Hong Kong: Mainlanders worry as anti-China sentiment intensifies

Mainland Chinese people living in Hong Kong have become the recent targets of pro-democracy protesters as the anti-China sentiments got more intense. There have been cases of hurling abuses and a video of an attack on a Chinese JPMorgan banker has also gone viral.

Mainlanders avoid going out on weekends

According to official data, more than one million mainland Chinese live in Hong Kong and many of them have started looking to relocate as the protest continues. They avoid going out on the weekends since the protests usually escalate during that period. The mainlanders can not be identified from a distance, however, they have a different accent as compared with the natives of Hong Kong. 

Read: Hong Kong Likely To Record Negative Economic Growth In 2019: Lam

Identification by language and accent

The primary language spoken in Hong Kong is Cantonese while Mandarin is used on the mainland. Sometimes surnames of mainlanders can also contribute to their identification. The Chinese people are uncertain about their future in Hong Kong and many of them don’t want to live in the city amid continued fear. Mainlanders are also blamed for increasing property prices of and overcrowding streets and shops of the special administrative region.

Hong Kong anti-Beijing activists have become more intolerant against the mainlanders and their businesses which reflected in some of the attacks on China’s largest banks by smashing windows and trashing ATM machines.

Read: Joshua Wong, Hong Kong Pro-democracy Leader, Barred From Election

Chinese clampdown on protesters

China has been wary of the simmering discontent which is clear from some the recent decisions. Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been disqualified from running in local district council elections scheduled in November. Hong Kong Electoral Affairs Commission issued a notice on October 29 on the validity of Wong’s nomination saying his nomination has been deemed “invalid” by the Returning Officer (RO).

Wong, Secretary-General of Demosistō, a pro-democracy organisation advocating self-determination for Hong Kong, claimed that he has become the only candidate to be barred from running in the upcoming council elections.

“It proved how Beijing manipulate the election with political censorship and screening,” tweeted Wong while sharing notice issued by Returning Officer Laura Aron.

The protests have also taken a toll on the region’s economy and Hong Kong’s executive leader Carrie Lam has predicted negative economic growth for the full year of 2019. 

Read: Hong Kong In Recession Due To Protests: Financial Secretary Paul Chan

Read: Hong Kong High Court Bans Posting Police Officers Info On Social Media

(With Inputs from Agencies)