Mike Rowse

Opinion | After a dreadful year, three wishes for Hong Kong in 2021

So-called friends of Hong Kong, like US Senator Ted Cruz, should stop ‘helping’ us. Young idealistic proponents of political reform need to be less naive. And, with society still deeply divided, all parties should work towards reconciliation

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A demonstrator holds a US flag during a protest in Hong Kong on July 1. Hong Kong protesters have welcomed support from the US, but Senator Ted Cruz has blocked legislation that would have made immigration easier for dissidents. Photo: Bloomberg

Mike Rowse

Published: 3:45pm, 27 Dec 2020Updated: 7:12pm, 27 Dec 2020

In the words of an old Scottish proverb, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride”. 2020 has been such a dreadful year for so many people, it is tempting to think that only an infinite number of wishes could put everything right for Hong Kong in 2021. But to stay focused for the purposes of this column, I am going to limit myself to three.

I will not waste one on a cure for Covid-19, because there is no need; there are so many vaccines now at an advanced stage of trial.

Nor will I waste time hoping for an early and significant economic recovery. Although, in business terms, we punch well above our weight, Hong Kong represents only a tiny share of global gross domestic product.

What happens to us depends to a very large extent on what happens elsewhere: whether the US returns to a reasoned set of policies after the four-year binge on voodoo economics, and; whether China can turn its rebound into a sustained era of growth. In the long term, there are grounds for optimism on both counts but I fear the timescale will be disappointing.

My first wish for Hong Kong in the new year is that our many “friends” around the world will stop “helping” us. We do not need US senators flying in, dressing in black, and showing support for rioters. A legitimate and mostly orderly protest movement was morphing into an orgy of violence and vandalism. Lending support was not helpful.

Similarly, a secretary of state calling for regime change in Beijing while at the same time loudly shouting his support for democratic reform in Hong Kong only increased distrust and virtually guaranteed zero progress for a long time.