Length: 752 Words Reading Time: 3 Minutes
Dear President Xi,
I meant to write this letter to you months ago. I decided to write it now because of the protests in Hong Kong. I had planned a trip to Hong Kong this month to visit old friends and to walk the streets again in my favorite city in the entire world. I decided to defer my trip until Christmas time. I hope at that time that the protests would have ended and a more equitable solution to the current issues would have been jointly agreed to by all parties. Let us hope that is the case.
I have visited Hong Kong more than 70 times; the first time was in 1967, and the last time was in 2006. I was also in Hong Kong on June 30, the night the UK returned Hong Kong to China. The only change I noticed the next day was that the Hong Kong police changed their collar devices from RHKP (Royal Hong Kong Police) to HKP (Hong Kong Police). I suspect there were other changes as well, but the latter was the only one I noticed.
In addition to my many visits to Hong Kong, I lived in Taiwan in 1966/1967 as a young Naval officer, and I visited China twice—once in 1980, and once in 1988. When I lived in Taiwan, I fell in love with all things Chinese, including the people, the food, the arts and antiques, and the philosophical writings. I had always admired the Chinese culture. As a result of my two trips to China in the 1980s, I came to understand the greatness and uniqueness of Chinese civilization which extends back to the Xia Dynasty, now almost 4,000 years ago.
President Xi, all that I have written above is just background as to why I am writing this letter to you. Let me now present some thoughts as a foundation for what I am about to recommend to you.
I am a staunch believer in individual freedom. I recognize and understand the significant results achieved by men and women who are free to act in their own best interests. I believe Hong Kong exemplifies what free men and women can accomplish if they work within a fair, just, and equitable society governed by the rule of law. In my more than 70 trips to Hong Kong, I observed what the Hong Kong Chinese accomplished almost daily. No other city in the world has been able to match the transformations that Hong Kong has wrought over its history.
I believe the “Hong Kong Dream” is even more significant and dramatic than the “American Dream.” I can only imagine what China could achieve if she took bold actions with Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other regions within China. I write the previous sentence given the recognition that during the many dynasties of China, the size of China ebbed and flowed throughout its history.
I remember when Deng Xiaoping traveled to Singapore in 1978. He was able to observe first hand what Singapore had been able to accomplish under the enlightened and benign leadership of Lee Kwan Yew. Who can forget his enthusiastic declaration made to the Chinese people upon his return to China: “Poverty is not socialism. To be rich is glorious.”
I wished at the time of the Hong Kong Handover in 1997 that Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher had seen fit to create Hong Kong as an international city. That would have been a masterstroke of statecraft on the part of both individuals.
President Xi, I do not think it is too late for such bold statecraft. Imagine if China were to undertake the following actions and the wonderful consequences for the world that would ensue.
- Make Hong Kong an international city.
- Accept Taiwan as an autonomous, free nation.
- Set Tibet free.
I believe that if China took these actions that China would create a feeling of goodwill that would reverberate around the world. China would assume a leadership role in the global community that would be unprecedented. To me, these decisions would be magnificent gestures that only China has the power to make. What a legacy for you, for China, and for the world!
I recognize that my view of the world is rather simplistic and that I do not take into consideration all the complexities and subtleties of the world. That notwithstanding, I have always believed that simple is profound. And I think in this instance, that a straightforward course of action is the best way forward. I hope you will give them due consideration.
Very respectfully,
Andrew J. Guinosso