← "Share tip" | Return to Main Page | "Law report" →

March 01, 2004

You are on the invidual archive page of Chinese democracy. Click Simon World weblog for the main page.
Chinese democracy

In its continuing educational series on how democracy with Chinese characteristics works by Xinhua, China's news agency, today's instalment comes courtesy of a drafter of Hong Kong's Basic Law. He endorses the idea of one man, one vote - so long as that one man is living in Beijing and running the CCP. This new article is actually quite interesting, as it now appears drafters of the Basic Law have a side in channelling Deng Xiapong's thoughts:

When designing the political system Hong Kong would be under after China resumed its exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, Deng said in 1987 that Hong Kong should not adopt a totally Westernized system, copying the Western one, and called for a system based on the actual situation of Hong Kong.

Deng also said Hong Kong should be governed by the people of Hong Kong with patriots as its main body. Patriots, according to Deng, refers to those who respect his or her own nation, wholeheartedly support China's resumption of the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, and do no harm to the region's prosperity and stability.

Under the Basic Law, Hong Kong is simply an administrative region under the direct jurisdiction of the central government, and the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, authorizes the region to practice a high degree of autonomy, said the professor.

Lest you miss the point, there's more.
In his Xinhua article, Xu also quoted late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping as saying he did not believe universal suffrage would necessarily be beneficial to Hong Kong.

Xu wrote that Deng's comments are still valid today and that direct elections have resulted in ``anti-central government'' activists and supporters of Taiwan independence being elected....``From Hong Kong's perspective, will universal suffrage be favourable? I don't believe this,'' Deng was quoted as saying. ``For example, Hong Kong affairs must be managed by Hong Kong people themselves in the future. Would it be feasible if these people were elected through universal suffrage? ``People who manage Hong Kong should be Hong Kong people who love our motherland and love Hong Kong. Will universal suffrage result in this kind of people being elected?'' Deng asked.

Note that these are rhetorical questions. China doesn't ask questions it doesn't know the answer to. So boiling it all down, it's very simple. No democracy, no universal suffrage and Hong Kong firmly falls under the will of China regardless of any pesky pieces of paper. See the problem is democracy can be messy. You can't control who might actually get elected. And that would be bad, because they may not support the eternal rule of the CCP. The logic in fact seems to run under the "if you were voted in then by definition you aren't a patriot". Doesn't leave much choice.

That sound is the door slamming shut. This is all going to inspire Taiwan to really embrace the "one country, two systems" formula in the future too.

 posted by Simon on 03.01.04 at 09:20 AM in the




Trackbacks:

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://blog.mu.nu/cgi/trackback.cgi/12482

Send a manual trackback ping to this post.


Comments:

Something is rotten in Denmark here. referring to what was said in 1987 when China and the UK had not come to an agreement yet is poor sport. China is trying to rewrite the terms of the deal. IE:

1) China: We require HK to be handed over and ruled like the rest of China. By the CCP. Period.

(2) British: We require that HK be handed over as a special zone with full universal suffrage and protection of basic human rights.

(3) China: We can agree to a fuzzy idea of universal suffrage by 2007 with a legislature, protection of basic human rights under an agreed Basic Law framework.

(4) British: Done

(5) China: Done

(6) British: Here are the keys then. The world will be watching.

(7) China: 5 years have passed. The world is not watching. Repeat the terms of step (1) over and over and over and over and pretty soon most people will believe that (1) was the agreed deal. Install Beijing puppet. Jail opposition as "unpatriotic". Rinse. Repeat.

 posted by: kennycan on 03.02.04 at 04:28 PM [permalink]




Post a Comment:

Name:


Email Address:


URL:


Comments:


Remember your info?







Disclaimer
All content, including comments, on this site operates under a Creative Commons Licence. The content except for quotes reflect my personal opinions and not those of my employer, family, co-workers, fellow Sydney Swans supporters or anyone else. The comments section is open but if you write it, you stand by it. I take no responsibility for comments. I may, at my sole discretion, moderate, alter or remove comments. I reserve the right to unashamedly change the rules as I go along. All emails are publishable unless otherwise marked. If you don't like it, use the little x in the top right of your browser.