Why do some Hong Konger protesters/pro-democracy activists want countries to remove the region's special status? @Nuttallreports explains @chercywong of @alliancecanhk's views here. It's complicated and seems counterintuitive at a glance. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Trump on Friday ordered his administration to begin the process of eliminating special U.S. treatment for Hong Kong to punish China, but stopped short of calling an immediate end to privileges that helped the territory remain a global financial center. reuters.com/article/us-hon…
China relies on Hong Kong as a first stop for financial and commercial transactions. Many relatives of top party officials do business and own property there, so they are invested in maintaining positive global perceptions of the territory’s status. thestar.com/news/world/202…
I'm speaking with Hong Kong protesters and experts tonight to find out more, but my understanding is that the move to strip special status shows Beijing that China will suffer economically if they treat HK like just another Chinese city. If you have more questions, let me know.
I'm looking for someone who owns a business/does business in Hong Kong to speak with, too. If that's you or someone you know, please DM me.
As always, there are bitter divisions among HK families about what this all means. People have taken very difference sides, and this all happened in a matter of hours. If I could travel, I'd be there. Here's my reporting from the HK protests last summer:
I wrote this last year about a new underground network of Canadian supporters of HK protesters. Some are still anonymous because they fear reprisals but some have gone public with their advocacy and started @alliancecanhk among other solidarity groups. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Now, as more people in Hong Kong fear speaking out and granting interviews to journalists, we might see a dynamic where internationally-based Hong Kong diaspora act increasingly as representatives of the protest movement. Here's one of their recent op-eds: macleans.ca/news/world/the…
Hong Kong asylum seekers are in Canada now, but COVID-19 has delayed the ongoing application process. theglobeandmail.com/politics/artic…
The ongoing protests in Hong Kong are leaderless by design, but the youth-led pro-democracy group @demosisto provides regular updates.
There are a ton of Telegram groups and Facebook groups, but updates are mostly in Cantonese/traditional Chinese. For reliable English-language news from Hong Kong, I'd recommend @HongKongFP which is reader-supported to stay independent. They do live feeds. hongkongfp.com
"It is not a matter of whether I support the U.S. recognizing HK as an autonomous part of China or not, but we need mechanisms to hold China accountable. If you're not (protecting) HK's autonomy, then HK should not enjoy any differential treatment," @nathanlawkc tells me.
Demosisto is holding a press briefing later today: 
Meanwhile, I'm getting messages from HK business owners saying they support the security law and think Western countries oppose the law because they want HK + China to suffer economically... I'll try to do my best to convey the complexity of it all in my next story.
Follow journos on the ground:
Normally world media would be heading to HK, but it’s the time of COVID. There are a ton of live feeds though so you can see different angles of protests. Govt also live-streams briefings. It’s bit eerie how closely you can follow from afar.
