I am curious what the community here thinks:
Hong Kong fell, while Trump and Boris were in office, and a good 28 years earlier than the planned expiration date at that. Yet, support for Trump in Hong Kong seems to be quite virile.
Why?
Simply because his constant incendiary rhetoric toward the CCP? What have Trump/Pompeo actually done to help out HK’ers?
I know this post sounds like a point being made using the Socratic method, but I am genuinely curious as to what HK’ers, people in HK, or people familiar with the HK situation, think about regarding what Trump has actually done to help, outside of chest puffing and seemingly empty rhetoric.
Same goes for Taiwan. Do people here really think that Trump was geopolitically savvy enough to intentionally take the call from Tsai Ing-wen, knowing the implications of doing so? I think the perception of Trump here is skewed due to people not really knowing who Trump is and how he has run the US, not to mention:
The government and much of TW media, ever since Trump took the Tsai call, has been quite supportive of Trump over these past four years…but how much of that do you think is out of fear and survival? Even dilettante US watchers know that Trump has been fickle and unpredictable, especially with his relationships with traditional US allies - see the Kurds. Perhaps they feel like they have to suck up to him, knowing that if they don’t he can pettily sell Taiwan off as collateral for his trade war, perhaps like he already did with Hong Kong and the Uighurs. What a terrible position to be in if this theory is correct.
Trump and Republicans have been quite supportive of Taiwan these past few years, but do you really think this would have not been echoed under a Hillary Clinton administration - who would have supported the TPP - and with Obama’s Pivot to Asia already having happened?
I have posted this thread to listen, not to argue. All opinions and perspective appreciated. I am still learning about all of this and want to hear a diversity of opinions if possible.