Chastened by angry street protests, embattled leader Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) admitted yesterday he'd made mistakes and asked for a second chance, promising to listen more to ordinary Hong Kong citizens about an anti-subversion bill that fueled their uproar.
Nevertheless, the political crisis facing his administration deepened with record unemployment figures announced less than 24 hours after two Cabinet members quit.
PHOTO: AP
Tung, who is not popularly elected and who reports to China, heads to Beijing tomorrow to explain the unfolding drama to the central government while critics at home clamor for him to step down -- as his security chief and financial secretary did Wednesday.
Tung sought a fresh start at a news conference yesterday, ruling out suggestions that he resign but promising greater accountability.
He said he had been left "sleepless" by the rally that brought a half-million people to the streets July 1 to denounce an anti-subversion bill, demanded by Beijing, but slammed by critics here who say it would seriously erode Hong Kong's Western-style freedoms of speech and assembly.
"I was left sleepless the whole night," Tung said. "The public reminded me to adopt a more humble, sincere attitude to address their demands."
"In the past six years, I have made mistakes," Tung said. "I understand people's criticisms and discontent toward me. But faced with such criticisms, what should my attitude be? I think I should actively face them and make improvements."
Tung's political crisis has become a test of the "one country, two systems" model that China promised for Hong Kong when it was returned by Britain in 1997. The system has constitutional guarantees that Hong Kong people can enjoy Western-style civil liberties unheard of in mainland China but also requires the anti-subversion legislation that stirred the crisis here.
Critics say Tung has lost the ability to govern, but that Beijing authorities are unlikely to seek to remove him now.
"It's still not time for Tung to resign," said Ivan Choy of the City University of Hong Kong. "Beijing needs time to make decisions. If you have a political vacuum, it will take time to fill. Even if he tries to resign, I think Beijing would advise him not to do so."
A bad economy is aggravating matters. The fallout from Hong Kong's recent SARS outbreak has pushed pushed unemployment to a record 8.6 percent in the three months ending June 30, officials said yesterday.
Tung has yet to say how he will replace Secretary for Security Regina Ip (
Secretary of Economic Development and Labor Stephen Ip will replace Leung on an acting basis. There has been no word on a new security chief.
Ip was the key figure pushing the anti-subversion bill, although she said she quit for personal reasons. Leung stood down following revelations he could face criminal charges for buying a luxury car shortly before raising auto taxes, saving thousands of dollars.
Stocks fell on Leung's departure, with traders waiting to see whether Hong Kong's government can get back on track. The Hang Seng index lost 1.1 percent on the day.
Independent commentator Christine Loh said that removing Tung would present constitutional problems -- unless he dies or becomes ill.
Hong Kong has no way to fire a chief executive who has lost credibility, and Beijing would be reluctant to intervene in such a dramatic fashion, she said.
"It's a problem for Hong Kong and Beijing," Loh said. "Neither of us can move."
If Tung stays on, he needs to bring in fresh blood.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese