In the Year of the Snake, Hong Kong enters a world that is more perilous than ever, with US President Donald Trump threatening tariffs against key trading partners and intensifying technological competition with China. Comments from Chinese officials that there are “no winners” in a trade war drop strong hints that China would not hesitate to retaliate if it is targeted.
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Hong Kong is powerless to put brakes on a trade or tech war, but when it comes to the troubles roiling Hong Kong, the worst might be over.
Top on the list is the controversy over national security. Although Hong Kong is constitutionally required to implement national security legislation, the national security law Beijing enacted for Hong Kong in 2020 sparked a spate of sanctions, travel warnings and a precipitous plunge in Hong Kong’s relationship with the West.
Nearly five years after the enactment of the law, Hong Kong could be close to turning the corner. “National security first” remains the government’s credo, but hints of change could be seen in Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung’s letter to The Wall Street Journal on some comments former US vice-president Mike Pence made at a business conference in Hong Kong last month.
After complaining about Pence’s “despicable” attempt at “political manipulation”, Tang concluded his letter by saying, “The above notwithstanding, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government always strengthens ties and exchanges with different countries, including the US.
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“Indeed, despite political differences in recent years, Hong Kong and the US continue to enjoy mutually respectful and beneficial business and social ties. Our city will continue to serve as the most effective bridge linking our motherland with the rest of the world for years to come”. This is a significant change in tone portending a more nuanced strategy towards the city’s critics.