Vice President Annette Lu (
Lu, at a meeting with over 150 members of Academia Sinica, said that Hong Kong residents, having watched their economy regress, their real estate drop in value and their unemployment rate skyrocket, have not been pleased since British colonial rule ended in 1997.
In addition to the deterioration of the quality of life, Lu noted that the population's identification with the Chinese government had dropped since China's takeover.
"A survey done last year showed that only 22 percent of Hong Kong's people consider themselves Chinese, down from the previous 30 percent. This result best reflects the public feeling of [Hong Kong's population]" Lu said, adding that the figure also served as a warning to the 23 million people of Taiwan.
Ever since the handover, Beijing has sought to persuade Taipei to accept the "one country, two systems" formula, arguing that Hong Kong's prosperity was the best demonstration of the formula's success.
"Yes, Hong Kong's people continue to dance and bet on the horses. But in reality, they are not happy," she said, mocking Beijing's claim before the handover that lifestyles in the territory would remain the same under its administration.
Despite Beijing's promise that Hong Kong would remain an open society with a vibrant market economy, the territory is facing a crisis of confidence after being hit by two recessions in four years.
Having sought to replace "one China" with "one Chinese," Lu said the greater China region could be categorized into "political Chinese," "economic Chinese" and "cultural Chinese."
While the PRC and the ROC represent different political entities, "economic Chinese" refers to the market formed by Chinese living in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, while "cultural Chinese" includes all Chinese societies worldwide, according to Lu.
"Nonetheless, success in economic integration should not be linked with political integration," she said.
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