NEIL: ALL RIGHT, PROTESTORS
AREN'T BUDGING IN HONG KONG AND
NEITHER FOR HONG KONG
AUTHORITIES WHO WANT TO CRACK
DOWN ON CHINESE OVERLORDS, AND
SO THEY ARE BETWEEN BOTH SIDES,
ROCK AND HARD PLACE GOING FOR
IT.
SOUTH CHINA POST, HE'S HERE ON
THE READING OF THE SITUATION.
CHINA WANTS TO AVOID ANY
POSSIBILITY SQUARE, CAN IT?
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE DRAWING
THE COMPARISON OF WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN HONG KONG WITH
SQUARE 30 YEARS AGO, THERE ARE
SOME DIFFERENCES THERE, I MEAN,
30 YEARS AGO THE DEMOCRACY
MOVEMENT HAPPENED RIGHT IN
BEIJING, IN THE CAPITAL OF
CHINA.
UNDER THE NOSE OF THE COMMUNIST
PARTY AND THEN THE DEMAND IS
ACTUALLY DIRECTLY ADDRESSED TO
THE CHINA -- BUT THIS TIME THE
MOVEMENT IN HONG KONG IS
TARGETING THE HONG KONG
GOVERNMENT, ADDITIONAL DEMAND
LIKE THE DEMAND FOR UNIVERSAL
SUFFRAGE, GREATER POLITICAL
FREEDOM, THAT'S WHERE BEIJING IS
INVOLVED BUT THE TARGET IN MIND
IS DIRECTLY ADDRESSING BY THE
PROTESTORS.
>> CLEARLY SENDING A SIGNAL WITH
CHINA.
AT FIRST IT WAS ABOUT HONG KONG
RESIDENTS SHIPPED TO CHINA AND,
YOU KNOW, GO TO TRIAL, GO TO
JAIL, DISAPPEAR, WHATEVER AND A
LOT OF PROTESTORS SAY THAT OUGHT
TO STOP, IT'S NOT ENOUGH, DO YOU
THINK THE GENIE IS OUT OF THE
BOTTLE AND NOW THEY ARE SENSING
THE WHOLE DEMOCRACY, PROTESTORS
AND THEY ARE NOT GOING TO STOP?
>> YOU PUT IT VERY RIGHT, THE
GENIE IS OUT OF THE BOTTLE,
INITIALLY THE MOVEMENT IS ABOUT
PARTICULAR VIEW AND BY NOW AFTER
VIEW, IT HAS A LIFE OF ITS OWN,
TO NEXT DEMAND IS LOOKING INSIDE
INDEPENDENT INQUIRY INTO ALLEGED
POLICE BRUTALITY BUT BEYOND THAT
IS FOR GREATER POLITICAL
FREEDOM.
5 YEARS AGO WHEN HONG KONG HAD
POLICE CALL REFORM WAS END GAME
OF HAVING A DIRECT ELECTION TO
ELECT -- THAT SUPPOSED TO BE
STOP BECAUSE TWO SIDES CANNOT
AGREE ON THE ARRANGEMENT.
EVER SINCE THEN WE DON'T
ACTUALLY SEE A ROAD MAP OF HOW
HONG KONG CAN HAVE A STRATEGY TO
-- TO GET ONGOING, AGAIN, SOME
OF THAT IS FRUSTRATION, DRIVING
A LOT OF PEOPLE TO THIS PROTEST,
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, I THINK
THAT IT WILL BE DEPENDING ON THE
MOVEMENT SIMPLY AS DEMOCRACY, I
WOULD RATHER PUT AS MOVEMENT,
HAS ELEMENTS TO THAT.
FIGHTING FOR DEMOCRACY IS PART
OF IT BUT IT'S NOT THE ENTIRE,
ENTICING ABOUT IT.
>> THE U.S. CONGRESS AND THE
PRESIDENT JUST SIGNED OFF
CONDEMNING THE ACTIONS, I'M JUST
WONDER IF THEY BECOME PART OF
THE TRADE TALKS, SO FAR NOT
REALLY, BUT THEY COULD THEN
WHAT?
>> I DON'T THINK IT WILL GET TOO
DIRECTLY LINKED TO WITH TRADE
TALKS, CERTAINLY IN BEIJING'S
INTEREST, BEIJING DOESN'T WANT
TO MESS THE -- MIX THE TWO
THINGS TOGETHER.
NEIL: PRESIDENT TRUMP IS LEAVING
OUT OF TRADE DISCUSSIONS.
>> YEAH, THE TRADE DISCUSSION IS
VERY COMPLICATED.
IT HAS EFFECT AND THE FIRST IS
BECAUSE -- A LOT OF THE CHINESE
PUBLIC, PARTICULARLY AMONG THE
YOUNG PEOPLE, THEY HAVE VERY
DIFFERENT VIEW.
NEIL: BUT DO THEY SEE IT?
I KNOW IT'S EVERYWHERE BEING
AROUND THE WORLD.
NOT TOO MANY NAME CHINESE SEE
IT.
>> IT'S TRUE BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE
ACTUALLY DO FIND ABOUT WHAT'S
GOING ON IN HONG KONG BECAUSE WE
HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS STUDYING
IN HONG KONG.
NEIL: THAT'S TRUE.
>> THEY ACTUALLY THROUGH SOCIAL
MEDIA, WHATEVER, BACK TO WHAT
THEY OBSERVED, WHAT THEY SEE,
THE SECOND PART IS ALSO A LOT OF
THE INFORMATION IS ACTUALLY NOT
AS STRICTLY CONTROLLED AS YOU
WILL BELIEVE.
A LOT OF THE PEOPLE ACTUALLY
READ IT FROM OTHER CHANNELS.
THE ONE THING ABOUT THIS
MOVEMENT IS ACTUALLY WE REPORTED
THIS BEFORE, IN THE BEGINNING
WHEN THE MOVEMENT FIRST STARTED
WE HAVE -- WE SEE A LOT OF THE
YOUNG STUDENTS IN HONG KONG
COMING OUT TO SUPPORT THE
MOVEMENT WHICH IS NOT SURPRISING
BECAUSE THEY COME TO HONG KONG
TO STUDY PRECISELY BECAUSE THEY
LIKE THE LIFESTYLE IN HONG KONG,
THE LIKE POLITICAL FREEDOM, THEY
COME OUT TO DEFEND IT AS WELL,
BUT THIS IS WHY I CALL MOVEMENT,
IT'S VERY SIMPLY AGAINST
EVERYTHING CHINESE, EVERYTHING
PARTICULARLY -- A LOT GETS
VANDALIZED, THE BANKS GETTING
ATTACKED, A LOT OF THE MAINLAND
PEOPLE CANNOT SPEAK CHINESE FEEL
UNSAFE.
WE INTERVIEWED THOSE STUDENTS IN
HONG KONG, YOU FIND THAT THE
MOOD COMPLETELY FLIPS TO THE
OTHER SIDE, SO THERE'S A RISING
TIDE OF SEA OF HONG KONG, VERY
DIFFERENT LIVES.
>> HONG KONG IS IN A RECESSION,
I DON'T KNOW HOW RELIABLY THE
FIGURES ARE, KNOWING WHAT A DRAW
IT IS FOR BUSINESSES AND THOSE
BUSINESSES ARE WORKING ON
ABBREVIATED SCHEDULES, NOT ALL
OF THEM, IT CAN BECOME A FILLING
ECONOMIC PROPHESY WHERE IT GETS
WORSE AND WORSE.
THEN WHAT DOES CHINA DO?
>> YEAH, I THINK THE STRANGE
THING ABOUT HONG KONG RIGHT NOW
IS US, THE ECONOMY IS BASICALLY
VIEWED ON THE FINANCE, FINANCE
INDUSTRY AND THE PROPERTY.
WE TRACTED THE DATA AND UP UNTIL
SEPTEMBER, ACTUALLY THE MONEY
FLOW THROUGH HONG KONG INTO
CHINA, INCREASED THE
8.5 BILLION?
NEIL: IS THAT RIGHT?
>> IF YOU LOOK AT THE STOCK
MARKET, ACTUALLY IN THE
BEGINNING A LOT OF THE INVESTORS
GET SPOOKED AND PUT ON HOLD PLAN
TO LEASING HONG KONG BUT NOW YOU
START TO SEE MORE COMPANY COMING
TO HONG KONG.
NEIL: YOU THINK THIS NOT PASSES
BUT STABILIZES?
>> BECAUSE IT'S COMPLICATED IN
THE SENSE THAT ALL THE UNREST
HAPPENED AT THE STREET LEVEL.
>> RIGHT.
>> THEY DON'T REALLY HAVE
IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON THE
FINANCIAL SECTOR.
THIS DO BUSINESS MOSTLY THROUGH
INTERNET.
>> YEAH.
>> THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE TO
ACTUALLY IN THE STREET OF HONG
KONG AS LONG AS YOUR COMPANY
GETS REGISTERED IN HONG KONG,
THEN YOU CAN USE THE BENEFITS,
THE STOCK ARRANGEMENT WHICH
CONNECT THE STOCK MARKET.
NEIL: YOU'RE RIGHT, EXCUSE ME.
THE MARKETS HAVE, INDEED