Ties to China shape cautious reaction to Hong Kong protests

For Canada and the European Union, they are a"situation." For President Donald Trump, a potential stumbling block in ongoing trade disputes. And for South Korea, an issue to be monitored.

On Sunday, he went a step further and said the use of Chinese troops to quell the demonstrations would worsen the current U.S.-China trade dispute, referring to the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang avoided commenting on Trump's remarks directly, but referred to the president's previous statements on the protests.

Choi Kang, vice president of Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said even if there's a Chinese crackdown in Hong Kong, South Korea would likely end up expressing little more than"regrets" or"hopes for an early, peaceful resolution." Story continuesNorth Korea has long bristled at any outside criticism of its own human rights conditions as a U.S.-led attempt to bring down its political system.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison disagreed last week that the protests were beginning to show the"sprouts of terrorism," as a Chinese official said, but he didn't criticize the statement directly. "De-escalation, peaceful dialogue on all sides, and, of course, a restoration of the 'One China but two systems' philosophy that has been in place for a significant period."Britain handed Hong Kong over to Chinese rule in 1997, but 156 years as a colony left a mark.

On Saturday, a student group called"Hong Kong Outlanders" organized flash mobs, street film screenings and sit-ins in more than half a dozen cities, including in front of Taipei's famous Taipei 101 skyscraper that is a frequent destination for Chinese visitors. Support groups have also collected hardhats and set up public outdoor galleries of protest art known as Lennon Walls.

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