Mayor Lee raises China’s flag despite Hong Kong protests

Mayor Ed Lee raises the Chinese flag from his balcony at San Francisco City Hall on Oct. 1, 2014, China's National Day, as a delegation from the Chinese Consulate looks on. The ceremony came as thousands protested in Hong Kong over China's efforts to curtail democracy there. (John Cote / The Chronicle) less Mayor Ed Lee raises the Chinese flag from his balcony at San Francisco City Hall on Oct. 1, 2014, China's National Day, as a delegation from the Chinese Consulate looks on. The ceremony came as thousands ... more Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Mayor Lee raises China’s flag despite Hong Kong protests 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

San Francisco politicians, eager to showcase their democratic credentials in their liberty-loving city, traditionally have not shied from taking stances on human rights, checking in on everything from apartheid in South Africa to Burma’s military junta.

But on Wednesday, as tens of thousands of peaceful democracy demonstrators who had already been tear-gassed marched in Hong Kong, Mayor Ed Lee was on his City Hall balcony hoisting the flag of the target of those protests — the autocratic government of China.

Next to him stood Nansheng Yuan, China’s consul general in San Francisco. The city traditionally flies the flag of countries with consulates in San Francisco on their national holiday.

The occasion was China’s National Day, the 65th anniversary of the founding of the communist state, and the flag ceremony occurred a few hours before about 150 pro-democracy demonstrators protested in front of the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office in San Francisco.

One of those protesters, Charles Cheung, an IT engineer and San Francisco resident, said Lee’s official flag-raising was “inappropriate.”

“I hope my mayor will really understand the situation,” Cheung said after learning of the flag-raising. “There is nothing wrong to support those people who want democracy in Hong Kong. I hope he’s really concerned about what’s going on in Hong Kong. I hope he can stand firm for democracy.”

In an interview Thursday, Lee said he wasn’t fully up to speed on the protests in Hong Kong, where he met his wife decades ago. Much of the rest of the world, however, has been watching the scenes of protesters using umbrellas to protect themselves from tear gas.

“To be candid, I haven’t studied all of the reason’s why they’re protesting,” Lee said. “It’s Occupy Hong Kong, so if they’re anything like Occupy San Francisco, you’re going to have to study it for a while to see what there are trying to say.”

Lee, who has taken multiple state visits to China and courted Chinese companies to try to persuade them to set up offices in San Francisco and invest here, would not take a position on the protests but called for “discussions.”

“I have to say, very generally, that Hong Kong has always kind of been a special place,” Lee said, noting its legacy as a British territory before being transferred to China in 1997 under a one-country, two-systems approach. “I certainly pray there is no violence. We’re always watching out for that. But because of that transition, I think voices have to be heard and negotiations have to be handled in a very delicate way.”

Lee, though, said it was appropriate for him to entertain a Chinese government delegation on their national holiday, even as others protested.

“It’s the great diversity we have in San Francisco,” Lee said. “San Francisco, as well as California, has very strong ties with China. We’re trying to evolve that more and more. That’s not to say that we diminish the right of people to protest what they believe in. I think that’s appropriate as well. I think we in San Francisco can accommodate both.”

— John Coté

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