The Chinese must relent
After its allies suffered an historic defeat on Sunday in local elections, China is forcing a showdown in Hong Kong. Beijing will not succeed. Tuesday, the Chinese state and Communist Party launched an intensified media campaign against pro-democratic candidates and “external forces.” At the same time, Carrie Lam, who as Hong Kong’s chief executive is the territory’s top political official, said she was done making concessions. The preceding day, the Chinese foreign ministry summoned U.S. ambassador Terry Branstad to tell Washington to “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs.”
On Sunday, Hong Kong’s people turned out in record numbers to elect 452 members of 18 district councils. Pro-democracy candidates captured 389 seats. Pro-Beijing hopefuls won 58 seats, down from 300. Before the voting, Beijing’s establishment allies controlled all 18 councils. Going forward, they will be in charge of only one.
The election was seen, in Hong Kong and elsewhere, as a referendum on China’s rule of the territory of 7.4 million people.
Since April, pro-democracy protesters have taken to the streets in both large-scale peaceful marches and violent actions by youthful demonstrators. The demonstrations have been almost continuous since June 9, when an estimated 1.3 million people marched, and June 16, when about 2 million residents took part.
Lam, now viewed as no more than a spokeswoman for Beijing, has complied with people’s initial demand: the permanent withdrawal of her proposal to extend extradition to mainland China. Tuesday, she signaled she will not accede to any of the other “Five Demands,” including the call for universal suffrage.
In past months, Beijing has indicated it might make political concessions, but there has been no talk of compromise in the wake of Beijing’s district council defeat.
China’s hardline position is bound to trigger more protests. There had been fierce clashes in recent weeks, especially around the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. At the Polytechnic, about 1,100 protesters had holed up, surrounded by a police cordon. Almost all eventually surrendered or escaped.
Since the election, successful prodemocracy candidates have gone to the Polytechnic campus to urge Lam to allow demonstrators to leave. So far, she has refused to make that gesture.
Or any other gesture, for that matter. She cannot do anything these days — Chinese ruler Xi Jinping is calling the shots from Beijing.
China had promised by treaty with former colonial master Britain to grant Hong Kong 50 years of a “high degree of autonomy” under a “one country, two systems” formula. Xi and his predecessors, however, have sought to exercise direct control through various means, including trying to enact Article 23 national security legislation, the introduction of a “patriotic education” curriculum, and the disqualification of candidates Beijing abhors.
Protests have continued after Lam in early September announced the permanent withdrawal of the extradition legislation — once the only demand — because residents now believe they are making their “last stand” against Chinese encroachment.
In short, China’s hardline views have, over time, politicized people there. Once, the Chinese claimed Hong Kong people cared only about money. That’s obviously no longer true.
Today, thanks to Chinese hardheadedness, people are developing their own identity as “Hongkongers,” and ditching the sense they are “Chinese.” They are, for instance, taking lunch breaks to congregate in shopping malls to sing the anthem they have adopted this year, “Glory to Hong Kong.” The oft-heard slogan — “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time” — hints at separation from China.
Chinese leaders failed to understand Hong Kong. Various sources report they had expected voters to reject opposition candidates because they were tired of the months-long protests and disturbances. Now, only Beijing believes its unyielding posture is popular. It is unlikely to compromise because Xi Jinping is identified with the tough line and any show of flexibility would be seen as his admission of mistake.
As protesters have been saying since June, Lam has taught them that only violence works. She now has an opportunity to prove them wrong. So far, she is not doing that.
Chang is the author of “The Coming Collapse of China.”