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Introduction – Aug 18, 2019

Thousands of protesters thronged the streets of Hong Kong again this weekend. Click to enlarge

There’s no denying the extent of the protests in Hong Kong recently. They are some of the biggest political demonstrations ever seen in the former British colony.
This weekend protest organisers estimated nearly 1.7 million demonstrators marched through the streets of Hong Kong. Ostensibly the protests are over an extradition deal with Beijing but there may be more to them than meets the eye.
As with so many political events nowadays, hidden forces may be trying to exploit legitimate grievances for their own ends.

China Daily investigation: Who is behind Hong Kong protests?

By Wei Xinyan and Zhong Weiping – China Daily Aug 17, 2019

It’s not hard to imagine the United States’ reaction if Chinese diplomats met leaders of Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter or Never Trump protesters.

On Aug 6, Hong Kong media reported two meetings between a US political counselor and separatist leaders. Julie Eadeh, who works at the US Consulate General in Hong Kong, was caught on camera meeting with opposition figures Martin Lee and Anson Chan.

Later that day, Eadeh also met Joshua Wong, one of the leaders of the illegal “Occupy Central” movement in 2014.

But long before those reports, there was growing evidence of a deliberate US hand in the worsening of the situation in Hong Kong. US politicians have met with Lee and other Hong Kong opposition leaders, including Jimmy Lai.

Those meetings have only added fuel to the criminal deeds jeopardizing Hong Kong.

Jimmy Lai meets US Vice President Mike Pence at the White House, July 8, 2019. Click to enlarge

China has repeatedly asked US to stop interfering in other countries’ domestic affairs but it seems the latter has no intention of withdrawing its “meddling hand”.

The protest’s messaging, and the groups associated with it, raise a number of questions about just how organic the movement is.

Continues …