Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science Andrew J. Nathan was quoted in a June 3 article in The New York Times titled “Why China May Call the World’s Bluff on Hong Kong” by Alexandra Stevenson and Vivian Wang, and a June 4 article in Time magazine titled “Defiant Hongkongers Commemorate Tiananmen Square Massacre Despite Ban” by Amy Gunia.
According to the article, despite threats of retaliation from the US, China pushes for a new national security law that could curtail Hong Kong’s liberties and permanently damage the city’s economy and politics, suggesting that Beijing perceives the threats as limited. “‘We [Beijing] expect foreign condemnation for everything we do’ basically is their attitude,” Professor Andrew J. Nathan told The New York Times. “You guys can bark all you want but you can’t bite, so what do we care?”
As Hong Kong protesters defied a police ban to gather for the June 4 vigil to commemorate the anniversary of the Tiananmen Protest, Beijing’s latest move has provided an opportunity to suppress protests. Nathan said in the Time article, “The June 4 vigil has always been a political irritant to Beijing. Now that Beijing is intensifying control of Hong Kong, it has the opportunity to put an end to this commemoration on Chinese soil of resistance to authoritarianism.”
To read the full New York Times article, click here.
To read the full Time Magazine article, click here.
