The ongoing Hong Kong political unrest has led to 47 pro-democracy protesters still being held in custody after four days of denied bail hearings. The protesters were charged with the intent to overthrow the Hong Kong government. The conditions of the protestors and news about the bail hearings have been suppressed, which have caused an uproar in questions. These types of actions taken by the Chinese government have been heavily criticized by democratic nations, such as the United States and Great Britain, for many decades. Many other international organizations and foreign leaders have condemned these authoritarian laws, yet the most damage any nation has done has been through sanctions.
The independence of Hong Kong has been debated for years. Their independence is beneficial to the many democratic-leaning countries in the region, like Japan. The protests have only grown to become more powerful the past few years. There have been more state actors condemning China’s actions towards Hong Kong, yet it only seems to get worse for the citizens. As an authoritarian government, China is unlikely to do anything with Hong Kong, but suppress the people that want out. As more countries speak out and more data gets leaked, it will be only a matter of time before China doubles down on Hong Kong, or seeks a deal.
Hong Kong independence is beneficial for many democratic nations, such as the United States. While the United States has not had a firm and clear stance on Hong Kong recently, the national interest is there. China’s global influence would decline as it would be losing a chunk of its territory. Economically, China’s profits would also decline as Hong Kong is a global center of business and trade. More actions towards Hong Kong independence would be helpful for the United States to keep their global dominance. Although the United States has been pulling back on their foreign relations recently, this could be a chance for them to bounce back.