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Comment by fieryscribe | Hacker News Reader

The Chinese central government is not happy to let Hong Kong run itself. That's why Article 23 was pushed numerous times, as well the National Anthem Bill and the extradition law. They put their customs officials on Hong Kong territory, to the dismay of many locals. They also conduct extra-judicial behavior such as kidnapping HK citizens.

In 1997, HKers were afraid their freedoms would erode under Chinese rule. We were left alone for a while, but the spectre was always there. Now, the Central Government has made it more of a priority.

That said, there are many HKers who consider HK part of China and many others who don't.

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The central government's red line is separatism. For most issues, they're not interested in intervening in Hong Kong's politics. I think most of the current tension is fundamentally over the issue of separatism.

I've given you examples which have nothing to do with "separatism", such as extradition and kidnapping, and you choose to ignore it. In another instance, a journalist was refused a visa because he chaired a panel. That's about freedom of speech, which HKers have long enjoyed.

I'm a Hong Konger and always will be. I'm aware of what the CCP is doing and they're not at all as hands-off as you make them seem. Xi Jin Ping especially does not tolerate differences.

Article 23 and the National Anthem Bill were both directly related to the issue of separatism. If by customs officials you're referring to the high-speed rail station, then that's an overblown issue.

The pressuring of the book sellers to go to China was indeed a very troubling incident. But the general, widespread control of Hong Kong politics by the central government that many people imagine is not there, and almost all of these issues are about the central government not allowing separatists to gain power in Hong Kong (e.g., the entire fight over who can run for the Chief Executive position). Something that is often ignored in these discussions is that under British rule, Hong Kongers has almost no say in their government, and that they now actually have much more say.

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