Hong Kong has played a key role in the US-China economic and strategic competition since the anti-extradition bill protests sparked disputes over the city's autonomy. The US and China use Hong Kong as a weapon to attempt to gain the upper hand in the competition. The roles of Hong Kong and Taiwan are, thus, functionally alike for China and the US - an issue that can be used to pressure each other for political and diplomatic gains. However, Hong Kong is essentially different from Taiwan in terms of autonomy, governance structure, and de facto sovereignty, which makes the US-China disputes over Hong Kong more complex. While China expects Taiwan to be a pending issue that could not be immediately resolved, it will never envisage Hong Kong's autonomy to become an unsolved problem. As such, weaponizing Hong Kong would risk fiercer confrontations between the US and China in the foreseeable future.
Relation:
Tamkang Journal of International Affairs 24(1), p.177-186
