing term

“Wuhan pneumonia” to refer to the coronavirus. Their article neatly exposes the scorn these “superior Chinese” have for mainland Chinese.

Recently, a restaurant belonging to the so-called “yellow economic circle” refused to serve mainland Chinese. Complaints against the restaurant were filed with the Equal Opportunities Commission for alleged racial discrimination. The commission replied that it was difficult for laws in Hong Kong to regulate such practices, as mainland Chinese and Hong Kong Chinese belong to the same race.

A few years ago, when Hong Kong was formulating anti-discrimination laws, many proposed that the law should also apply to discrimination against “new immigrants” from the mainland. The proposal was rejected for the same reason that local Chinese and those who recently relocated from the mainland belong to the same race.

The anti-China and anti-communist political forces, who believe they are superior to mainland Chinese, have now resorted to pursuing Hong Kong independence. To forestall such attempts, it is imperative that the SAR government enforce the Public Order Ordinance and revise the anti-discrimination laws.

At the same time, the SAR government should vigorously promote national education throughout society and develop a mechanism at primary and secondary schools specifically for this purpose. Hong Kong independence advocacy stems from the deep-seated problem that a considerable number of residents in Hong Kong refuse to accept their Chinese national identity while identifying themselves only as “Hong Kongers”.

National education must consist of both reasoning and actions. On April 5, a nationwide ceremony was held to commemorate compatriots who sacrificed themselves in the fight against COVID-19 and those who died from the disease. Like mainland residents, Macao residents participated in the memorial service. In Hong Kong, however, only the chief executive, principal officials, members of the Executive Council and the president of the Legislative Council took part in the event. Since it is a nationwide activity, an important lesson in national education was missed by the people of Hong Kong.

Zhou Bajun

The author is a senior research fellow of China Everbright Holdings. The anti-China and anti-communist political forces, who believe they are superior to mainland Chinese, have now resorted to pursuing Hong Kong independence. To forestall such attempts, it is imperative that the SAR government enforce the Public Order Ordinance and revise the anti-discrimination laws.