Yves Tiberghien, director of UBC’s Institute of Asian Research, spoke with the Vancouver Sun after two “localist” legislators changed an oath they took, swore allegiance to the “Hong Kong nation” and used disparaging Japanese expression to insult China.
“I remember watching the oath-taking and saying, ‘Oh, my,’ because that’s clearly something China will not accept,” he said. “Basically, you had two watershed moments happening at the same time. … ‘Hate cycles’ like these are easier to start than stop. It’s true that both sides have made mistakes there.”
The story also appeared in The Province.
