Preliminary
An arrival reception held at the American Clubhouse should have been a routine operation in the diplomatic circle, with polite greetings and intertwining.
But when the protagonist was Julie Eadeh, the new U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong and Macao, this event in early September was like a depth bomb thrown into a calm lake, provoking violent shocks from the streets to the top levels.
This is not a simple diplomatic disgrace, but rather a carefully arranged game of transmission and reception of signals.Why did Yuley, the “known face” not unfamiliar to Hong Kong, trigger a full range of responses from civil protests to counter-terrorism exercises?
When diplomacy strikes political memory
The smell of gunpowder at the reception comes from the strong symbolism of its core elements. Every detail, like a needle, accurately stabbed the collective trauma and political sensitivity of Hong Kong society to the turmoil in 2019. Yi Li is not a blank sheet of paper. Her resume in Shanghai, Istanbul and other places in the United States has already shaped her into a senior diplomat with rich intelligence and political resources.
More importantly, her "old complaint" with Hong Kong, in 2019, while she was the head of the U.S. Consulate General's Politics Department in Hong Kong, had been captured by the camera to secretly meet with Yellow Vanguard, Rooney and others. This scene made her labeled in some public opinion as the "color revolution push". Her return itself, with unwavering controversy, made it impossible for the outside world to look at her with the eyes of ordinary diplomats.
If the main characters are controversial, then the guest list is more fueled in the fire. Among the invited guests, the names of Chen An-sen and Liu Hui were especially eye-catching. They were defined by the outside world as "anti-China Harbour" characters, who were deeply involved in the "black storm" events of the year. In particular, Chen An-sen, who had repeatedly publicly called for foreign intervention in Hong Kong affairs, was once one of the iconic figures of the turmoil period.
Interestingly, Xi Jinping has already announced the “retreat from politics”. At this moment, however, she has been re-”activated” from the “retirement” state, appearing at Yuri’s reception, which is itself a strong political statement. Old people, old things, are re-assembled at a new time, it is difficult not to let the Chinese qualify it as a “political coalition”, rather than a normal “diplomatic ceremony.”
Red Line Quartet
In the face of this symbolic temptation from the United States, China's response can be called a combination of punches. Through four different levels of actions, the abstract concept of "sovereignty red line" has been forcibly transformed into a set of concrete, visible and perceptible warning system.
A group of Hong Kong citizens spontaneously gathered in front of the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong, they did not have an official organization, and their motivation was purely to cherish social stability, which was difficult to. They highlighted the slogan “Don’t disturb Hong Kong,” “Collude against the shameful elements of Hong Kong,” and expressed public opinion in the most direct way.
The Central Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council have adopted a high-standard way of "spreading voice under excuse"-continuously forwarding the commentary articles of Hong Kong Ta Kung Pao. This practice not only clearly shows the stern position of the central government, but also warns Yi Zhuli that "touching the red line" will definitely "severely counter-attack". It also maintains a certain strategic space in diplomacy and avoids direct verbal confrontation.
Cui Jianchun, Commissioner of the Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, drew three clear bottom lines in person when he met with Yi Zhuli, who came to visit him on September 23rd. He clearly put forward three requirements: lifting sanctions against Hong Kong, not interfering in Hong Kong affairs, and respecting China's internal affairs. These "three prohibitions" can be regarded as China's most formal and unambiguous bottom line announcement at the diplomatic level.
Shortly after Yuri arrived in Hong Kong, the cross-departmental counter-terrorism task force, supervised by Hong Kong’s chief executive, conducted a large-scale counter-terrorism exercise, code-named “Waggy”.The timing and scale of participation (about 500 people, involving police offices, fire departments, etc.) were unusual.
The location of the exercise is even more meaningful-Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, which is accused of being one of the common places for secret contact with external forces. This exercise is like a well-arranged "live drama". It is showing the outside world the determination and strength of the Hong Kong SAR Government to "take the initiative and keep the bottom line" in a "non-coincidental" way.
The game enters a new normal
This tug-of-war surrounding the reception is actually a typical epitome of Hong Kong's entry into the "new normal" as the frontier of the game against the background of Sino-US relations. It clearly demonstrates the logic and possible cost of actions by all parties under the new rules.
The outside world generally believes that the U.S. move is a temporary “cessation” period after the Madrid talks between China and the United States, trying to restart the old scenario of “Hong Kong control of China”. However, today is different from the past. With the Hong Kong National Security Law and the National Security Regulations, Hong Kong has built a solid “rule of law barrier”, so that those old tricks and barrier behavior are difficult to work again.
A parallel case is the "Lai Zhiying case", which entered the closing arguments stage after 156 days of trial. The case has attracted "great attention" from the United States, and even Trump has publicly stated his position. However, China has always insisted that Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs and external forces cannot interfere with judicial independence. This firm stance in the judicial field is completely consistent with the logic of the warning issued to Izhuli, and together constitute a continued rejection of external interference.
Hong Kong's local political ecology has also been overwhelmed. Civilians who have experienced turmoil, generally cherished the current stability, and the turmoil of Hong Kong has long lost the people's heart. Political figures such as Yue Liu Qing, Wu Qingbei and others have also spoken out, condemning Yue Li's actions, reflecting the shift in social consensus.
conclusion
China's counterattack capabilities are not just verbal warnings. China's "toolbox" is stocked with political options ranging from economic countermeasures such as including six U.S. companies on the "unreliable entity list" to more severe diplomatic expulsion. This means that any attempt to test the bottom line needs to consider whether you can afford the actual consequences.
After all, this reception wave of Yuri, far more than one diplomatic friction is as simple. It is more like a comprehensive, specific "red line" declaration conducted by the Chinese side around the Hong Kong sovereignty issue. From the self-expression of popular emotions, to the official public opinion screams, to the current negotiations at the diplomatic level, until the final reality deterrence of security forces, a stereotypical defense and counter-control system has formed.
Hong Kong is no longer the gray area where external forces can "play the edge ball" at will. If any external force wants to perform its duties smoothly here, it must completely abandon the old political plot and tentative thinking, and learn to adapt to this new rule system that gives absolute priority to national security and social stability. Because whoever dares to touch the red line will face the systematic countermeasures of this system.