Today, we hurl condemnations and warnings at China for extinguishing freedom in Hong Kong, brutally oppressing the Uighur Muslim minority and making aggressive military moves along the Indian border, in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. But for China, the subjugation of Hong Kong may be the last great fruit of the peaceful, economic approach. Meanwhile, Beijing moved cautiously in Hong Kong, knowing that harsh suppression of its freedoms could frighten many Taiwanese into the arms of pro-independence advocates. And indeed, the crackdown on Hong Kong protesters last year probably played a role in the overwhelming reelection victory in January 2020 of the more independence-minded party of President Tsai Ing-wen. That Xi has now decided to end the Hong Kong charade once and for all has ominous implications for Taiwan.

Source: Washington Post August 17, 2020 12:04 UTC