Add oil

Today, I am staying at home with Eddie who has come down with a cold. While he reads old Donald Duck cartoons from the 1950’s, I am marking exams and thinking more about the situation in Hong Kong. This weekend saw the Standard Chartered Marathon taking place on Hong Kong Island for the first time since the pandemic. Apparently, there was a strict crackdown on any slogans deemed even remotely political, such as “add oil” (a phrase used to express encouragement). It is truly sad to see how hyper-sensitive the political environment has become in wake of the national security law.

Palladium just published a frightening piece on Wang Huning who is sometimes described as the éminence grise behind many of Xi Jinping’s policies. I have no way of knowing what is true in all of this, but it is obvious that China has taken a dark turn and it is important to try to understand as much as possible about the underlying motives (however shallow these tend to be). After all, Lisa Ekdahl of all people probably already nailed it, “makt är för dem utan tillit”.