"Le Monde" commented that the Chinese authorities once again sentenced Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong to ten years in prison. This arbitrary and arbitrary verdict illustrates a problem: all kinds of conflicts in the world today are closely related to the struggle for freedom. The commentary titled "He is defending the West, but the West is moving toward cowardice and decadence" reads:
"In November 2024, Joshua Wong was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in Hong Kong. This sentence is undoubtedly a scandal of the rule of law. It shows how decadent China's authoritarian regime is, and how prescient those who promptly pointed out the dangers of dependence on China are. At the same time, this sentence also reminds us that only by improving our economic strength and improving the market framework can we get rid of such dependence.
Now, Joshua Wong has once again been sentenced to a heavy sentence, with another ten years added to his sentence. But this time, the Western world showed unusual silence. Even left-wing professional activists did not send high-profile letters of protest to the Chinese authorities.
And Joshua Wong is no different from us: he also wants to live freely like us. He wants to defend the West, which is at risk of becoming increasingly timid and degenerate: arguing over trivial matters and remaining silent on issues of principle. Joshua Wong once again reminds us what the focus of contention in today's world is: freedom, individual freedom and the courage to resist tyranny and dictatorship. "
"Le Monde" comments pointed out that Huang Zhifeng and another Hong Kong democrat Kwong Chung-ching wrote a column for "Le Monde" to introduce the situation in Hong Kong to German readers. After Huang Zhifeng was arrested, Kwong Chung-ching wrote in an article: The fight for Hong Kong’s freedom is becoming increasingly dangerous, while the West allows China to do whatever it wants:
"People fighting for freedom are being abandoned by the West. The situation in Ukraine is the most representative, and the same is true for Venezuela, Turkey, Iran, and especially China. No matter in any field, China cannot be a partner of the West. Whether it is personal freedom and human rights standards, or the level of democratic constitutionalism, China is the enemy of the West.
The only lesson we can draw from this is that the West must become stronger economically, diplomatically and defence--and also culturally. People like Joshua Wong often have a deeper understanding of Western freedom, far better than most people in the Western system who are content with the status quo, have no worries about food and clothing, and are lazy in their thinking.
Joshua Wong once said this in an interview with me: 'If our politicians are unwilling to work hard for our future, then I must be at the forefront and fight for my own future. ’ Joshua Wong’s case clearly shows that a citizen’s identity no longer depends on social status, but on his willingness to fight for more freedoms and his willingness to work to stop the loss of freedoms at all levels of society. This is exactly what German society needs now.
Joshua Wong, hold on, you are the future of the country. Freedom will triumph in the end. "
Regarding the results of the U.S. midterm elections, Germany's "Der Spiegel" commented that the Democratic Party did win, but it should not be forgotten that Trump will still have more than 800 days in power. The 80-year-old president still has the ability to make the world die with him:
"So what? We Europeans should prepare a survival manual for the later years of Trump's reign. It is obviously irresponsible to think that the worst is over. The gangsters in today's world will find that Trump has become a 'lame duck' and will think that the opportunity has come to give it a try, and the first one to bear the brunt is Putin. Europe, especially Germany, must sternly warn the Russian authorities that Ukraine will still get everything the country needs to defend itself.
Putin is best at reading the language of power. As soon as Putin realizes that Trump's influence is gradually disappearing, his willingness to actively invite Europeans back to the negotiating table will suddenly increase. For many years the Europeans were effectively excluded from the negotiating table. From this point of view, Trump’s defeat in the midterm elections may also create opportunities for diplomatic efforts.
The situation in China is similar. Perhaps President Xi Jinping will come to the conclusion that now is the best historical window to annex Taiwan. On the one hand, the Iran war has weakened U.S. military strength. On the other hand, Trump has shown an unusual preference for dictators like Xi Jinping. In view of this, Europe must make its position clear to Beijing as soon as possible: armed invasion of Taiwan will require a heavy price, and the EU will significantly restrict its economic and trade relations with China. Unlike the United States, Europe cannot deter China militarily. But we have the ability to plunge the Chinese economy into crisis. Last year alone, China's exports to Europe reached 559 billion euros. "
