This Friday (03.12.2021), the Chinese government confirmed that imposing electoral reform in Hong Kong is a second “blow”, after the controversial National Security Act that put an end to the “anarchy” of the former British colony. This, after the Chinese parliament approved on Thursday a bill to reform the “electoral commission” in Hong Kong, which will be more subordinate to Beijing.
The changes, which must go through final formal approval, will allow China to disqualify candidates from the pro-democracy opposition, which won the 2019 assembly elections with a majority. Zhang Xiaoming, a senior official with the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Bureau, explained that these decisions put an end to the “chaos” that he claimed gripped the financial capital during protests against the Chinese regime in 2019.
Zhang said the bill and the adoption of the National Security Law last year that quelled the protests was a “series of strikes aimed at effectively stemming the chaos” in Hong Kong, and the official added that China would not make “any concessions” in. His electoral reform project, after criticism from the West, which accuses Beijing of wanting to end Hong Kong’s democracy.
Patriots, democrats and others
Zhang said the Hong Kong problem is “political” because it is “a battle against attempts to seize power, sabotage and infiltration, and on these issues, we will not concede anything.” The official added that the highest percentage in China in the Hong Kong election is “to be precise a minimally invasive surgery, characterized by small wounds, deep incisions and faster healing.”
In the face of criticism from the United States and the European Union against Beijing’s new measures, Zhang stressed that what is happening in Hong Kong is an internal problem for China and no foreign country can interfere with it. “I don’t understand how, after the attack on the Capitol Building on January 6, the United States has the ethics to target electoral institutions in Hong Kong,” Zhang said.
In Hong Kong, the official stressed, there will still be space for different voices. He explained that “the opposition, especially the democrats, have patriots in their ranks and they can participate in the elections and run for elections.”
DZC (AFP, AP)
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Hong Kong: More than two decades of confrontation with China
1997: A historic moment
La entrega de la soberanía de Hong Kong de manos del Reino Unido a la República Popular China ocurrió el 1 de julio de 1997. El territorio del delta del río Pearl de China se convirtió en una colonia británica en 1842 y fue ocupado por Japón durante la World War II. After Hong Kong’s return to China, the political situation has been described as: “One country, two systems”.
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Hong Kong: More than two decades of confrontation with China
1999: Families Divided
Families separated from Hong Kong’s borders are hoping to be reunited after Hong Kong’s return to China, but with the daily quota of 150 mainland Chinese allowed to settle in Hong Kong, many have stayed away from their relatives. This 1999 photo shows Chinese visitors protesting after their residence permit was denied.
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Hong Kong: More than two decades of confrontation with China
2002: Hope lost
The issue of the residency refusal of Chinese in Hong Kong was raised again in April 2002, when Hong Kong began deporting 4,000 Chinese who had lost legal battles to remain in the territory. These families were evicted from a park in the city center where they were protesting.
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Hong Kong: More than two decades of confrontation with China
2003: The SARS Pandemic
The region has been severely affected by the SARS influenza virus. In March, the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. The man in the photo attended Dr. Tse Yuen Man’s funeral in May. Dr. Tse volunteered to treat SARS patients. Hong Kong was declared virus free in June 2003, after nearly 300 people died from the disease.
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Hong Kong: More than two decades of confrontation with China
2004: The Struggle for Democracy
The “one country, two systems” policy has often caused tensions. In 2004, on the seventh anniversary of the return of Chinese sovereignty, hundreds of thousands of people protested in Hong Kong, calling for political reform. The demonstrators demanded democracy and direct elections to choose the next leader of Hong Kong.
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Hong Kong: More than two decades of confrontation with China
2008: Nowhere to live
Rising property prices in Hong Kong have resulted in higher rental fees. In 2008, it was not uncommon to see people like Kong Seo Kao living in so-called “cage houses,” which are 1.4 square meters of wire mesh booths. Today an estimated 200,000 people live in a cage or occupy a bed in a shared apartment.
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Hong Kong: More than two decades of confrontation with China
2009: Memorial in Tiananmen Square
On the 20th anniversary of the Chinese government’s brutal crackdown on Tiananmen Square, Hong Kong residents gathered for a candlelit vigil in Victoria Park. At that time, Hong Kong was seen as different from China, where the massacre of supporters of democracy and students on June 4, 1989 was known as the “June 4 Incident”.
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Hong Kong: More than two decades of confrontation with China
2014: Central Occupation
In 2014, large-scale protests rocked Hong Kong for two months, and demonstrations demanded greater autonomy. Beijing announced that China would decide the candidates in the 2017 CEO election. The protests came to be known as the Umbrella Revolution because attendees used umbrellas to protect themselves from police tear gas canisters.
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Hong Kong: More than two decades of confrontation with China
2015: Sport becomes political
Less than a year after the protests, on November 17, 2015, China played a soccer match against Hong Kong to qualify for the World Cup. Guests were not greeted with a friendly reception, fans booed as the Chinese national anthem was played, and banners appeared reading “Hong Kong is not China”. The match ended 0-0.
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Hong Kong: More than two decades of confrontation with China
2016: Another violent attack
In February 2016, authorities attempted to displace street vendors from a working-class neighborhood in Hong Kong. That’s why they sent riot police, who used rubber batons and pepper spray against people, and fired shots in the air as a warning. These clashes were the worst since the 2014 parachute revolution.
Author: Carla Bleeker
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