Political observers said Taiwanese are less likely to support China’s “one country, two systems” model following a ruling by China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) on Monday to bar two Hong Kong pro-independence lawmakers from taking office.
The NPC’s decision came after Yau Wai-ching (游蕙禎), 25, and Sixtus “Baggio” Leung (梁頌恆), 30, last month pledged allegiance to the “Hong Kong nation” and displayed a banner declaring “Hong Kong is not China” as they took the oath of office for the Legislative Council.
The NPC ruled that lawmakers must swear allegiance to Hong Kong as part of China and that they would be disqualified if they changed the wording of the oath of office or if they failed to take it in a sincere and solemn manner.
Stripping Yau and Leung of their seats is tantamount to undermining the foundation of public will, Academia Sinica Institute of Sociology associate research fellow Wu Jieh-min (吳介民) said.
By doing so Beijing has effectively killed off the “one country, two systems” framework, Wu said.
Monday’s ruling means the sole mechanism through which Hong Kongers could express their will has crumbled, Wu said, adding that the current state of affairs has forced Hong Kongers to awaken to the fact that “one country, two systems” is too weak to withstand even a single blow.
Protests in the territory are calling for a new “political contract” between Hong Kong and China, whether based on independence or self-determination for Hong Kong, Wu said.
Tung Li-wen (董立文), a member of the Taipei-based Taiwan Thinktank, said the congress’ interpretation of the Basic Law was “unyielding,” adding that changes to rules governing oath-taking by Hong Kong legislators are simply “using the current situation as a pretext to make a fuss.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has been aggressive in his policies toward Hong Kong and his approach would affect Taiwanese sentiment toward the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Tung added.
Tung said that Xi would be held responsible for the incident, although it was NPC Standing Committee Chairman Zhang Dejiang (張德江), who also heads the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, who proposed having the NPC issue an interpretation of the regulations on legislative oaths.
Tung said there is a certain amount of flexibility in the law under China’s “one country, two systems” model for Hong Kong, but the NPC’s involvement is simply “bringing trouble upon oneself.”
There is no need to antagonize popular will in Hong Kong at the first line of protest, Tung said.
A popular expression in Taiwan is “today Hong Kong, tomorrow Taiwan,” Tung said, adding: “Taiwanese will certainly not warm to China when they see Beijing acting so strictly toward Hong Kong.”
The NPC’s ruling reflects a power struggle inside the CCP, National Taiwan Normal University political science professor Fan Shih-ping (范世平) said.
Revoking lawmaker status would cause a backlash, he said.
Hong Kong’s Sing Pao Daily in September published numerous articles critical of Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying (梁振英) and Hong Kong Liaison Office Director Zhang Xiaoming (張曉明), as well as printing a front page story that accused Zhang Dejiang of “bringing disorder to Hong Kong” by misunderstanding popular sentiment.
Some analysts accused Xi and his supporters of being behind the articles and said they represented a factional dispute within the CCP.
Fan said that Xi might be dissatisfied with Zhang’s handling of Beijing’s interests in Hong Kong.
Fan said that for Taiwanese who are distrustful of the CCP, the latest move will only make them less supportive of the “one country, two systems” formula.
Calls for Hong Kong independence are beyond what Beijing can accept and is intolerable to the CCP, said Kou Chien-wen (寇健文), a professor of political science at National Chengchi University’s Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies.
Kou said that the CCP would not take Taiwan into consideration, just as it would not heed dissenting views among Hong Kongers.
Additional reporting by Lu Yin-hsuan and Reuters
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source