Within the past year the tension between Hong Kong and the government of China has skyrocketed. One of the main issues is the protest against China’s interference with Hong Kong politics. To be precise, many Hong Kong citizens are upset because they fear that they might not being able to elect their leader in a democratic manner. As a result many students and advocates have volunteered to protest. This protest had evolved aggressively since it started; volunteers are camping in major areas of Hong Kong such as Central and Admiralty. Police forces are sent to maintain order, but just like any other protests, some extremists brought the element of violence into the matter and people were hurt.
Let us put all the politics aside and see how this protest have affected the society and the economy of Hong Kong. Since substantial amounts of protesters had settled in public areas of Hong Kong, transportation was slowed down or even paralyzed. As a result, public schools were closed down for a week. As British Columbians who just experienced the B.C teacher strike, we would be able to understand the problem such matter causes. On the other hand, the protest had traumatized the the economy of Hong Kong, especially the retailing businesses. Many business owners have complained about how devastating the protest have contributed to their miserable revenue decreases. The negative impact on economy is also shown in the stock market; the Hang Seng Index has significantly decreased.