Viewpoint: 'Hong Kong is not as free as it seems,' says Nathan Law Kwun-chung, a politician and activist OpenFuture
THE SUMMER of discontent in Hong Kong has revealed the true nature of the “one country, two systems” framework. The authorities in Beijing can expand their centralised power beyond established boundaries whenever they wish to do so. The people’s opinion can be neglected and strong arms be deployed to silence us. Hong Kong is not as free as it seems and autonomy is so fragile that the authorities in Beijing can destroy it in the blink of an eye.
Representatives of the Chinese State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, in a recent news conference, clearly stated that they support the Hong Kong government and the massive “stability-maintenance” mission overseen by the police. Most importantly, they categorised the Hong Kong protests as “showing signs of terrorism”, manifesting a hawkish stance and raising at least the possibility, however unlikely, of direct Chinese military intervention in the near future.
The central government has been mobilising Chinese citizens and its propaganda machine to defame and crack the movement. If the movement prevails in any form, it will indirectly prove to the whole country that putting pressure on the Communist Party can work. Mr Xi is terrified about spreading the seeds of resistance to China as any concession from now on may offer legitimacy to this “unlawful violent unrest” and ignite the rest.
What makes Hong Kong different from Beijing in 1989, or Xinjiang today, is that we have a group of very diverse, cosmopolitan stakeholders, as well as the free flow of information that comes with an open society. Hong Kong is also a part of a global community. An international audience is watching what happens here.
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