Always found it weird to see governments paying for PR consultants.<p>It's like : I give you tax money to do a good job, but you spend it to convince me that you're doing a good job instead of actually delivering getting shit done.
Saudi Arabia also makes use of PR firms to improve their image.<p><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/spoof-ad-campaign-mocks-saudi-crown-prince-reform-claims" rel="nofollow">https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/spoof-ad-campaign-mocks-s...</a><p><a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/saudi-arabia-the-pr-client-no-one-wants-to-talk-about/" rel="nofollow">https://www.politico.eu/article/saudi-arabia-the-pr-client-n...</a>
This is an example of attempting to treat the symptom not the disease. Rather than fix the underlying socio-economic issues such as income inequality, lack of affordable housing, and the lack of social mobility and opportunities- the instinct is to hire PR to pretend it is better.<p>To be fair, that's what happens on the mainland where they don't need PR companies, they just censor everything everything that doesn't enthusiastically support their view.
> “It would perhaps not be the most cost-effective way to use the government resources to launch any campaign to rebuild Hong Kong's reputation”
Hong Kong gov pisses their own citizen off:<p>Cross - Say "Sorry, we will not do it again and we will fix our wrong doings";<p>️Check - Hire PR firm spreading bad propaganda to "address negative perceptions in key markets overseas to maintain confidence in Hong Kong"<p>Why???? It's the best time to show that Hong Kong is a democratic & lawful place by resolve the issue peacefully and make their people happy. It's a opportunity for the government if they play this right, don't blow it up!
What will happen as the end of the “transition” nears? Few in HK I assume will accept that the HK system is replaced with Chinese eceonomics and politics. By the time this question arises, everything indicates China will already be an Orwellian dystopia. HK doesn’t have natural resources. Its citizens and businesses can leave. So what China really stand to gain from its claims on HK?
Is it weird that we know about this because the leader of Hong Kong <i>announced it in a press conference?</i> Surely it can only make them look worse in the international eye. Is this a subtle act of rebellion, or is she that clueless? Or is it expected to play better with the mainland, somehow?
HK is definitely a spring board to democratizing China.<p>China can follow a model like Taiwan (ROC) and be very happy. People in Taiwan have democracy, social services, and feel great pride in their country.<p>China has choices it can make, it's the people's choice. If it really wants to be great, it will entrust the power in its people by giving them human rights like EU and liberties like USA. It will respect intellectual property laws and have an open internet. It will pay reparations to the people of Xinjiang and Tibet and give them their sovereignty.<p>Hong Kong is proof the system works, but the system can't work when they let property flippers from the mainland drive up real estate prices. The people of HK are suffering greatly because of the greedy few.<p>The jist of the HK situation is this: China is trying to subvert the democracy in HK by taking the voting slots so they're all bought out to Beijing. But HK is an international city.