This is pretty funny. The Wall Street Journal [9] informs us that NSA [10] whistleblower Edward Snowden [11] has been a big hit among freedom-hungry Chinese cyber-cognoscenti. "This is the definition of heroism," wrote one particularly enthusiastic micro-blogger (presumably on Sina Weibo [12]). "Doing this proves he genuinely cares about this country and about his country's citizens. All countries need someone like him!" This is a brilliantly acceptable guise for dissent within China: it places Beijing in the uncomfortable position of either having to tolerate the dissent or implicitly diss a dissident from the rival superpower! We were a little skeptical when Snowden took refuge in Hong Kong, recalling Julian [13]Assange [13]'s coziness with authoritarian regimes [14] even as he is glorified as an avatar of freedom. But Beijing will probably see Snowden as too hot a potato, for obvious reasons. "He must be protected," one sharp wit [15] wrote on Sina Weibo. "This is one of the few opportunities the Communist Party has to contribute to world good." (See report at Quartz [16])
Quartz [17] also notes that Hong Kong signed an extradition treaty with the US in 1996, a year before the then-British colony was handed over to Chinese rule. But under the "one nation two systems" policy, Beijing maintains control over military and foreign affairs—meaning it could override a Hong Kong decision to extradite. The Guardian [18] informs us that documents found in Tripoli after the fall of Qaddafi revealed that Hong Kong had cooperated in the CIA "rendition [19]" of an Islamist militant to Libya under the dictator. Beijing presumably knew about this, and apparently didn't interfere. But Snowden isn't a case that could languish comfortably in the shadows. We'll bet the Beijing bureaucrats are quite releived by reports that he has checked out of his hotel and possibly left Hong Kong...
