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Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow Taiwan

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Slogans of HongKonger protesting against China.

Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow Taiwan (Chinese: 今日香港，明日臺灣; pinyin: jīnrì xiānggǎng míngrì táiwān; Wade–Giles: chin1jih4 Hsiang1kang3 ming2jih4 Tʻai2wan1) was the slogan during Taiwan's Sunflower Student Movement in April 2014. It expressed concerns over Taiwan's future relationship with China, drawing parallels to the developments in Hong Kong after its handover to China. The slogan emphasized the need for Taiwan to be cautious about the potential negative impacts of the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (CSSTA), including the risk of Taiwan becoming more economically dependent on China, like Hong Kong. The movement highlighted issues in Hong Kong such as suppressed wages, the property bubble, worsening wealth inequality, the influence of Chinese capital on Hong Kong's policies, and conflicts between mainland China and Hong Kong across various sectors.[1] Eventually, this slogan became a symbol of the shared destiny between Hong Kong and Taiwan.[2]

Li Yi [zh], the founder of The Seventies monthly magazine [zh], reflected on the 30-year evolution of the phrase "Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow Taiwan." He compared Hong Kong's 17 years post-handover to Taiwan. He noted that while Taiwan's political democracy seemed unimpressive and its economic development lagged behind mainland China and Hong Kong, Taiwan's civil society was progressively maturing, with a strengthened sense of autonomy. This was in stark contrast to the regression seen in Hong Kong's civil society and government institutions under pressure from the Chinese Communist Party and mainland Chinese interests.[3] The Sunflower Movement resonated with many Hongkongers, who shared messages of support and sympathy for the movement through Facebook. The movement was also heavily covered in Hong Kong's news, further amplifying Hongkongers' identification with the Taiwanese struggle.[4][5]

In response to the 2014 Sunflower Movement, another slogan emerged: "Today Taiwan, Tomorrow Hong Kong." The president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Student Union, Tommy Cheung Sau-yin, suggested that after Taiwan's experience of using Hong Kong's situation as a warning, it was highly likely that Hong Kong would experience its own social movement, potentially following the model of Taiwan's Sunflower Movement. He predicted that Hong Kong could eventually use similar protest tactics to prepare for the occupation of Central, with Taiwan's protests serving as a template for Hong Kong.[6] The Sunflower Movement, sparked by the CSSTA, reminded Hongkongers of the negative feelings they had towards the Mainland and Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), making Hong Kong a cautionary tale for Taiwan.[7][8]

According to Ta Kung Pao, Hong Kong opposition groups threatened to adopt the methods of Taiwan's Sunflower Movement to occupy the Hong Kong Legislative Council, under the slogan "Today's Taiwan, Tomorrow's Hong Kong".[9] Commentator Tsang Chi-ho [zh] metaphorically described Hong Kong as a "demonstration unit" where, after being reclaimed by its mainland landlords, human rights, freedoms, and the rule of law were replaced by the slogan "Love Socialist China." He hoped that Taiwan would, in turn, become a model for Hongkongers to emulate in their own struggle, flipping the narrative to "Today's Taiwan, Tomorrow's Hong Kong".[10]

In the same year, Hong Kong experienced the 2014 Legislative Council occupation incident [zh].[citation needed]

In Japan, a new slogan has been created from this: 'Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow Taiwan, Day After Tomorrow Okinawa".[citation needed]

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ "【寰宇追击】今日香港，明日台湾？". Archived from the original on 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
  2. ^ AMY CHANG CHIEN (2019-08-21). "香港"反送中"催化台湾社会红色恐惧" (in Simplified Chinese). 纽约时报中文网. Archived from the original on 2019-09-30. Retrieved 2019-09-28. 近期为声援"反送中"出现的台北"列侬墙"[……]在台北公馆的这面墙上，"撑香港，护台湾""今日香港，明日台湾"等暗含着港台共同命运的标语一再出现[……]
  3. ^ 「今日香港，明日台灣」的30年變遷 Archived 2016-09-16 at the Wayback Machine〝"Hong Kong has been back for nearly 17 years. In these 17 years, Taiwan has stumbled along its democratic path, experiencing changes in political parties that seem rather unimpressive. Economically, it also appears to lag behind mainland China and Hong Kong. However, the civil society that was once lacking in Taiwan has gradually been improving, with a growing sense of autonomy among the people and a stronger awareness of the need to protect their homeland.While the mainland's economy has soared, its society has become increasingly decayed, marked by the selfishness and greed of its people, who show no concern for society and have developed a chillingly cold attitude toward others, to the point of ignoring those in need or distress. Under the encroachment of the Chinese Communist Party and mainland interests, Hong Kong has also regressed from a once vibrant civil society. The Independent Commission Against Corruption, the police force, and many government agencies have opted for selective law enforcement under political interference, with the respected spirit of professionalism facing political pressure and core values constantly challenged.The once resilient spirit of Hong Kong has been replaced by despair and helplessness. Today, the streets are crowded with mainland tourists and their inferior culture, raising questions about whether we can still say, as we did 30 years ago, that intellectuals can speak without compromising their safety? Or, as Bai Yang said, is it true that public urination only happens at night or when there are fewer people and vehicles on the streets?"
  4. ^ "香港觀察：台灣太陽花和香港豆腐花". 25 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  5. ^ 《視點31》今日香港，明日台灣？ Archived 2019-05-10 at the Wayback Machine(RTHK31：25/03/2014)
  6. ^ "張秀賢﹕今日台灣，明日香港？".
  7. ^ "香港觀察：台灣太陽花和香港豆腐花". Archived from the original on 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  8. ^ "香港台灣原來只是那麼近". 25 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  9. ^ "反對派揚言「今日台灣，明日香港」謀占立會 各界隱憂". Archived from the original on 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
  10. ^ "也可以是「今日台灣，明日香港」". Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
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