Diplomacy stretched - Protests in Hong Kong

As pro-democracy protests approach their tenth day in Hong Kong it is hard not to admire those who have taken to the streets to try to reshape their society — especially as this challenges a government happy to use the most violent means to close down opposition.

Though the memory of the massacre at Tiananmen Square 25 years ago hangs over Hong Kong it must be hoped that the Chinese authorities — and society — have moved on from the days when tanks-against-students repression was the response to demands for change. However, the commentators who suggest that Hong Kong’s demonstrators would have vanished into an unforgiving penal system had they mounted their demonstrations in mainland China cannot be discounted. The regal air adopted by President Xi Jinping, and his insistence that Hong Kong’s population of 7.2m peoplemust be ruled by “a patriot” endorsed by Beijing does not auger well either.

It might be nice to imagine that the international community can influence China not to resort to violence to end these demonstrations but history shows that China trusts its own culture far more than it relies on international influence.