Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Hong Kong protests: government should hold dialogue with demonstrators without preconditions, international peacemaking experts say

Goodwill gestures will open space for dialogue, experts from overseas tell closed-door forum attended by about 400 prominent social and political figures. City has been gripped by more than five months of unrest and the level of violence has been escalating

The Hong Kong government should hold a dialogue with protesters without preconditions, according to international peacemaking experts who floated suggestions on how to solve the city’s unprecedented political crisis.

At a closed-door forum attended by about 400 prominent social and political figures on Saturday, they said goodwill gestures such as satisfying the protesters’ five demands – which include an amnesty for arrestees and revoking the classification of protests as riots – would open space for dialogue.

“You should try to avoid preconditions, in my view, as a way to get the parties to the table because that’s the way to get the dialogue on your terms as opposed to the other party’s terms,” said Clem McCartney, an independent consultant on conflict and community issues from Northern Ireland.

Hannes Siebert, a peace process facilitator and senior adviser to the UN who was involved in national dialogues in Lebanon, Yemen and Myanmar, said: “Ripeness [for dialogue] is not something that happens, you create it.



“You need to understand what is behind the precondition so you can address what is under the table rather than on the table.”

The two experts, among others, proposed solutions on how to break the deadlock. The protests, sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill, has morphed into a wider anti-government campaign entering its sixth month. The level of violence has escalated with radicals also targeting public facilities and businesses with links to mainland China.

The event, organised by the Hong Kong Forward Alliance, was funded by donations from individuals, corporations and foundations with support from volunteers. Lawyer Teresa Ma Ka-ming and Christine Loh Kung-wai, an adjunct professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and a former undersecretary for the environment are among the leaders of the alliance.

Hong Kong speakers at the full-day forum included Loh and former Executive Council member Anna Wu Hung-yuk, currently chairwoman of the Competition Commission.

Among the attendees were Bar Association chairman Philip Dykes, former non-official Executive Council member Franklin Lam Fan-keung and Jeffrey Andrews, the first registered social worker from the city’s ethnic minorities.

Hong Kong’s protests have been compared to Northern Ireland’s “Troubles”, which lasted for 30 years and left 3,000 dead but similarly started with demonstrations demanding basic political rights. The sectarian violence ended with the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

“Not all processes start with the parties having given up violence, they may only come to that during the conversation,” McCartney said.

He suggested setting up a framework agreement, which acknowledged the basis for dialogue without forcing parties to give up anything to take part, allowing some issues to be reserved for later and avoiding ethical and moral judgments.

In September, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor held the first community dialogue with randomly selected citizens, but the sessions were discontinued after an anti-mask law was introduced, sparking a fresh wave of protests.

Lam this week said the government would not yield to violence. “If there is still any wishful thinking that by escalating violence the government will yield to pressure to satisfy the so-called political demands … That will not happen,” she said.

Siebert suggested there was hidden meaning – and opportunity – to be found in Lam’s statement, as well as within the five demands of the protesters.

The demands include full withdrawal of the bill, an independent inquiry into the clashes between protesters and police, retract the “riot” classification of the clashes of June 12, amnesty for all arrested protesters and universal suffrage. Five months in, only one – withdrawal of the bill – has been met.

“Statements like [Lam’s] and the five demands are like the beginnings of negotiations. The first demand has been met, and the next three are existential demands,” Siebert said.

“If the government could meet any of the following demands, it would act as a ‘goodwill gesture’ and function like a ceasefire during civil wars, opening the way for a dialogue.”

He added that protests could not change constitutional issues. “It is time for people – many of them in this room – to take the baton from the protesters and move the process forward … The protesters have done their part.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×