Loyal Hong Kong

The term "Beijing loyalist" is often used in the newspaper here to describe politicians who cast votes thought to please Beijing. While that raises a number of issues that I'm not going to discuss, I'd like to pick on the language. While I appreciate that the phrase “Beijing loyalist” is not necessarily used as a compliment, it nevertheless carries the suggestion that others are not loyal. Perhaps, but I doubt it. Hong Kong is far too concerned about positioning itself to do business with China to want to go the way of Singapore. Granted, China is perenially concerned about break-up, but one country-two systems already in effect ought to mean that Hong Kongers can have opinions that conform or not with leaders in Beijing and yet remain “loyal” to the China the nation. Ironically, the source of this linguistic problem isn't Beijing; it's with critics here that in using it actually demean themselves.