Politician uddhav thackeray biography- Full Details
1 Country 2 systems in HK: A Decadal Reflection
1. Benson Wai-kwok Wong
Postdoctoral Fellow
Taiwan Foundation for
Democracy
“One Country, Two Systems”:
A Decadal Reflection from a
Local Perspective
2. 2
Outline
1. Introduction
2. China VS Hong Kong
3. Nature of the PRC rule in Hong Kong
4. Tung Chee-hwa administration
5. Donald Tsang administration
6. Conclusion
3. 3
Introduction
The optimistic view on “1 Country, 2
Systems” (1C2S) from pro-
establishment sector
View this political experiment from a
local, not Beijing, perspective
Presence of inconsistencies and
misunderstanding between Beijing and
HK
4. 4
China/HK, which is better?
Tung CH: HK is better, motherland will be
better, and vice versa. Is it valid?
Historical perspective: HK’s takeoff VS China’s
chaos
Anti-communist syndrome:
PRC’s authoritarian rule
Political campaigns since 1949, notably the Cultural
Revolution (1966-76)
The 1967 Riot in HK
Tiananmen Square Protests (1989)
Economic prosperity diverted political worries of
some HKers?
5. 5
Nature of PRC rule in HK [i]
1. Covert influence through Tung’s subservience and
conformity
2. The discourse of an “economic” city: depoliticizing
HK
Utilizing HK’s economic strength to contribute to the
motherland (1980s)
Devaluing economic value after the Asian Financial Crisis
+ increasing economic might of PRC = weakening its
political role (after 1997)
1. Legitimatizing the hegemony by the use of political
slogans: prosperity, stability and harmony
6. 6
Nature of PRC rule in HK [ii]
4. Understanding of HK is based on
misunderstanding and misperception:
result of burying the past
5. Guoqing education:
Tse: National integration > self-governance
Nationalism and patriotism: cultural heritage,
historical root, economic growth and science
and technology advances (yet cover up the
political practices and social problems)
Instrumental nationalism/patriotism?
7. 7
Tung administration [i]
1. Lacked the administrative experiences and
leadership capacities
Personal diligence =/= political wisdom
2. Lacked a definite and an efficient proposal
to take the deep-rooting economic
problems
Housing problems (85,000 estate policy)
Need the support of real estate developers
Disarticulation between Tung and civil servants
in the policy-making arena
8. 8
Tung administration [ii]
3. Lacked a sustainable and detailed schedule to
fulfill his ambition
CyberPort, flower plantation, Chinese medicine,
biochemistry, tourism in North Lantau, fashions,
entertainment
3. Political appointment of pro-Beijing elites into the
advisory/consultative committees (serve as
“public” opinion)
4. “Old and Stupid” Tung:
Old: colonial political vision of the 1960s and 70s
Stupidity: political naivety (Jiang Jiemin’s unconditional
support)
9. 9
Tung administration [iii]
6. Failed to serve as a bridge between HKers and the
central authorities
Reinterpreting the Basic Law
Enacting Art. 23 of the Basic Law
Beijing authorities discrete when, how, how far
democratization could be taken, and interpret the
subsequent policies according to their political interests
6. Jiang JM: Tung = 1C2S?
7. 2003: A year of significance
SARS
Enacting Art, 23 of the Basic Law
July 1 rally: Both Tung and Central authorities shocked
10. 10
Tsang administration [i]
1. Stepping down of Jiang and rise of Hu Tung’s
departure
2. Tsang: a pragmatic choice
His administrative experience, popularity, “strong
governance”
1. PRC: Saved HK economically:
CEPA, Individual Free Visit, …
1. A “competitive” CE election: Tsang’s promise to
unfold democratization was hampered by Wu
Bangguo,
confirming the Beijing orchestration in the backstage for
local political developments
11. 11
Tsang administration [ii]
5. Authorities ignore the drastic changes
of HK’s politics and society
Vibrancy of civil society
The effectiveness of Internet
Spontaneous social movements
E.g., The demolition of Star Ferry &
Queen Pier
12. 12
Tsang administration [iii]
6. Revitalization of 1C2S under Tsang?
Basic misunderstanding of 1C2S persists
HK people ruling HK
What kind of HKers?
How to rule HK?
High autonomy is tarnished by
sovereignty
13. 13
Conclusion [i]
1. Does the PRC genuinely believe
“1C2S”?
2S are as a means to achieve 1C?
Politically, the socialist system overrides
the capitalist system?
“over”-interpretation of the Basic Law
according to the designed political
purposes: dominant & manipulative?
14. 14
Conclusion [ii]
2. The ultimate outcome of 1C2S
Politically, the capitalist system would transfer
into the socialist system (soft authoritarianism?)
Economically, the increasing dependency on
China constitutes an obstacle to HK’s
democratization?
A tug-of-war between authoritarian regime and
civil society
In case of being violated the core values
(human rights, freedom and liberties), HKers
would define them by taking the tangible and
consistent actions unintentionally drive local
democratization