Tuesday, February 7, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Media
Support Us
Macdonald-Laurier Institute
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media
No Result
View All Result
Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Hongkongers cannot be compelled to love China: Amy Lai in the South China Morning Post

September 3, 2019
in Columns, Dragon at the Door, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy Program, In the Media, Indo-Pacific, Latest News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A

Calling the Sino-British agreement void and repeated attempts to compel love from Hongkongers have only led to resentment and hate, writes Amy Lai.

By Amy Lai, September 3, 2019

Some people cannot imagine a world without love. One might argue that what is more essential to a society is the rule of law – laws based on the principles of justice. Love may be spontaneous and fleeting, but citizens whose liberties are protected by law can live in peace, security and with dignity. Laws can be enforced; love cannot.

In 2012, the Hong Kong government sought to introduce Chinese  civic education into its public school curriculum as an attempt to inculcate love and respect in Hong Kong youth for their “motherland.” The pro-China curriculum included statements that lauded China’s ruling party and criticised multiparty systems, while making no mention of major events in China’s history, like the Tiananmen massacre.

Amid massive protests, the plan was shelved. More recently, the government has set out to implement a national anthem law, making it a crime to disrespect the Chinese anthem (for example, by parodying it), or not to stand solemnly when it is being played in public. In the name of patriotism, freedom of speech – the foundation of civil society – was disregarded.

China might have been able to earn Hongkongers’ respect if it had honoured the rule of law and its handover agreement with Britain. In time, respect might have blossomed into love. But calling the Sino-British agreement void and repeated attempts to compel love from Hongkongers have only led to resentment and hate.

Unfortunately, the government has not learned from its mistakes. During a televised interview on June 12, immediately after Hong Kong police had used violence against largely peaceful protesters, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor used a mother-child analogy to describe the government’s relationship with the people.

The message was clear: the prodigal child should obey the loving mother and love her back. Hong Kong people, who remember that Lam was a civil servant, did not buy this cheap and deeply ironic analogy. Reports have also claimed that Lam asked her two sons, working outside Hong Kong, not to come back because it was unsafe.

She has since turned a deaf ear to protesters’ requests and allowed police to use additional force against other people’s children as the protests continued past the point of no return.

Beijing’s efforts to engineer love have apparently worked with young mainlanders. Mainland netizens have bemoaned the unruly conduct of Hong Kong’s youth, whom they claim are taught to hate China. Mainland children, on the other hand, are taught to love their nation at a young age, they say. Hence, they continue to spread their love of China while studying abroad and defend its integrity whenever they find it under attack.

On some Western campuses, Hong Kong student rallies in solidarity with protesters have been met with violence – both verbal and physical – from mainland Chinese students, who did not so much organise counter-protests as appropriate their newfound freedom of speech to quash the peaceful messages. The Chinese Consulate in New Zealand, for example, praised such conduct, claiming that it was borne out of their “love of China and Hong Kong.”

Yet the phenomenon may go beyond brainwashing. Compelling love in citizens creates not only resentment and fear, but also hypocrites who act only because they seek personal gain. Some mainland Chinese who bullied the protesters may have intended to show their “virtue” to their government and score social credit points, as they plan to return to China.

Those with no plans to return may have done so for their family members back home. As for those with Western citizenship, who profess undying love for China and sing the national anthem, they may be seeking to export Chinese authoritarianism to Western countries under the guise of love.

Coincidentally, in the traditional Chinese characters used in Hong Kong, the character for “heart” forms part of the character for “love.” However, this “heart” is missing from “love” in the simplified system of characters used by the mainland since the 1950s.

Hongkongers appreciate the complexity and grace of the traditional characters, some of which are pictographical and resemble the things they refer to. Indeed, to many, love springs from the heart – or else it is fake.

Such peculiar facts about the character systems are likely unique to China and Hong Kong. Compelled love, and authoritarianism masquerading as love, are perhaps not. Many Western nations should take note.

Amy Lai, a lawyer, was educated at Cambridge University and the University of British Columbia. She is a frequent MLI author and contributor. 

Tags: Amy LaiChinaDragon at the DoorHong KongInside Policy
Previous Post

China has locked up my friends in response to our protests in Hong Kong, and has put the city’s status at risk: Nathan Law in the Independent

Next Post

How Mainland China ‘Lost its Humanity’: Anastasia Lin in The Australian

Related Posts

It’s time to leverage Canada’s energy advantage into a geopolitical one, too: Shuvaloy Majumdar in Maclean’s
Columns

For the oil patch, ‘just transition’ is buzzword legislation, not sound economics: Heather Exner-Pirot in the Globe

February 7, 2023
Prioritizing gender identity over sex in prisons endangers female prisoners
Releases

Prioritizing gender identity over sex in prisons endangers female prisoners

February 6, 2023
Greedflation? It’s a government thing: Philip Cross in the Financial Post
Columns

Jagmeet Singh uses confusion about private care to support the status quo: Shawn Whatley in the National Post

February 6, 2023
Next Post
How Mainland China ‘Lost its Humanity’: Anastasia Lin in The Australian

How Mainland China 'Lost its Humanity': Anastasia Lin in The Australian

Macdonald-Laurier Institute

323 Chapel Street, Suite #300
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 7Z2 Canada

613.482.8327

info@macdonaldlaurier.ca
MLI directory

Follow us on

Newsletter Signup

First Name
Last Name
Email Address

Support Us

Support the Macdonald-Laurier Institute to help ensure that Canada is one of the best governed countries in the world. Click below to learn more or become a sponsor.

Support Us

Inside Policy Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Back Issues
  • Advertising
  • Inside Policy Blog
  • Privacy Policy

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.

IDEAS CHANGE THE WORLD!Have the latest Canadian thought leadership delivered straight to your inbox.
First Name
Last Name
Email address

No thanks, I’m not interested.