China • Hongkong • News

Hongkong news: Is Hongkong its own country?    

Hongkong and China: Hongkong is not a country in its own right. It is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. Under the principle of one country, two systems, the metropolis is subject to the government in Beijing, but enjoys many freedoms that other areas of China do not have. The principle officially applies until 2047, but in recent years the Chinese Communist Party has been accused of systematically undermining the agreement.   

For example, Hongkong was guaranteed in the agreement to be allowed to hold free elections. In fact, however, only candidates who had previously been cleared by the Chinese government were allowed to vote. The Chinese Communist Party also regularly tried to implement changes to the Basic Law in Hongkong. Most recently, there were massive and prolonged protests over this in 2019.  

Has “one country, two systems” been history since 2020?   

In 2019, the protests ignited over a change in the law that would have made it easier for China to extradite political prisoners. In the subsequent local elections, Hongkongers punished the pro-Beijing party. The election is seen as a gauge of the population’s desire for less political interference by the Beijing government and more autonomy.     

The Chinese Communist Party nevertheless implemented the changes in the law. Since then, Chinese security forces have been allowed to operate in Hongkong, parties close to Beijing are given preference in elections, and extradition of political prisoners to China is easier. One country, two systems is supposed to guarantee freedom of speech and assembly in addition to free elections. Activist Nathan Law, who fled to London, sees significant shortcomings here. Tsai Ing-wen, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), even sees the principle as “failed.” Even Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas expressed concern.  

What is the area of Hongkong?    

Hongkong has an area of 1,107 square kilometers. Berlin (892 square kilometers) is about one-fifth smaller. However, about 7.5 million people live in Hongkong. This puts the Special Administrative Region in 52nd place among the world’s largest cities. About 95 percent of the inhabitants are Han Chinese. About 500,000 foreigners live in Hongkong. The vast majority are women from Thailand, Indonesia or the Philippines who work there as housekeepers.     

In 1711, the British East India Company established a trading base in China in Guangzhou to bring opium to the People’s Republic. When the Chinese government began seizing shipments in 1839, the first Opium War broke out off Hongkong Island. The territory was to become a militarily important base for the British.   

When did Hongkong become British? 

The First Opium War ended in August 1842 after the British targeted and occupied port cities, forcing the empire to surrender. The Treaties of Nanjing and Humen were then concluded. In them, China ceded control of port cities to European countries. Britain also declared Hongkong a crown colony and placed the island under the administration of a British governor. From Hongkong, Britain operated the so-called coolie trade. Coolies used to be unskilled wage laborers from China and the South Asian region.    

This type of slave trade was against international law, but Great Britain continued it until the beginning of the 20th century. Between the years 1851 and 1931, the number of Hongkong’s inhabitants thus exploded. From formerly 33,000 people to almost 900,000. The British ruled Hongkong with a hard hand. They crushed uprisings and strikes, and maximized their profits with slave trade and child labor.    

What is the connection between Hongkong, Britain and the Second World War?    

Immediately after the outbreak of World War II, Japanese troops captured Hongkong. During the conflict, Britain promised the government in China that all treaties by which they enjoyed extensive privileges in the ports would be terminated. But Winston Churchill reneged on the promise, sending a naval squadron to Hongkong in August 1945, and returning the island to British control. When the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed in 1949, many businessmen fled to Hongkong.   

The USA had imposed an economic embargo on the People’s Republic of China in the early 1950s. The easing of the embargo helped Hongkong to achieve an economic miracle, which was to last until the 1960s. However, emerging inequalities led to the ” Hongkong riots” in 1967, and by the 1980s the economy had developed into a pure trading and service center. All manufacturing operations were now based in China.  

What about Hongkong and the principle of one country, two systems?   

In the early 1970s, a UN resolution initiated the return of Hongkong to China. Negotiations began in 1982, when British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher still hoped that the People’s Republic of China would accept British control. This was not so. For the purpose of the handover, Deng Xiaoping, the then head of state of China, had developed the principle of One Country, Two Systems.  

This stated that Hongkong would be allowed to retain its capitalist system, currency, legal system and customary freedoms, but would be a special administrative region of China. It was the basic premise for the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Thus, Chapter One, Article Five of the Hongkong Basic Law states, “The socialist system and policies of the People’s Republic shall not be practiced in the Hongkong Special Administrative Region, and the existing capitalist system and way of life shall remain unchanged for 50 years.”    

Did China take sovereignty over Hongkong?    

On July 1, 1997, China took over sovereignty over Hongkong from the British. They had previously ruled over the current Special Administrative Region for 156 years. The People’s Republic had guaranteed Hongkong this status in the long term. Hongkong is to remain a special administrative region for fifty years. Hongkong has since developed into one of the most important financial centers in the Asian region. Also because it has control over its own laws, tariffs and currency.   

Hongkong is also an independent member of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Community (APEC), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).     

What about elections in Hongkong?    

The first elections in Hongkong were held in 1997. Until then, the governor of Hongkong was the head of the territory. This was provided by the British Foreign Office and appointed by Queen Elizabeth II. The electoral system in Hongkong is controversial. It is based on rules from the old British occupation forces.   

Although 70 elected representatives are elected in Hongkong, only half of them are elected by voters in the traditional sense. The other half is determined by professional groups and companies. For example, all teachers are allowed to elect a people’s representative. But the financial sector also appoints its own representatives. Here, for example, employees of the insurance company Axa in Paris or the bank HSBC in London are entitled to vote.  

Did one country, two systems fail?  

 Since the People’s Republic of China took back control of Hongkong, however, there has been a “creeping erosion of the formally guaranteed liberal social order,” as Yiu-Chung Wong describes it in “H Hongkong’s Transformation Since the Handover.” The influence of the Chinese government on Hongkong’s electoral law and legislation has increased more and more. Protests have occurred again and again because of this.    

In 2014, the Umbrella Movement or Umbrella Revolution occurred. The background was new regulations by the Chinese government that affected the election system in Hongkong. From then on, candidates who wanted to run for the office of head of government had to be approved by a nominating committee. In addition, direct election of the president was ruled out. His appointment would continue to be made through electoral bodies. This comprises a total of 1,200 representatives of various professions, social and religious groups, the Legislative Council, the Hongkong House of Representatives and the National People’s Congress from China.   

What was the Umbrella Movement in Hongkong? 

The Umbrella Movement in Hongkong, which first came to massive attention in 2014, advocated for free elections without interference from Beijing and called for the resignation of then-governor Leung Chun-Ying. In 2019, activists from the movement presented a catalog of five demands. In addition to the three original conditions, protesters have since also wanted a general amnesty for detained protesters and a rollback of the extradition law. This allows Hongkong citizens to be transferred to a court in the People’s Republic of China. In fact, the bill was withdrawn in October 2019.     

The government in Beijing repeatedly emphasizes that it is concerned about the country’s stability and unity. As serious as many of the Communist Party’s interventions may be, it is noticeably restrained, especially when it comes to demonstrations. Even when parts of the Umbrella Movement fought street battles with security forces, the Beijing government did not intervene.   

How did Xi Jinping react to protests in Hongkong?    

The restraint is political calculation. China’s head of state Xi Jinping assures Carrie Lam, the head of government in Hongkong, of his full backing. At a BRICS (the heads of state from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in November 2019, he also said that it was the protesters who were violating the principle of one country, two systems. He also highlighted the success of this model. Also, to go in opposition to the head of government Tsai Ing-wen (Republic of China/Taiwan), who had declared the failure of this policy.  

With the opening of China and the advancement of the New Silk Road, Hongkong has lost importance as a trade center, but it is still an important building block for China to present itself as a global and unified trading power. In this context, the handling of Hongkong is of enormous importance.   

Hongkong News in German    

Readers can find out from the Table.Media editorial team how the protests are progressing, what political wishes are being implemented in Hongkong and Beijing, and what impact this will have on relations with Germany. Here you can find all Hongkong news in German.