Democratic development in Hong Kong under "one country, two systems"
2021-12-20
catalogue preface 1、 Hong Kong had no democracy under British colonial rule （1） Britain exercised a typical colonial rule over Hong Kong （2） The British government has repeatedly banned democratic reforms in Hong Kong （3） Britain had ulterior motives in rapidly promoting "political reform" at the end of colonial rule 2、 The return to the motherland has ushered in a new era of democracy in Hong Kong （1） China's state system of government determines that Hong Kong will inevitably practice democracy after its return （2） The Chinese government firmly upholds the established position of developing democracy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region （3） The Constitution and the basic law have comprehensively constructed the democratic system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region （4） The Chinese government has eliminated interference in the establishment of the political power of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 3、 The central government firmly supports the democratic development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region （1） The first effort: to approve the amendments to the method for selecting the chief executive and the Legislative Council （2） Second effort: setting a timetable for achieving the goal of universal suffrage （3） The third effort: drawing up a road map for the realization of universal suffrage for the chief executive 4、 Anti China forces disrupting Hong Kong obstruct and undermine the democratic development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region （1） Impact on constitutional order and endanger national security （2） Destroy the foundation of the rule of law and create social hatred （3） Hinder government governance and drag down the economy and people's livelihood （4） Distort the connotation of democracy and obstruct the democratic process 5、 The democratic development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is back on track （1） Enacting and implementing the national security law of Hong Kong to provide basic conditions for democratic development （2） Clarify the rules for public officials in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to participate in elections, hold office and take oath of office （3） Improve the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 6、 The prospects for democratic development in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region are bright （1） "One country, two systems" provides a fundamental guarantee for the democratic development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region （2） We will resolutely implement the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong" （3） Firmly follow the path of democratic development in line with the actual situation of Hong Kong Conclusion preface Hong Kong had no democracy under British colonial rule. The Chinese government has resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, implemented the principle of "one country, two systems", established the democratic system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and supported its continuous development and improvement in practice. It is obvious to all that the determination, sincerity and great efforts of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government to establish and develop democracy in Hong Kong are consistent. For a period of time, influenced by various internal and external complex factors, anti China activities against Hong Kong have been rampant, and the situation in Hong Kong once appeared a grim situation. The Anti China forces in Hong Kong have linked up with external hostile forces and repeatedly obstructed the development of democracy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. In the name of striving for "democracy", they split the country and subvert political power. They intend to turn Hong Kong into a bridgehead for the implementation of the "Color Revolution", seriously impact the constitutional order determined by the national constitution and Hong Kong's basic law, endanger national security and undermine Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. *** *** In view of the political chaos in Hong Kong in recent years and the serious harm it has caused, the Communist Party of China and the central government have judged the situation and made major decisions to improve the exercise of comprehensive governance over the Special Administrative Region in accordance with the Constitution and the basic law and to improve the systems and mechanisms related to the implementation of the Constitution and the basic law, We will promote the establishment and improvement of the legal system and implementation mechanism of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for safeguarding national security, improve the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and firmly implement the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong". This series of measures to address both the symptoms and root causes has promoted the situation in Hong Kong to achieve a major turning point from chaos to governance, and promoted the democratic development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to return to the right track. The central government will unswervingly, comprehensively and accurately implement the principle of "one country, two systems" and unswervingly support the development of a democratic system in line with the constitutional status and actual situation of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Developing and improving democracy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is of great significance to protecting the democratic rights of Hong Kong residents, realizing good governance and ensuring Hong Kong's long-term prosperity, stability and stability. Comprehensively review the emergence and development of democracy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and further clarify the central government's principled position on the democratic development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The purpose is to rectify the source, put order out of chaos, gather consensus, continue to promote the steady development of democracy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, ensure the steady and long-term practice of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong, and better benefit all Hong Kong residents. 1、 Hong Kong had no democracy under British colonial rule Hong Kong has been Chinese territory since ancient times. In the 1920s, British businessmen began to use Hong Kong to smuggle opium into mainland China. After the Opium War, British troops occupied Hong Kong Island. On August 29, 1842, Britain forced the Qing government to sign the Nanjing Treaty, the first unequal treaty in modern Chinese history, ceding Hong Kong Island. After the second Opium War, Britain forced the Qing government to sign the Beijing Treaty on October 24, 1860, ceding the area south of Boundary Street at the southern end of Kowloon Peninsula. After the Sino Japanese War of 1894-1895, Britain took advantage of the fire and forced the Qing government to sign the special article on expanding the boundary of Hong Kong on June 9, 1898, forcibly renting the "New Territories" for 99 years, thus occupying the whole Hong Kong region. These three unequal treaties were the product of British aggression against China, which the Chinese people and successive Chinese governments after the revolution of 1911 never recognized. （1） Britain exercised a typical colonial rule over Hong Kong Britain directly appoints the governor to govern Hong Kong on behalf of Britain and has never consulted the people of Hong Kong. The governor is only responsible to the United Kingdom and is fully subject to the orders of the British government. He is granted the supreme powers and privileges in Hong Kong. He is not subject to any local restrictions, "leads all matters within his jurisdiction", takes charge of the executive and legislative powers, has the power to appoint and remove senior government officials and judges, and concurrently serves as the commander-in-chief of the British army in Hong Kong. The Executive Council and the Legislative Council are only advisory bodies for the governor's decision-making and legislation. Their members are appointed by the governor with the approval of the British government and are accountable to the governor. The governor is both the president of the Executive Council and the president of the Legislative Council. It was not until February 1993 that the governor ceased to serve concurrently as president of the Legislative Council. Until the reunification, the power of final adjudication and the power of final interpretation of laws in Hong Kong were exercised by the judicial committee of the Privy Council. When Hong Kong Ying was the director of the Bureau, he implemented a high-pressure policy, strictly controlled the press and publication and clamped down on freedom of speech. In March 1952, because Ta Kung Pao reprinted the people's Daily's short comment on the atrocities of the British Hong Kong authorities, it was sentenced to the crime of publishing inflammatory words and was severely fined and suspended. In August 1967, three newspapers were banned by the British Hong Kong authorities for six months for publishing articles calling on Hong Kong compatriots to resist repression. The newspaper owner and printer were sentenced to three years' imprisonment. The British Hong Kong authorities exercise spy rule, use the British military intelligence agencies and the Political Department of the police force to monitor the Chinese, and take various means to crack down on and suppress the social groups and people who are close to the motherland and the mainland of China. The British authorities in Hong Kong practice racial discrimination against Chinese, implement severe laws, and use flogging, hanging and other torture for a long time; The "separation of China and foreign countries" has been implemented, and a curfew has been imposed on Chinese for a long time. Chinese are required to go out at night with a night pass issued by the police superintendent. Violators will be fined, detained, whipped, flail in public, or even killed on the spot; Except for holding religious ceremonies and New Year festivals, Chinese shall not hold public gatherings without approval; It is stipulated that only European style houses can be built in some major sections, and Chinese are prohibited from moving in; For a long time, Chinese are prohibited from entering certain places and sharing some public facilities with the British. In judicial decisions, Chinese are subject to discrimination, different penalties for the same crime, and they are often sentenced and punished severely. The British Hong Kong authorities prohibit patriotic teachers and students from flying the Chinese national flag and singing the Chinese national anthem, forcibly close patriotic schools, dissolve patriotic groups, deport patriots, suppress protests by force, arrest patriotic people, shoot and kill demonstrators, and create white terror. Chinese have long been excluded from the governance structure of the British Hong Kong authorities and cannot participate in politics. In 1880, the first Chinese was appointed as an unofficial member of the Legislative Council, in 1926, the first Chinese was appointed as an unofficial member of the Executive Council, in 1948, the first Chinese served as an administrative officer, in 1957, the first Chinese served as a police superintendent, and in 1989, the first Chinese served as the Commissioner of police, The attorney general was still controlled by the British until the last moment before the handover of power in 1997. （2） The British government has repeatedly banned democratic reforms in Hong Kong In the face of the constant democratic demands of Hong Kong society, the British government refused or ignored them. For a long period of time, people in Hong Kong have repeatedly proposed the establishment of a City Council, or the reorganization of the Legislative Council, the establishment of democratically elected seats in the Legislative Council, and the implementation of local autonomy, which have been rejected by the British government. After the Second World War, with the rapid disintegration of the international colonial system and the surging of democratic movements, the then governor proposed to the British government to establish a democratically elected City Council and reform local administration under social pressure in 1946, but the British government still refused to accept it. On May 20, 1976, when ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and political rights, the British government explicitly excluded the application of the provisions of the Covenant on periodic elections in Hong Kong by means of reservations. It can be seen that the British colonial rulers will not allow the emergence of democratic elements when they rule Hong Kong. （3） Britain had ulterior motives in rapidly promoting "political reform" at the end of colonial rule In March 1979, the then governor of Hong Kong visited Beijing and learned that the Chinese government would take back Hong Kong. The British government immediately changed its previous opposition to the development of democracy in Hong Kong, quickly embarked on the layout of "political reform", greatly introduced and expanded elections, and in a very short time, the seats of the District Council and the Legislative Council suddenly changed from full appointment to election. Especially in October 1992, When the last governor took office, he dished out the so-called "Joint Declaration" in violation of the joint declaration of the government of the people's Republic of China and the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the Hong Kong issue (the Sino British Joint Declaration), the principle of convergence with the basic law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the people's Republic of China (the basic law), and the agreements and understandings reached between China and Britain The "political reform plan" was forcibly implemented despite China's firm opposition. After the establishment of parliamentary system of government in Britain, its electoral system has experienced a long process of evolution and change for hundreds of years. However, in the final stage of its colonial rule over Hong Kong, it is entirely a political manipulation with ulterior motives to accelerate the "political reform". As part of the so-called "glorious retreat" deployment, under the guise of building a British representative system, the British government attempts to turn Hong Kong into an independent or semi independent political entity, hinder China from resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and exercising effective governance, and continue Britain's political influence on Hong Kong after its return. The evil of British colonial rule and its repeated refusal to develop democracy in Hong Kong cannot be changed by any disguise. British colonial rule not only did not bring any real democracy to Hong Kong, but also contributed to the development of democracy after Hong Kong's return to the motherland
Edit：He Chuanning Responsible editor：Su Suiyue
Source：Xinhua
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