
The U.S. Should Defend Hong Kong - FabHK
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-07-22/former-u-s-envoy-says-america-should-defend-hong-kong
======
AnimalMuppet
Yeah, maybe not.

I mean, one could argue that the US should defend freedom anywhere in the
world. (One could also argue that it should not, on several grounds.)

But Hong Kong is legally part of China. It's a special part, with special
rules, but it's part of China. That makes it difficult to create a legal case
for US intervention. And without a legal case, it's harder to make a moral
one.

Hong Kong is also geographically part of China. In practical terms, that makes
it difficult to defend without getting involved in a land war in Asia. That's
a very unappealing prospect; there is no political appetite whatsoever in the
US for doing so.

------
simonblack
And China should defend New York from the US.

See how stupid it sounds when the situation is reversed.

~~~
FabHK
Tha analogy is misguided:

* The law and contracts (such as the Joint Declaration) play a role.

* The residents of the territory in question have a say in the matter.

On both accounts, this is not comparable.

~~~
AnimalMuppet
"Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed", and all that.

It might be analogous to China offering to defend Texas, if Texas decided to
secede from the US, though.

