Hong Kong & China Remarried

tall buildings with flag of China

The year 2024 marked forty years of marriage for my husband and myself. We took our vows with a religious belief, at the time, framed by a verse (message) in the Bible: The two shall become one flesh.

For us, that meant we opened a joint checking account. 

Even though we both worked, our money went into one account. We shared decision making—in theory. It wasn’t perfect, especially when hidden decisions came to light, but we worked through it.

This is not the principle I see in many modern-day relationships. Most maintain separate accounts and one person’s debt is not considered the other person’s concern, and so forth. While decision making is shared it seems there is more struggle to operate as one unit.

Likewise, Hong Kong was ceded to the British empire for ten decades. (Married to. Then divorced.) 

Then Hong Kong was returned to China (remarried). The new status became “one country, two systems” to placate the reunion. They had separate bank accounts, if you will. They had different legal systems. (Hong Kong following common law precedent and China following civil law.)

China wants to “one flesh” things going forward. Sorry for the cringe metaphor.

And this is where framing the message can make all the difference. By using the message frame of “for the sake of national security” China is taking back the initial independence, increment by increment.

What is national security? It’s where you tighten things up to prevent harmful espionage including cyber security of intellectual property and state secrets.

You can’t stay married if the marriage can be infiltrated by the enemy.

That’s their hook.  

I believe it takes guard rails and conscious effort to make a marriage last. And even with that you need a measure of luck, or cosmic fairy dust, such as how well the personalities match up.

The “freedom” to stay separate (but one) has a price. And long term, I wonder if it will work.

Yours on the journey,

Julie

Posted on: November 12, 2024, by :