Nearly 20 years after Hong Kong’s handover to China, very few Hong Kongers identify with China, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chang Tien-chin (張天欽) said in Taipei yesterday.
Chang made the remark in his opening speech at a seminar titled “Hong Kong — 20 years after the handover and relations with Taiwan.”
The Friends of Hong Kong and Macau Association was commissioned by the council to host the seminar ahead of the 20th anniversary of the transfer of Hong Kong to China on Saturday next week.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Chang attributed the lack of identification with China due to Beijing’s suppression of the universal values shared by Taiwan and Hong Kong, namely democracy, liberal thought, human rights and the rule of law.
Chinese oppression in Hong Kong has caused its press freedom rating to drop and the “831 Decision” has sought to prevent its autonomy and increase Beijing’s hold on Hong Kong, he said.
The “831 Decision” was a decision made by the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress on Aug. 31 2014, which set the limits for last year’s legislative council election and this year’s chief executive election in Hong Kong.
The Causeway Bay Books (銅鑼灣圖書) incidents further increased the doubts of the international community on whether the basic rights and safety of Hong Kongers would be guaranteed under Chinese rule, Chang said, referring to the incidents between October and December 2015 that saw five shareholders, co-owners or employees of Causeway Bay Books, including Lam Wing-kei (林榮基), go missing in Hong Kong.
Lam reappeared in July last year and publicly accused Beijing of kidnapping him as a way to intimidate the bookstore, which sells books banned in China.
Citing the latest Hong Kong University poll, Chang said that only 3.1 percent of Hong Kongers aged between 18 and 29 consider themselves to be Chinese in a general sense.
China should reflect on how it has failed to increase the identification with China of Hong Kongers in the 20 years since the territory was returned, Chang said.
Such a failure cannot simply be explained by stating that Hong Kong is “not allowed to resist central [government] authority under the name of greater autonomy,” Chang said.
Taiwan and Hong Kong share intimate ties on all levels and despite the slight impact after the change of government last year, Taiwan-Hong Kong interaction would help create a better future for both, Chang said.
He called on the Hong Kong Government to shun conservatism and adopt active and practical attitudes to help Taiwan-Hong Kong relations move toward a healthier and more positive state.
Chang also called on China to honor its promise made to Hong Kong during the handover in 1997 that the territory would retain a high degree of autonomy.
By listening and responding to Hong Kong’s call for a democratic system, China would live up to its promise to both Hong Kong and the international community, and only in this way can Hong Kong maintain stable development, Chang said.
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