Hong Kong has endured a turbulent history since being handed over from Britain to China 27 years ago.
Here are some key dates:
1997: HANDOVER
Photo: AP
On July 1, at midnight, Hong Kong is returned to Chinese sovereignty after 156 years of British rule.
The tiny territory has its own mini-constitution that governs its autonomy as a Special Administrative Region within China.
Beijing promises a “One Country, Two Systems” approach to the territory, meaning it will maintain freedoms not available to mainland Chinese.
The city is governed by a chief executive, chosen by a Beijing-controlled committee. Laws are passed by a legislative council, of which a minority of members are democratically elected.
FINANCIAL, THEN HEALTH CRISIS
In October, just months after the handover, the Asian financial crisis grips Hong Kong, plunging the banking hub into economic slowdown.
Five years later, the pneumonia-like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus kills 299 people in Hong Kong and 1,800 worldwide, devastating Asian economies.
2003: NATIONAL SECURITY BILL
Beijing seeks to relaunch Hong Kong’s economy, moving in 2003 to gradually lift customs barriers on Hong Kong products exported to the mainland. Travel restrictions on Chinese from the mainland are eased, boosting tourism numbers.
In July, an unprecedented half a million of Hong Kong’s seven million people march against an unpopular national security bill, which they see as an attempt by Beijing to restrict their freedoms.
The bill is subsequently dropped — a rare government climbdown.
2004: CALLS FOR DEMOCRACY
In January, 100,000 people march through the city calling for more democracy, bringing to a head a simmering row over the constitution’s lack of clarity on electing lawmakers. In April, China rules out a swift change.
2007: UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE PROMISED
Beijing schedules for 2017 the first democratic election of the chief executive, and for 2020 elections to the legislative council. The promises disappoint pro-democracy demonstrators demanding universal suffrage from 2012.
2014: UMBRELLA MOVEMENT
Beijing proposes a limited version of universal suffrage meaning Hong Kongers will be able to choose from a small group of Beijing-vetted candidates.
The announcement sparks a 79-day occupation of major thoroughfares known as the “Umbrella Movement.” The protesters secure no concessions from Beijing, prompting a minority of protesters in subsequent years to harden their positions, including advocating Hong Kong’s independence.
2019: MASSIVE PROTESTS
The Hong Kong government tries to fast-track a bill allowing extraditions to China’s Communist Party-controlled courts, sparking the biggest protests since the handover.
Millions take to the streets during seven months of unrest while a smaller section of hardcore protesters frequently battle police in often violent confrontations that see thousands arrested.
The movement soon morphs into a new call for democracy and police accountability, but is eventually suppressed.
2020: COVID-19
In January, Hong Kong is one of the first places affected by the coronavirus epidemic.
The executive takes drastic measures, including a ban on public gatherings, effectively ending the pro-democracy demonstrations.
2020: NATIONAL SECURITY LAW
In June, Beijing passes a national security law for Hong Kong, bypassing the local legislature.
China’s security agencies will be able to operate publicly in the city for the first time. Beijing will have jurisdiction over some cases, toppling the legal firewall that has existed between Hong Kong and mainland courts.
Calls for independence or greater autonomy are banned.
The move sees most pro-democracy leaders either jailed, giving up politics or fleeing abroad.
Several countries say the law has ended the principle of the “One Country, Two Systems” approach, which was supposed to be in place until 2047.
2021: ELECTORAL REFORM
In March, China approves a radical “patriots only” reform of the electoral system, which completely sidelines the opposition.
Under new rules, only those deemed politically loyal can stand for office, and the number of directly elected seats is slashed.
2022: XI VISITS
Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) visits Hong Kong for the 25th anniversary of the handover, the halfway point of the 50-year transitionary governance model.
He praises the “One Country, Two Systems” model, saying there is “no reason at all to change and it must be upheld in the long run.”
Hong Kong’s former security chief John Lee (李家超), who oversaw the clampdown on the pro-democracy movement, is sworn in as the city’s new leader following a selection process where he faces no rivals.
2024: HOMEGROWN SECURITY LAW
In March, Hong Kong passes an additional, homegrown national security law, which city leader Lee said fulfilled “a constitutional responsibility that is overdue for 26 years.”
The law — which stems from a requirement under Hong Kong’s Basic Law Article 23 — punishes five major categories of crimes, including treason, insurrection, espionage, sabotage and foreign interference, with penalties up to life in prison.
In November, the city’s largest trial under the 2020 national security law comes to a close after a years-long process.
Forty-five democracy campaigners from across Hong Kong’s once-diverse political spectrum are jailed for subversion, with chief organizer Benny Tai (戴耀廷) receiving a 10-year sentence.
The Taipei Times last week reported that the rising share of seniors in the population is reshaping the nation’s housing markets. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, about 850,000 residences were occupied by elderly people in the first quarter, including 655,000 that housed only one resident. H&B Realty chief researcher Jessica Hsu (徐佳馨), quoted in the article, said that there is rising demand for elderly-friendly housing, including units with elevators, barrier-free layouts and proximity to healthcare services. Hsu and others cited in the article highlighted the changing family residential dynamics, as children no longer live with parents,
It is jarring how differently Taiwan’s politics is portrayed in the international press compared to the local Chinese-language press. Viewed from abroad, Taiwan is seen as a geopolitical hotspot, or “The Most Dangerous Place on Earth,” as the Economist once blazoned across their cover. Meanwhile, tasked with facing down those existential threats, Taiwan’s leaders are dying their hair pink. These include former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), among others. They are demonstrating what big fans they are of South Korean K-pop sensations Blackpink ahead of their concerts this weekend in Kaohsiung.
Taiwan is one of the world’s greatest per-capita consumers of seafood. Whereas the average human is thought to eat around 20kg of seafood per year, each Taiwanese gets through 27kg to 35kg of ocean delicacies annually, depending on which source you find most credible. Given the ubiquity of dishes like oyster omelet (蚵仔煎) and milkfish soup (虱目魚湯), the higher estimate may well be correct. By global standards, let alone local consumption patterns, I’m not much of a seafood fan. It’s not just a matter of taste, although that’s part of it. What I’ve read about the environmental impact of the
Oct 20 to Oct 26 After a day of fighting, the Japanese Army’s Second Division was resting when a curious delegation of two Scotsmen and 19 Taiwanese approached their camp. It was Oct. 20, 1895, and the troops had reached Taiye Village (太爺庄) in today’s Hunei District (湖內), Kaohsiung, just 10km away from their final target of Tainan. Led by Presbyterian missionaries Thomas Barclay and Duncan Ferguson, the group informed the Japanese that resistance leader Liu Yung-fu (劉永福) had fled to China the previous night, leaving his Black Flag Army fighters behind and the city in chaos. On behalf of the
RSS