Who's leading, means more in politics than anything else, be it an election, how much they spend, the popularity, or even logic. The logic here is of the politics.
The influence of the UK and its journalism is apparent. Especially so in the way they talk of the world. Their interests in any other part of the world depend upon the British Empire.
The UK gave up Hong Kong and their assumption is Taiwan be following the case. The activists in Hong Kong now under arrest after the unsuccessful democracy movement probably would not mean much in their hearts.
The Belarus case is an interesting one. It's a very delicate issue in Europe. How they take it here in the United States, a nation of immigrants, may not reflect the complexity.