Mainland Affairs Council Releases a Report Entitled “Eight Years after Hong Kong’s Handover: An Analysis”
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today (June 30, 2005) released a report entitled “Eight Years after Hong Kong’s Handover: An Analysis.” The report pointed out that in the past year, the Chinese authorities have forcibly intervened in Hong Kong’s self-government affairs. China has restricted the scope and timetable of Hong Kong’s political reform by manipulating the interpretation of the Basic Law through the National People’s Congress (NPC). The Chinese authorities intervened in the Legislative Council election and by-election of the HKSAR’s chief executive. These actions sabotaged the autonomy of the Hong Kong residents and resulted in a democratic regression in the so-called “rule of Hong Kong by the people of Hong Kong” and “one country, two systems” principles.
The MAC report also indicated that despite slight improvement in the Hong Kong economy last year, there were several controversial cases related to the violations of human rights, freedom, and rule of law. The report listed 163 reported controversial cases since Hong Kong’s handover. These include: the search and investigation of several newspaper agencies by the Hong Kong Independent Commission against Corruption, which triggered controversies on the violation of press freedom; China’s support of attacks against specific candidates by interfering with Hong Kong’s Legislative Council election; non-prosecution of China’s public security personnel who had crossed the Hong Kong border while investigating a case, which led to controversy on jurisdiction; the obstruction of Taiwan’s Hong Kong representative from entering the airport’s VIP room to greet a Taiwanese delegation visiting China; further encroachment on Hong Kong’s judicial power and the right to self-government due to the NPC’s interpretation of the Basic Law; and the detention of Ching Cheong, a journalist from Singapore’s Strait Times, which started controversy on the “one country, two systems” principle and human rights violation.
The MAC stated that it would be a difficult task for the new chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen to preserve the autonomy of Hong Kong and persuade Beijing to keep its commitments toward Hong Kong.
The MAC also indicated that Hong Kong can play a more important intermediary role in cross-strait relations. In addition to continual monitoring of the democratic development in Hong Kong, the government will also expand its services to Taiwanese residents in Hong Kong. The government hopes that the new HKSAR chief executive will open up a new era to enhance Taiwan-HK interactions and exchanges and promote positive relations between Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China.