In a previous article, I mentioned that subsuming Hong Kong back into mainland China would set Hong Kong back a hundred years. Now it’s time to explain why.
China’s government is highly centralized and authoritarian—and it makes no apology for that. It fully believes it’s the best way to govern: their economy has sprouted; China never fragmented the way Western Europe did; democracy is a dangerous idea. And interestingly, most Chinese are okay with it. Few millennials are bothered by centralized authority, and censorship is annoying rather than upsetting. Millennials are more interested in the price of housing, or shopping, or swapping videos on WeChat. They do crave individualism and freedom, however—freedom from what they consider to be onerous family and cultural obligations.
This complacency may not last forever, though. In the long-run, societies are still trending toward greater freedom, not less (despite recent events in Europe and elsewhere). People want centralized authority when it is necessary to keep order amidst chaos, or when it’s deemed the fastest way to improve quality of life. But once that need has dissipated, either because society has become more stable or everyone is relatively satisfied with their situation, the inherent desire to make one’s own decisions returns. This suggests that China will someday have more unrest as people seek more freedom and decision-making. It’s the price of prosperity.
There are some indications this has already begun. China has the highest billionaire emigration rate in the world—the well-to-do have little need for authoritarian government. Chinese millennials also tend to be dreamers and strivers—and such ambitions generally flourish in liberal environments. Though it may take generations to play-out, the natural progression suggests the people of mainland China will want to get to where the people of Hong Kong already are. And conversely, the people of Hong Kong have no desire to go back to where the people of mainland China currently are.
Reference:
Anna Fifield and Gerry Shih, “30 years after Tiananmen, richer China still iron -fisted,” Washington Post, 2 Jun 2019, A1 see also https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/how-todays-china-was-shaped-by-the-events-in-tiananmen-square-30-years-ago/2019/06/01/21119780-7708-11e9-a7bf-c8a43b84ee31_story.html
Keith B Richburg, “The rising powers behind the world’s fastest-rising power,” Washington Post, 18 March 2018, B1.
Photo: marketingtochina.com
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