Letters | Why the old Hong Kong will endure, despite new challenges

The advantages of maintaining Hong Kong’s system will outweigh the threats perceived by Beijing and the Communist Party

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Buildings housing Hong Kong’s commercial and financial giants form the backdrop as passengers on the Star Ferry take photos of the city’s iconic Victoria Harbour on March 17. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:00am, 19 Mar 2021Updated: 7:00am, 19 Mar 2021

I refer to “China trying to ‘erode democratic elements’, ‘eliminate dissenting voices’ in Hong Kong with electoral reform, G7 says” (March 13).

The past “century of humiliation” is embedded in the psyche of Chinese people, and it is the painful bedrock from which Han nationalism springs. It is hard to imagine China once again being subjugated by Western powers.

The Chinese system draws on propaganda, censorship by means of new technology, and the use of fear. As perceived by the mainland, Hong Kong has always been a reminder of the painful past. Thus, there has never been complete autonomy since the handover from Britain to China; rather, a slow movement towards unification with the mainland has picked up more speed recently.

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China is strongly protective of the core precepts of its current political economy, which it defines as “socialism with Chinese characteristics”. Pressure on corporate Hong Kong is already visible in companies in the city that are dominated by mainland board members.

The question I would like to ask is: will China and the Communist Party members who have benefited from Hong Kong’s status as a loosely regulated financial centre continue to protect its existence?

Or would there be a change in Hong Kong’s banking, finance, and technology industries, like in major mainland cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen?

Whether Hong Kong will lose its core values may entirely depend on how Hongkongers act in the coming days and months, amid great uncertainty.