By Coconuts Hong Kong November 21, 2014 / 10:47 HKT
Chris Patten, Hong Kong's last British governor, told the US government yesterday that other countries should not be afraid of standing up to China over the issue of Hong Kong's democratic rights.
He was speaking at a hearing on the "Future of Democracy in Hong Kong" for a commission comprised of senators, representatives and other senior officials set up 14 years ago to monitor human rights in China.
The former governor stressed the importance of standing up for principles. He added that it's ridiculous to claim that doing so can hurt the US economy since, in fact, Chinese exports to the US have gone up 16-fold in the last 15 years, reports Reuters.
"So who needs whom?" asked Patten.
The British public servant also criticised the UK for not making a stronger stand on its former colony's democracy because of economic concerns, while he praised US President Barack Obama for saying that Hong Kong's protesters are "speaking out for their universal rights".
He shot down Chinese allegations that the pro-democracy portesters behind the "wonderfully principled" movement were foreign puppets, calling such accusations a "slur".
Watch the full hearing here.
Last week, the US commission put forward a bill that calls for renewed commitment to Hong Kong democracy and autonomy.
Are Nickelback or Kenny G part of the West's grand master plan to support democracy in Hong Kong? Only time will tell.
One thing's for sure though: China will be making its standard "foreign interference" statement any second now.
Photo: James Yuanxin Li via Flickr
http://hongkong.coconuts.co/2014/11/21/chris-patten-other-countries-should-stand-hong-kongs-democratic-rights
