BY DEVAN PHILLIPSON –
As Gregory Wong left a Hong Kong courtroom last August, having been charged with rioting during the protests in 2019 and 2020, he held his right hand in the air, flashing the famous three-finger salute of defiance.
Wong, a famous Cantonese actor in popular TV shows and movies, had taken part in the storming of the Legislative Council building in 2019 when thousands of pro-democracy protesters occupied the building. The three-finger salute he gave, however, was not a symbol of the Hong Kong protests, but rather a symbol used by the pro-democracy protesters in Thailand who adopted the salute from the Hunger Games book and movie series. The gesture would eventually become widespread in Hong Kong, not only as a sign of the democratic movement but also to show solidarity with the Thai movement. Eventually, pan-democratic movements across Asia would unite online, under the banner of one pan-Asian drink: Milk Tea.
The Milk Tea Alliance movement would begin in April 2020 when popular Thai actor Vachirawit Chivaree sent a tweet implying support for Hong Kong’s independence from China. When Chinese nationalists harassed Chivararee on Twitter with jingoistic fervour (quite ironically since Twitter is banned in China under heavy internet censorship), his fans in Thailand, along with users in Hong Kong and Taiwan, would fight back using the hashtag #MilkTeaAlliance. The name refers to the milk tea drunk hot in Hong Kong, the bubble tea drunk in Taiwan, and the iced tea drunk in Thailand. Protesters viewed Milk Tea as not only a pan-Asian symbol of democracy, but also as a symbol of resistance against the CCP.
Although it began first as an internet meme to combat Chinese nationalist commenters on social media, it has now evolved into a proper protest movement between Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Myanmar. The Milk Tea Alliance has gained particular momentum in Myanmar after the military coup in February. One Burmese student in Australia, Kyi Phyu Moe Htet, said that the Milk Tea Alliance had inspired powerful digital activism, to the point that military junta in Myanmar had to cut off the internet and social media.
“Through internet platforms, the ideas are carried and then the ideas carry the movement and then the movement potentially brings about the change”
Although their demands have differed, solidarity between the protest groups has grown to the point where they have begun to fight for each other in their respective countries. In Thailand, demonstrators have waved Hong Kong protest and Taiwan independence flags to the chant of “free Hong Kong, Revolution of our times”. In Taipei, activists have gathered to show solidarity for the protests in Myanmar.
On LIHKG, the Hong Kong protesters Reddit-esque forum, Hong Kongers have highlighted the benefits of cross-promotion. Ted Hui, a Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker, said “The idea is that we can speak for each other’s values within a relatively safer environment”.
The Hong Kongers, veterans from their standoff with Beijing, have created an online manual for protesting which includes strategies to deal with tear gas and riot police. Burmese protesters would make the most use of this manual, with full translations from Cantonese to English and Burmese made readily available online. Activists in the United States, Catalonia and Chile have all also learned from Hong Konger tactics.
According to Roger Huang, a politics lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney, the Milk Tea Alliance represented much more than just solidarity between different pro-democracy movements.
“[It] could potentially turn into a genuine transnational anti-authoritarian movement — a rejection of the Chinese authoritarian model. There may be some repercussions for China: governments could justify any backlash against China’s more aggressive actions in the region by citing popular opinion”.
The movement is also the latest to get a Twitter emoji (alongside #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter). In a statement on April 8th, Twitter stated “no matter where in the world you are, please grab a good cup of [tea] and join the conversation to show your love and support for the #MilkTeaAlliance”.
The Milk Tea Alliance has of course not gone unnoticed by the Chinese government, who quickly dismissed the coalition. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhang Lijian said that “People who are pro-Hong Kong independence or pro-Taiwan independence often collude online, this is nothing new. Their conspiracy will never succeed.”
While the Milk Tea Alliance is currently in its infancy, it has the potential to become a truly global movement against tyranny and authoritarianism. As self-exiled Hong Konger activist Nathan Law tweeted (quoting Martin Luther King): “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.
