Trump, sitting comfortably in the White House, set a trap just waiting for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to take the bait. On the global stage, Trump tried to publicly shame a Black president. The two had barely sat down when Trump fired off, pulling up random screenshots from the internet claiming Blacks were massacring white farmers—Boers, British settlers, and other white landowners. The way he described it made you thought that South Africa’s situation was worse than Gaza’s, with more white deaths than Palestinians. According to him, South Africa is basically hell on earth, Gaza and South Africa share the same tragic fate.
But within a day, Reuters, the world-famous news agency, pushed back hard. Trump had actually taken photos the news agency shot during unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo and falsely claimed they were from South Africa. That got Reuters accused of fake news. Trump and Elon Musk—yes, the South African-born Tesla guy—teamed up to smear South African Blacks. But Ramaphosa stayed cool and dignified. After listening, without changing a muscle, he just said, “No, we Blacks and Whites don’t hate each other, no unrest here. But we won’t go all the way to please you with a super Boeing, Mr Trump.”
Thinking back, I remember reading Mandela’s biography years ago. Mandela spent 27 years locked up under white colonial rule. When he came to power, South Africa embraced Whites, starting a republic based on racial integration and shared governance. Mandela’s story shows how much Black South Africans suffered, worse than Gaza’s Palestinians, and their tough road to coexistence. It really shows their amazing self-control. Without Mandela’s greatness—turning his own suffering under white oppression into love that united Blacks and Whites—democratic South Africa would never have happened.
The book also reveals how, back then, the Chinese Communist Party secretly sent massive arms to support the Black uprising in South Africa. Western intelligence fed info to white colonial officials, who, after weighing their options, realized defeat was inevitable and, scared stiff, turned to negotiate peace with Mandela. Mandela’s hardest job wasn’t just negotiating with Whites, it was convincing his own people not to seek revenge or massacre Whites. He preached love over hate, urging Blacks to share power with Whites without grabbing their wealth or land. Mandela’s legacy still shapes South Africa today—a peaceful country, not Gaza, not Ukraine, torn apart by war.
Mandela, South Africa’s founding father, and today’s president Ramaphosa prove that Blacks are no less smart or capable than anyone else. Mandela’s love lights up the world and the universe, all humanity and life. In his later years, hearing Hong Kong’s Wong Ka Kui, lead singer and composer of Beyond, sing a tribute to him, Mandela wept—because he stopped the massacres and protected all Whites in South Africa. Yet Elon Musk, born there, shows no gratitude. Instead, he works with Trump to set a trap against his own birthplace. Can a businessman really be without a homeland? Maybe South Africa isn’t his homeland but just a white colonial outpost.
Also, the Chinese Communist Party’s decades-old, no-strings-attached military support for the Black uprising—far worse than Gaza’s current plight—shows China backs justice without asking for anything in return. That’s a sharp contrast to the US, which exploits resources from countries like Ukraine and charges protection fees.
Trump talks a lot about making America great again, putting America first. But it’s clear now: he wants to make himself great, prioritizing white Americans. He’s calculated the votes—60% come from white voters—and tailors policies to favor them, hoping to secure a third term.
Trump has repeatedly kicked out journalists who criticize him to control the narrative. Now he’s shaking the nation’s foundation by targeting education—expelling foreign students from Harvard and saying this is just the first step, with other universities to follow. Former Hong Kong Economic Times editor-in-chief Mak Wah Cheung once said the French government gave him a scholarship to study in France, but it was really a way to groom global elites, embedding French culture and winning their intellectual loyalty.
Many African students who received French scholarships and studied in France later rose to high government positions. Thanks to their French education, their thinking aligns with France’s, influencing defense, infrastructure, electronics, even food and drink culture including red wine, white wine and brandy. As a result, African students prioritize French products.
America’s expulsion of international students undermines its cultural capital, blocking “Captain America” from expanding influence abroad and weakening its soft power. Countries once influenced by America will face a generational break, no longer following American cultural values. America’s ability to sway and subvert other nations will slowly fade—signaling its decline.
Xiao Qiang
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
London just dropped a classic good news, bad news bombshell on Hong Kong BNO holders.
The headline grabber? The path to permanent residency remains a five-year trek—the so-called "5+1" deal is safe. But here is the kicker: to actually cross the finish line, applicants must now survive a gauntlet of "extra spicy" new conditions. We are talking tougher English tests, strict income floors, and proof of continuous tax payments.
Think of it as a mouthful of sugar followed by a shot of hot chili. The anxiety on the ground is palpable. The South China Morning Post cites a survey warning that nearly 30 percent of these migrants do not meet the new bar. Unless London blinks, thousands will be screened out at the doorstep, leaving them empty-handed after five wasted years. Agitated Hong Kong people in UK are scrambling with petitions, but make no mistake: for the British government, utility is the only metric that matters.
Survey Warning: 30% of Hong Kong BNO holders fall short of London's new "permanent residence" rules and face being screened out at the finish line.
Here is the bait-and-switch: getting the visa was easy, but staying is going to cost you. Previously, income checks were nonexistent. Now, the rules have tightened: you need a fixed job, a tax record, and an annual haul of at least £12,570 (HK$128,000) for three to five years. That might sound low, but for many Hong Kong BNO holders, it is a high wall to climb. Not everyone is punching the clock in a full-time gig.
The SCMP-cited survey breaks it down. Of the 690 interviewed: 19 percent are housewives, 8 percent are retirees, and 3 percent are students. That is 30 percent of the total population right there. No job, no income, no tax record. If the Home Office sticks to the letter of the law, this entire group is going to fail the assessment cold.
Even the working class is standing on shaky ground. The data shows that only 42 percent of respondents have full-time jobs, while another 20 percent are scraping by with part-time work. Do the math: stable, salaried Hong Kong BNO holders are not the majority. Many are hustling in "casual work," where income fluctuates wildly and often falls short of the new government mandates.
Speak to anyone on the ground, and they will tell you the housewife trap is real. Families move over with young kids, find they can’t hire help, and suddenly the mother is housebound. It is a forced choice. Even if they pick up part-time shifts to help make ends meet, those meager earnings inevitably miss the strict income targets London has set.
The Wealth Illusion
Then there are the cash-rich, income-poor migrants. These are the folks who sold their Hong Kong properties at the peak, sitting on millions of dollars to fund a quiet life in the UK. Some are retired; others just don’t need to work. They are slowly "pinching" their savings to get by. But under these new rules, their wealth is irrelevant. No employment income means no tax record. And no tax record means they are not getting past the gatekeepers.
Smart professionals are also about to get caught in their own loop. I know of Hong Kong BNO holders who aren't unemployed—they are just working "on the sly," taking remote gigs from Hong Kong to dodge UK taxes. It used to be a clever way to save a buck. Now, it is a liability. Without a UK tax footprint or local employment record, they have technically earned nothing in the eyes of the Home Office. When application time comes, they are going to face big trouble.
The education gap is another ticking time bomb. The survey reveals that 16 percent of respondents only have a secondary education. Let’s be realistic: hitting the B2 English level—roughly A-Level standard—is a pipe dream for this demographic. This single hurdle is going to cull a significant herd of applicants before they even get started.
The Language Barrier: With 16% of surveyed migrants holding only secondary education, the "B2 barrier" for English proficiency is set to trigger a wave of failures.
Panic is setting in as families realize they might be kicked out at the last minute. Distressed and confused, Hong Kong BNO holders are mobilizing. A petition demanding the government lower the bar—keeping the easier B1 English requirement and scrapping the income test—has already gathered 28,000 signatures. They are even planning a protest march for December 6.
Utility Over Humanity
London, sensing the rising heat, offered a vague olive branch yesterday. Officials claim the consultation is not yet finalized and teased a potential transitional arrangement. But do not hold your breath—nobody bothered to explain what that transition actually looks like.
Let’s call this what it is: habitual duplicity. When the chips are down, the British government puts utility first. A sharp analysis in Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao hit the nail on the head: by piling on these conditions, London is downgrading the BNO route from a special humanitarian channel to a high-threshold, ordinary immigration path. It has morphed into a policy demanding economic tribute, not a sanctuary.
The writing is on the wall. Don't expect them to lower the bar for permanent residence. Smart Hong Kong people should know better than to have high expectations.
Lai Ting-yiu
