To put it simply, communist powers want Hong Kong. Compared to the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong is something of a vibrant financial center that enjoys open trade, rich culture, and a friendly relationship with the rest of the world. It may have a close relationship with China, in that it is one country with two systems, but it does not take part in much of China’s wrongdoing. As a result, when the U.S. punishes China with trade restrictions and tariffs, Hong Kong is left alone.

Hong Kong wishes things to stay this way, as well they should. They’re not a part of the communist dictatorship on the mainland. They’re a capitalist system and their wealth and prosperity reflect that. Hong Kong is a bright spot in a dark place.

There should be no question as to who should win the current struggle between Hong Kong and China’s attempts to control it. There are various reasons as to why, but the symbolism of the victory is also highly important.

I’ll leave it up to more number-centric economists to tell you all the benefits of having Hong Kong remain as it is, but from a perspective of global narratives, a loss for the communists and a victory for the capitalists in communist China’s own territory would do leaps and bounds for humanity as a whole.

At this point, it’s safe to say that communism and socialism are a disease. Everything, everywhere, at any time, that either system worms its way into a country’s government, that government begins to fail drastically. All you need to do to confirm this is to read a history book or simply look around. Venezuela went from being one of the strongest economies in the world to one of the weakest thanks to an overabundance of socialist policies. North Korea is something of a hell hole, with disease and starvation being so common that those who do escape are found to be riddled with parasites. Even the latest disaster with COVID-19 shows the ineffectiveness and incompetence of communist rule.

China is a blight and it’s all thanks to its communist government which abuses its people and lies to and threatens the rest of the globe whenever its corruption and failures are brought up.

In fact, China has now threatened the United States with a cold war if it doesn’t stop interfering with its agenda, and discontinue holding it accountable for the Coronavirus pandemic. Part of the agenda the US is standing in the way of is Hong Kong — the U.S. warned that it would remove its trade status if it became just another part of China. This has increased resistance against China, as Hong Kong residents enjoy capitalism and freedoms that Chinese residents don’t get to enjoy.

In my opinion, this is all the more reason to assist Hong Kong in any way we can without provoking a full-on war. China, or more accurately, communism, needs to lose this battle. It needs to understand that freedom will win against tyranny. Not only does China need to get that message, but the rest of the world also does.

It seems to me that we have a golden opportunity here. One that could really turn the global tide and send socialism and communism into a tailspin. Our efforts to punish China should also include our aid and friendliness to places like Hong Kong and Taiwan, where efforts are undergone daily to resist communist rule.

Defiance against tyranny usually costs a lot, but it seems to me that the cost as always been worth bearing in the long run. America is proof of this.