Hong Kong protests continue: What will be the result?

Tear Gas Hit Hong Kong Protesters

Massive protests have continued in Hong Kong:

September 30, 2014

BEIJING/WASHINGTON—A standoff between China and protesters in Hong Kong is deepening as pro-democracy demonstrations continued for a fifth day.Neither side is showing any signs of backing down even as China prepares to mark its National Day on Wednesday.

In a short statement, the Occupy Central group said it will announce plans for its next stage of civil disobedience on Wednesday if Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying does not meet their demands for democratic reform, including true universal elections by October 1 and Leung’s resignation.

However, Leung called for an immediate end to pro-democracy protests on Tuesday, even as activists threaten to expand their campaign of civil disobedience.

Leung said he would not give into the protesters’ demand for his resignation or for greater democratic reforms.

In a speech Tuesday, Leung called for Occupy Central leaders to “fulfill the promise they made to society” and immediately stop the protests, which he said have gotten “out of control.”

Leung said the central government decision on Hong Kong on August 31 shows that it will not comply to illegal threats made by certain people.

Eve of anniversary

He also said on Tuesday Hong Kong police would be able to maintain security without help from People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops from the mainland.

It was Leung’s first comments since Sunday, when baton-wielding police used large amounts of tear gas and pepper spray to violently disperse the peaceful protesters.

Hong Kong police have withdrawn now for more than a day and protesters are continuing their efforts to prepare for a longer, more drawn out confrontation.

Some protesters have voiced concern that authorities may return again in force later Tuesday in a bid to clear the streets before the Chinese holiday, when even more protesters are expected to join the rally.

According to a poll released last week by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, about 46 percent of the city’s residents oppose efforts to blockade the city, while about 31 percent support the movement.

Of those who support Occupy Central, 47 percent were under the age of 24.

In addition to their concerns about democracy, Hong Kong’s younger generation are worried about low-paying jobs and increasing competition from mainland Chinese coming to the financial hub to work.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology professor David Zweig said the controversy surrounding the 2017 elections and concerns that Leung is taking the port city down the wrong path are not the only issues driving the protests.

“I think the other issue is that there is a lot of anger. If you look at the data in general in Hong Kong, January this year, the anger at the central government, the anger at the local government, the concerns about future job prospects and all that and anxiety in general, this is worst than anytime since the major marches of 2003,” Zweig said.

China may weigh in

The professor said he is worried that both sides are not willing to compromise, which could lead to clashes.

“You know we got October 1st coming up, 65th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China,” Zweig said. “I worry that Xi Jinping may decide that he doesn’t want to celebrate that event with students occupying the government headquarters or surrounding the government headquarters down in Hong Kong.”

Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters extended a blockade of Hong Kong streets on Tuesday, blocking at least four major areas around the city, including Admiralty, the Central business district, the bustling shopping district of Causeway Bay and Mong Kok in Kowloon.

The protests are widely expected to escalate on Wednesday to coincide with National Day celebrations.

The protesters were also stockpiling supplies and erecting makeshift barricades ahead of what some fear may be a push by police to clear the roads before Chinese National Day.

Riot police shot pepper spray and tear gas at protesters at the weekend, but by Tuesday evening they had almost completely withdrawn from the downtown Admiralty district except for an area around the government headquarters. http://www.voanews.com/content/hong-kong-protesters-reforms-deadline/2467022.html

September 30, 2014

Tens of thousands of protesters remain on the streets of Hong Kong, not relenting in their demand for democracy. Demonstrators camped out wearing masks, protective goggles and plastic raincoats – anything to protect against the possibility of tear gas that police fired days earlier.

The student-led unrest was sparked by China’s insistence that it vet candidates for a 2017 election in Hong Kong – even though residents in Hong Kong had been promised that they would be able to freely elect their leaders.

Calling Hong Kong an “international city,” protester Chan Kin-man told CNN crews in Hong Kong that a “younger generation” has “been taught about civil rights, political rights. And we want our words to be heard.”

The protest marks the biggest demonstration in Hong Kong since it the British handed over the territory to China in 1997. http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/09/world/scenes-hong-kong-protests/

China would prefer that Hong Kong authorities defuse the matter without its direct intervention.

China can be patient, but there are limits to its patience, and it may intervene if it deems that the best course.

Hong Kong is officially part of China, but also enjoys a special separative status a treaty guarantees until 2047:

Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy, as its political and judicial systems operate independently from those of mainland China. In accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration, and the underlying principle of one country, two systems, Hong Kong has a “high degree of autonomy as a special administrative region in all areas except defence and foreign affairs.” The declaration stipulates that the region maintain its capitalist economic system and guarantees the rights and freedoms of its people for at least 50 years after the 1997 handover.The guarantees over the territory’s autonomy and the individual rights and freedoms are enshrined in the Hong Kong Basic Law, the territory’s constitutional document, which outlines the system of governance of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, but which is subject to the interpretation of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC). (Hong Kong, Wikipedia, viewed 09/30/14)

The protesters want more separation of systems than the Chinese government currently prefers. I bolded part of the above, because of prophetic implications which would be expected to take place BEFORE the treaty time of 2047 (consider also Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?).

Now, there are several advantages to the Chinese government to keep Hong Kong separate, including its relations with Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as its territory, but Taiwan disagrees. China has hoped that Taiwan would decide to align more closely with it, similar to Hong Kong. This still is a hope of the Chinese government.

That being said, the Bible does tell of a coming military alliance between the powers in Asia which would include China and almost assuredly Taiwan and Hong Kong (Revelation 9:13-18; 16:12-16):

12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15 Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” 16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon (Revelation 16:12-16).

The literal translation of the expression ‘the kings of the east’ in Revelation 16:12 is “the kings of the sunrise” and thus this would seem to have to include places like Taiwan, which is east of mainland China as well as a place where the sunrise happens first.

Hong Kong, because of its treaty, as well as its apparent prophetic place, will closer align with China militarily later.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters Where did the Chinese people come from? This article provides information showing that the Chinese peoples must have known about various accounts in the Book of Genesis up until their dispersion after the Tower of Babel. Here is a link to a version of this article in Spanish: ¿Prueban los caracteres chinos la exactitud de la Biblia?
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: The Sabbath and Some of God’s Witness in China When did Christianity first come to China? And is there early evidence that they observed the seventh day sabbath?
Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for Asia? Who are the “Kings of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, Indians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where? Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon? A YouTube video of interest may be Is China THE Threat to the United States of America?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2021 or 20xx? There is also a video titled The 6000 Year Plan: Is the end of humanity’s reign almost up?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2014, 2015, or 2016? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2014 o 2015? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon video: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives.
CCOG.ASIA We in the Continuing Church of God also have the url www.ccog.asia which has a focus on Asia and has various articles in Mandarin Chinese as well as some in English, plus some items in other Asian languages. 我们在继续神的教会也提供此网址 www.ccog.asia, 关注于亚洲并且有各种各样的中英文文章，其中一些用菲律宾语翻译的文章也正在进行中，准备添加到这个网站中。 HHere is a link to our Statement of Beliefs in Mandarin Chinese 继续神的教会的信仰声明.