FIONA
Form: VI
From: USA (but lived in Beijing, China for many years)
Location: Ford House
Opinion:
I think that it's an understandably complicated situation. Hong Kong is extremely different from Mainland China due to its history, and therefore, cannot be expected to blindly adhere to Mainland's laws. Though Mainland China claims to have a one country, two systems policy, it is interpreted in vastly different ways.
Personally, I believe that Mainland China's attempts to assimilate and interfere in Hong Kong are futile. Hong Kong has been ruled too liberally (in my opinion, a plus) for it to meekly accept Mainland Chinese interference. There is simply no way that Hong Kong could ever be governed in the same way as Mainland China.
I've lived for a few years in Beijing and went to an international school there. Many of my friends there were from Hong Kong or Mainland China. They would often argue about whether or not Hong Kong was a part of China, why it was returned to China, or why it was so incredibly different. From my experience, I think that most people here know of the difference between the two cultures (Hong Kong and Mainland China), but are unaware of the conflict itself. More awareness of the issue is warranted.
Evidently, Mainlanders who were born and raised there have a general sense of nationalism; therefore, more Mainlanders would contend that Hong Kong should concede to its demands. Hong Kong-ers vice versa.
In the US, democracy and personal freedom is an extremely important concept. Because we value freedom so much, we tend to regard what we think is a more oppressive system, such as China's, in a persistently negative light. I think that most Americans would be supportive of Hong Kong, who is fighting for more individual freedom and democracy.
