 June 9, 2019, hundreds of thousands marched the streets of Hong Kong, and as the days progressed, eventually this number grew to 2 million. Nearly a third of the population took to the streets dressed in black and white. For days, the protests continued. Even as they were hit with rubber bullets and tear gas, the people yelled, withdrawal, withdrawal. On June 12th, 11 people were arrested, and 79 people were hospitalized due to injuries from bricks, tear gas, and pepper spray. Yet the violence continued, and despite the dangerous conditions, millions gathered around government buildings and streets and set blockades on roads, all to let their voices be heard. Why? Why are these people here? What was so important that millions of people were risking their lives and their well-being? All for what? To understand, we need to go back. In 1842, the first opium ore ended with China, seeding control of Hong Kong Island to the Empire of Great Britain. And the colonies were expanded one more time in 1898, after obtaining a 99-year lease on the region known as the New Territories, making Hong Kong and the surrounding areas a British colony. However, this would only last until 1997, or 99 years, and then Britain would have to return Hong Kong to China. Hong Kong grew under British rule, expanding in economics, culture, and government. Hong Kong exploded and became the economic center of Asia, as Hong Kong grew, so did the differences between China. While Hong Kong had a Western-style government, China was mostly a communist state. As the years passed, 1997 drew closer, and the question at everyone's mind was, what's going to happen to Hong Kong? In September of 1982, UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher met with leader, Deng Xiaoping. And eventually, the UK agreed to give Hong Kong back to China, in one condition, that the current social and economic systems in Hong Kong would remain unchanged. And so will the lifestyle. This became known as the one-country, two-systems principle. However, this would only last another 50 years, as a type of transition period which would end in 2047. As it exists right now, Hong Kong is its own autonomous region. It has its own system of government, its own politicians, police, school systems, currency, and even different languages. Many Hong Kong supporters believe that China is slowly trying to erode the border between Hong Kong and China, gradually increasing their influence over the city region. February 2003, thousands of people in Hong Kong took to the streets to oppose what was known as the Hong Kong Basic Law, Article 23. It stated that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the central people's government, basically giving the government power to do what it's off-fit to prohibit treason, secession, or sedition. Many Hong Kong supporters interpreted this as an attempt by the Chinese government to limit the people of Hong Kong's freedom, namely, their freedom of speech. However, eventually the bill was withdrawn. In September of 2018, a high-speed rail link opens between Hong Kong and mainland China. Passengers cleared Chinese immigration inside the station in Hong Kong, prompting protests from some opposition lawmakers that Chinese law would apply in the immigration area. Later on that month, citing national security, Hong Kong bans the Hong Kong National Party, a party that advocates independence for Hong Kong. Many see this ban as a step to silence all separatist voices. In October 2018, one of the biggest bridges in the world, a 55-kilometer or 35-mile-long bridge from Hong Kong to Macau to the mainland, is finally open. Protesters viewed this as an effort to further link Hong Kong to mainland China, re-emphasizing the fact that Hong Kong is part of China. Which brings us to today. Millions of protesters storm the streets of Hong Kong, chaos, and complete pandemonium is what we see from the protests. Facing the brutal end of rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons, these protesters continue to press on. Why? A bill to extradite criminals, rapists, and drug dealers. Which if approved, would allow China to extradite said criminals and let them stand trial. In China, the biggest reason that supporters of the bill claim is that there are many criminals who flee to Hong Kong and take advantage of the fact that there is no law in place to extradite them, even when arrested. This was prompted by the case of a man who reportedly murdered his girlfriend in Taiwan and was then arrested in Hong Kong, but he would instead be set free because there was no law to take action against him. Criminals of the bill claim that Hong Kong will become a safe haven for criminals everywhere unless this bill is passed. Many people see this as a valid concern. I will not shy away from my responsibility in introducing a piece of legislation, though we are very convinced of the justifications that causing this outcry and all these delusiveness in society. Well, this doesn't seem so bad, right? What's so wrong about letting criminals stand trial for their crimes? If this law passes, China will have the power to demand the Hong Kong government to extradite Hong Kong citizens or anyone, even foreign visitors who are in Hong Kong territory to China. Under this situation, Hong Kong will be in a state of fear because of anything they say and they do. So if all of this is true, and all of this is just as Hong Kong supporters say, an effort to grow Chinese influence in Hong Kong, why? What does China have to gain? From taking control of one little city of 7 million people, about 0.5% of the population. I mean, look at the size difference. By gaining influence over Hong Kong, the Chinese government will have a better control of China's territory and its people because the freedom in Hong Kong has been influencing many Chinese to stand up against the government over time. If the law passes, it could be the last time we are able to share with you what we believe. As of today, the extradition bill has been suspended, but Hong Kong citizens are asking for a full withdrawal. So whether or not these protests will be successful, all it really does is push back the inevitable. Dread it, run from it, the year 2047 still arrives. And then, what happens? Will Hong Kong still be able to retain their identity and their way of life? Will Hong Kong continue to fight for their idea of democracy against China's one-party system? What exactly is China's endgame here? The truth? Nobody knows. Hundreds of experts have theories on how this can play out, but we only know one thing for certain. It's a problem that future generations will just have to figure out.