Ah, so good to see the people on the other side of the bamboo curtain are so well informed. Apparently online chatrooms are now feeling the wrath of angry mainlanders, who are insistent that Hong Kongers should sit down, shut up, stop rocking the boat and making waves.
A visitor to a sina.com chat room wrote: "What benefits will Hong Kong get from opposing the mainland? Would Hong Kong achieve today's prosperity without the mainland's reform and opening up policy, fast development and strong support?"
My word! How astute! Hong Kong's prosperity is clearly the result of China's Opening Up policies, implemented by Deng Xiaoping and the other recent Communist leaders of the glorious motherland! We cannot hope to prosper without following the example of our exalted leaders!
Please excuse me whilst I collapse in a fit of laughter!
The fact that Hong Kong's GDP per capita $27,200 and the PRC clocks up a massive $4,700 and that this disparity was even more pronounced before the hand-over in 1997, makes me wonder exactly what sort of bollocks the CCP has been telling citizens about their "prosperity". It seems to me that in order for Hong Kong to "achieve" china's level of economic clout Hong Kongers would have to crippled their own finances by a factor of over 1/5.
The only way I can see that happening is by means of fiscal mismanagement on a truly epic scale, the sort of corruption and decadence which is unprecedented in both its idiocy and magnitude... Actually come to think of it, the visitor was correct! The only way in which Hong Kong people can hope to achieve such 'prosperity' is through strict adherence to the Mainland way.
In short: "Communism is a joke. We're richer than you. Shut the hell up about financial matters"
If anyone is in a fit position to decide fiscal policy it's the Hong Kong people themselves. I'd rather trust the United Nations food for oil program with my savings and financial policy than the Politburo - and that's saying something.
Posted by John Swaine at April 9, 2004 02:59 AM | TrackBack