Washington Examiner
Date: November 05, 2020
By: Elisha Maldonado

In 1997, the British ceded administrative control of Hong Kong to the Chinese under the “one country, two systems” stipulation that the defiantly democratic region would maintain most of its independence until 2047. Yet in violation of this pact, and after years of pressure by the Chinese Communist Party to prevent international recognition and support for Hong Kong, this June, the party forced Hong Kong to pass an extradition bill that represents the end of the semiautonomous territory’s independence. The national security law ensures that Hong Kong, which was one of the freest and most prosperous regions in the Far East, is subject to the same authoritarian restrictions on speech and commerce as the communist mainland. Now, Taiwan fears it could be next, and it is speaking out in an effort not to go so gently into that good night.

A Sept. 18 headline for an editorial run by the Global Times, a propaganda newspaper run by the Chinese Communist Party, is terrifying: “PLA Friday drills not warning, but rehearsal for Taiwan takeover.” The People’s Liberation Army is China’s military and has with increasing frequency been running what the paper calls “real-combat military exercises near the Taiwan Straits."
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