Andrew Leung

Six powerful reasons for Beijing to rethink how Hong Kong should be governed, in the interests of long-term stability

Hongkongers have signalled their intent for greater democracy, and pan-democrats’ electoral momentum will continue if the issue is not addressed. A solution will require meeting some protest demands, and also Beijing’s national security concerns

Reading Time:4 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Democracy supporters raise their hands in support of the “five demands” of the protest movement at Wong Tai Sin Plaza on November 30. Photo: Edmond So

Andrew Leung

Published: 6:30am, 3 Dec 2019Updated: 6:48am, 3 Dec 2019

Six months of unprecedented, often violent, social protests have coalesced, like water, into a torrent for more freedom and democracy. Riding on stunning district electoral results and US President Donald Trump’s signing of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, protests are now returning to the streets. They are rallying behind calls to press ahead on three fronts: international support, district groundwork and street protests.

The groundswell happened against a backdrop of perceived government callousness, stalled progress towards universal suffrage, acute housing inequality, a fear of tilting towards “one country” rather than “two systems”, and the fury of a generation who regard themselves as Hongkongers rather than Chinese.

When “one country, two systems” was conceived, the idea was that the city could be well governed by Hongkongers, following the top-down system of the British colonialists. Though not in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, Beijing chose to insert into the Basic Law provisions for gradual progress towards universal suffrage, as well as Article 23 to safeguard against anti-Beijing subversion and sedition.

Twenty-two years later, neither provision has been implemented. Proposals for Article 23 had to be withdrawn following massive protests in 2003. Those for universal suffrage were rejected by pro-democracy legislators as unacceptable in 2014.

Beijing’s recent fourth plenum pledged to safeguard national security in Hong Kong in strict compliance with China’s constitution and the Basic Law. The electoral results and ongoing protests are likely to compel Beijing to rethink how Hong Kong should be governed in the interests of long-term stability. There are powerful reasons why.

First, provided they hold fast to new and swing voters, pan-democrats are likely to win big in the 2020 Legislative Council election. They may well become Hong Kong’s largest political force.