Japanese video game developer Capcom has been heavily criticized for replacing the Hong Kong flag with that of the People’s Republic of China.
Japanese video game developer Capcom recently launched Arcade Stadium on Nintendo Switch, a collection of classic video games ranging from 1943: The Battle of Midway for Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting. The release brings a number of changes to these games, some of which have resulted in adverse reactions across Southeast Asia.
Super Street Fighter II presented a significant change in the flags that appeared on the character selection screen. Specifically, the flag accompanying Fei Long, which used to be that of the Hong Kong SAR, has been replaced by the flag of the People’s Republic of China. It should be noted that the flag was replaced once before, in 2018, from the British flag of Hong Kong (also called Dragon and Lion) to the modern Bauhina flag.
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It is important to note that tensions between Hong Kong and Mainland China have been increasing since the pro-democracy protest that broke out in 2019, resulting in the imposition of the National Security Law that came into effect in July 2020. The new legislation, imposed Hong Kong, by Beijing, is seen by many as a broad set of laws that criminalize all actions and expressions that can encourage support for Hong Kong’s independence or any form of opposition to the Chinese Communist Party.
Street Fighter IIFei Long was inspired by Hong Kong’s iconic American action star Bruce Lee. Lee is credited with reshaping the representation of the Asian people in Hollywood films. More recently, Lee’s name was mentioned in the context of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, as his famous quote, “Be water”, inspired the tactics that allowed protesters to continue to demonstrate, despite attempts by suppression authorities. them through the use of brutal tactics. The movement has consistently received widespread support from neighboring regions in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world.
Source: Twitter, via The Stand News
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