Meanwhile in Hong Kong

Protests are now in their 6th month.

Polytechnic University, a sprawling campus that has been occupied by demonstrators since last week, has become the scene of the most prolonged and tense confrontation between police and protesters in more than five months of political unrest.

Hundreds were still trapped inside on Monday, after overnight clashes during which protesters launched petrol bombs and shot arrows at police, who threatened to use live rounds.

When a group of protesters tried to escape the campus, police fired teargas and rubber bullets at various exits, preventing them from leaving. When another group attempted to flee later on, hiding under umbrellas and shields made from scraps, officers fired more rounds of teargas and deployed a water cannon, engulfing the area in smoke. Several protesters were arrested.

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Earlier, the university’s president, Jin-Guang Teng, had urged protesters to leave, saying the police had agreed to a ceasefire on the condition that protesters stopped their attacks.

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Tang Siu Wa, another volunteer who has been at the campus for two days, said: “Officially, they are saying people have to leave now, and even pointing out some ways to let you out. But when people try to leave that way, they contain them. It’s a set-up. They don’t let anyone on the university campus go.”

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Journalists have not been allowed the near the university.

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The intensifying violence came as local media reported that district council elections may not be held this Sunday as scheduled because of the demonstrations.

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In another development, Hong Kong’s high court ruled that a ban on face masks implemented by the government was unconstitutional. The ban made wearing any facial coverings during public assembly punishable by prison time and fines.

Police had previously issued a statement ordering everyone inside the university to drop their weapons, remove their gas masks and leave.

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Representatives of the university’s student union posted a statement on Facebook saying police had blocked all exits since Sunday night. The union said several protesters were in need of medical help, including three people with eye injuries and about 40 experiencing hypothermia after being hit by water cannon.

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In other neighbourhoods, police fired teargas and water cannon at protesters and other supporters who had occupied streets and built barricades in an attempt to divert police resources overnight on Sunday.

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Hong Kong is experiencing its most serious political crisis in decades after the government attempted to push through a controversial extradition bill that would have allowed suspects to be sent to mainland China, seen by many as another move to extend Beijing’s control over the city. Protests over the now withdrawn bill pose a direct challenge to China, which governs Hong Kong under the “one country, two systems” framework.

  Guardian

Which, unsurprisingly, doesn't seem to work where it's tried.

And where is the US government on this issue? Caught up in Trump's egocentric tweets.

Depending on the day, demonstrators wave American flags or Uncle Sam recruitment posters, and even dress as Captain America, complete with shield.

The United States represents democracy, and the activists hope that maybe, just maybe, it will save Hong Kong.

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The protesters are pressing Hong Kong officials and their overseers, the authoritarian Communist Party leaders of China, for greater democratic rights and rule-of-law in the autonomous territory. As they see it, the Trump administration might be able to make demands of Chinese leaders or Hong Kong officials, especially because members of elite political circles want to maintain access to the United States.

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For the American government, the protests are more complicated — a potential policy dilemma but also a potential point of leverage with Beijing and a way to channel American values to the rest of the world.

  NYT

That would be true if the administration weren't more in line with Chinese authoritarian values than it is with traditional American ones.

“The United States should continue to deter Beijing from use of force, maintain an unblinking eye on Hong Kong, and make Beijing pay a heavy reputational cost for curtailing the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong citizens,” said Ryan Hass, a former State Department and National Security Council official now at the Brookings Institution.

Former State Department and NSC official. Where is the current State Department under the corrupt leadership of Mike Pompeo on the issue?

“We’re telling everyone that we interact with, we don’t want violence,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday. “We think there should be a political solution to the conflict that’s taking place there.”

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Members of Congress have appeared in Hong Kong in public displays of solidarity. Last month, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, donned an all-black outfit, while Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, posted photographs from a protest.

In Washington, Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, has met with activists, pro-democracy politicians and Jimmy Lai, a publisher considered radioactive by Beijing.

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On Oct. 22, Ms. Pelosi posted on Twitter a photograph of herself on Capitol Hill with three pro-democracy figures — Mr. Lai, Martin Lee and Janet Pang.

“My full support and admiration goes to those who have taken to the streets week after week in nonviolent protest to fight for democracy and the rule of law in #HongKong,” she wrote.

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Vice President Mike Pence singled out Hong Kong as a beacon of liberty in a speech, saying, “We stand with you; we are inspired by you.”

Sure, Mike. What else have you got?

[V]ersions of a bill that would give support to the protesters [Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act] are moving though Congress with bipartisan backing. The legislation, among other things, would allow the United States to impose economic sanctions and a travel ban on Hong Kong officials deemed responsible for human rights abuses.

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The Chinese government and state-run news organizations talk about “black hands” behind the unrest and spread conspiracy theories, including one centered on an American diplomat in Hong Kong who was photographed with activists in the lobby of the JW Marriott Hotel.

As the protests persist, American officials are watching for surges in violence and tracking the movement of People’s Liberation Army soldiers into Hong Kong. Some are beseeching demonstrators to stick to nonviolent tactics, even in the face of police crackdowns and attacks by people sympathetic to Beijing.

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Two Democratic Congressmen, Tom Suozzi of New York and John Lewis of Georgia, the icon of the American civil rights movement, posted a video last month praising the activists for their “great work” and urging them to stick to nonviolence.

Whether the United States takes greater action on Hong Kong hinges on the unpredictable Mr. Trump. Administration officials and American lawmakers talk openly about checking the authoritarian impulses of the Chinese Communist Party. But the president rarely, if ever, mentions human rights and democracy, and he has not made consistently strong statements on Hong Kong.

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In June, he told Mr. Xi on a call that he would stay quiet on Hong Kong as long as Washington and Beijing were making progress on trade talks, according to an American official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

I think we need to see the readout of that call. And not the readout that Trump provides.

If a Hong Kong bill reaches Mr. Trump’s desk, analysts say, the president might see it as merely a tool to wring concessions from China and could forego support if a trade agreement were close.

That's the obvious assessment.

“Strong American bipartisan support for the peaceful protesters is not enough to override President Trump’s transactional instincts,” Mr. Hass said. “He does not look at Hong Kong through a values-based lens. And as long as he remains president, this outlook will limit America’s responses to developments in Hong Kong.”

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On Wednesday, Ms Pelosi slammed the decision by Hong Kong officials to bar the activist Joshua Wong from running in local elections. She said it was “another blow against rule of law in Hong Kong and the principle of ‘one country, two systems,’” referring to the foundation for the policy of autonomy that Britain and China agreed would be used to govern the territory.

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A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, lashed out, saying, “It is precisely because of the naked cover-up and connivance of external forces such as Pelosi that the violent anti-law forces are even more fearless.”

“No matter how your eyes are blinded by prejudice, no matter how your heart is filled with evil, Hong Kong is China’s Hong Kong,” the spokeswoman added. “Any attempt to interfere in Hong Kong affairs will not succeed.”

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“The power of Hong Kong people alone is limited, and we need other countries, such as the U.S., to help us counter China and keep ‘one country, two systems,’” said Eric Kwan, 32.

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Along with allowing for sanctions, the legislation [introduced in Congress regarding Hong Kong] requires the State Department to review each year whether Hong Kong is still autonomous enough to qualify for the benefits of the 1992 Hong Kong Policy Act, which grants the city a trade and economic status different from that of mainland China.

Some American officials say the bill could harm Hong Kong residents if the United States determines that the territory no longer qualifies as an autonomous entity. But the bill’s proponents defend its practical and symbolic value.

“Standing in support of Hong Kongers and preserving Hong Kong’s autonomy should be a priority of the United States and democracies worldwide,” said one of the bill’s sponsors, Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida.

Maybe he should talk to Mitch McConnell.

The bill passed the House by unanimous vote last month. Though the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has not scheduled a vote yet, the measure is expected to pass that chamber easily, with a veto-proof majority. Then Mr. Trump would have to decide whether to sign it into law.

It won't pass the chamber if Mitch McConnell doesn't allow it to come up for a vote.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.