Rioters hold HK's future hostage for naïve demands

Editor's Note: Liu Jianxi is an opinion editor with CGTN Digital. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The violence in Hong Kong, as many observers argue, is turning into terror attacks against the city. While traditional terrorists always put innocent lives at risk in an attempt to coerce relevant authorities to concede to their demands, Hong Kong rioters are holding the whole city hostage and pushing it to the "brink of total collapse" for their so-called democracy and freedom.

With the unrest entering the sixth month, attacks tantamount to terrorism made the headline on an almost daily basis: A 70-year-old street cleaner died after being hit on the head by a brick hurled by masked rioters; black-clad rioters set a man on fire as he was chanting "we are all Chinese"; a number of residents were bullied for voicing opposition to violence.

This is inconceivable in a highly civilized city like Hong Kong. Since its return to China in 1997, Hong Kong has been known for its economic modernization and political liberalization. Politically, the city has been enjoying a high degree of autonomy under the principle of "One Country, Two Systems." Without democracy, peaceful demonstrations against the fugitive bill would have never taken place in the first place. Economically, Hong Kong, as a global financial hub that could rival Silicon Valley, has been acting as a locomotive for China's economic growth.

However, the rioters are threatening to ruin all these hard-won democracy and prosperity for Western democracy. More ironically, their five demands are directly targeting the central government with an intention to separate Hong Kong from China. Their pursuit of democracy will only drag the previous civilized city into an abyss of misery.

The logic is straightforward. Hong Kong could have never achieved today's status without the support from the central government. From daily necessities to macro-economy, Hong Kong is heavily reliant on the mainland. Take electricity as an example. Around 70 percent of the city's electricity comes from the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. Since 1994, the plant has provided about 255 billion kilowatt hours of electricity to Hong Kong on a steady basis in the past 25 years, according to media reports.

Moreover, much of Hong Kong's food comes from the mainland. To ensure maximum safety and enhance customer satisfaction rate, vegetables and livestock are always cultivated exclusively on designated farms before being supplied to Hong Kong. It is no secret that food from "Hong Kong only" farms is usually of better quality than those for mainland consumption.

On a macroeconomic level, the central government has played a leading role in financing the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the world's longest sea bridge that is designed to better integrate the special administrative regions into the mainland. Apart from it, the central government has introduced a slew of preferential economic policies on Hong Kong, granting the city more privileges in doing business in the mainland. Besides, mainland visitors have contributed significantly to Hong Kong's tourism industry and the consumer economy in recent years.

It is not an exaggeration that the support from the central government is a prerequisite to Hong Kong's prosperity. The city should be grateful to it. However, the rioters are wantonly slinging mud at the central government. This is unacceptable. Such naïve acts will do the city more harm than good. The newly released economic figures explained everything. Amid violent protests, the city's economy shrank 3.2 percent in the third quarter, entering its first recession for a decade.

Feeling nonchalantly to the city's future, the mobs are still instigating and participating in violent acts against not only the authorities but also innocent residents holding different views. These young people are hijacking the city's future for their illusory democratic pursuit at the cost of all Hong Kong citizens.