United States must back in Hong Kong issue

It is clear to those who have followed US actions in world politics, that US support for human rights has always gone hand in hand with the realization of other interests in the other countries. The most important of these other interests are economic and military ones.

The key issues of the Hong Kong Democratic Movement are those for which US action is not replying. The huge inequality, the cost of living sky rocketing and the lack of a view to better future, especially for young people, will not be resolved by increasing political power of US in the region.

The Hong Kong government must take up the challenge and investigate any excessive use of force by police while also investigating the actions of the protesters. Violent actions have occurred on both sides and resolving them is in everyone’s interest.

Building democracy is, above all, a process which requires dialogue and relations of trust. To achieve these, it is necessary to reduce external pressure, not to increase it. At the moment, those who are willing to develop genuine civil society and demanding participatory democracy in Hong Kong are not able to make their voices heard, and Hong Kong’s becoming as a sticking point of superpowers makes it virtually impossible to progress with the current ongoing trade war.

The development of democracy which Hong Kong has inherited from the British regime must be put in place, but the aim of the process cannot be seceding the region from China. We need to find ways in which residents’ representatives have greater authority over capital in their city.

The Communist Party of Finland participating in the international political parties process of dialogue initiated by the Communist Party of China, sees that US action on the Hong Kong issue does not promote but complicates the development towards civil society and participatory democracy. That is why the United States should take a step back from intimidation to negotiation. This would also allow the Hong Kong voice to be heard.

CPF is also strengthening relations between Asia, China and European Left by proposing forming a permanent European Left Working group on Asia. This would make it possible to have an ongoing political dialogue between EL and progressive forces of Asia.