The anti-communist protesters in Hong Kong are thanking President Donald Trump and America after he signed a bill before Thanksgiving supporting their cause. As tensions between China and Hong Kong escalate, the bill mandates sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials who carry out human rights abuses in Hong Kong.
According to The Hill:
The demonstrations began hours after Trump signed the legislation, with some participants draped in U.S. flags as they celebrated the show of support from the administration.
“The rationale for us having this rally is to show our gratitude and thank the U.S Congress and also President Trump for passing the bill,” 23-year-old Sunny Cheung told Reuters. “We are really grateful about that and we really appreciate the effort made by Americans who support Hong Kong, who stand with Hong Kong, who do not choose to side with Beijing.”
“I was confident Donald Trump would sign the law because we are fighting for universal freedom. Everyone globally should support that,” added 25-year-old Jacky, who only gave his first name. “But we do want to give thanks to those around the globe that support us, a small city like Hong Kong, we thank them for their attention.”
Hundreds of American flags could be seen at the protest, and the protesters could be heard singing our National Anthem.
A parade of U.S. flags as #hongkong rally plays messages of support from U.S. lawmakers pic.twitter.com/q1LTzOhK3T
— Annie Wu (@annieeenyc) November 28, 2019
On an amusing note, Trump’s pre-Thanksgiving tweet of his face superimposed over the body of Rocky Balboa made numerous appearances as people held up copies of the photo in support of the man they must now see as a fighter for their cause.
These photos from the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong are incredible.
The protesters gathered on Thanksgiving to show their gratitude to Congress and @realdonaldtrump for passing legislation that supports their efforts. #Thanksgiving pic.twitter.com/BVHSsyKwX5
— Amber Athey (@amber_athey) November 28, 2019
China is naturally threatening retaliation, but according to China expert Gordon Chang, who authored “The Coming Collapse of China,” China simply isn’t in a position where they have enough bargaining power to carry out any threats. In other words, China’s economy is simply too fragile to risk further damaging the relationship with their largest trade partner (us), which they’re already in the midst of a trade war with.