Beijing will not allow full democracy in Hong Kong in 2007 despite growing demands in the territory for universal suffrage and a constitution that leaves open such a possibility, Hong Kong newspapers said yesterday.
Talks between Hong Kong and Beijing on election reforms are just a show, and Beijing has already ruled out direct elections for the next chief executive in 2007, the South China Morning Post said, quoting a local source close to China's government.
The source, who was not identified, said Beijing would take a tougher position on Hong Kong if pro-democracy forces become the dominant power in the territory's top law-making body in elections in September and work against China-backed leaders. The source did not spell out what Beijing would do, but said it could develop its own plan to deal with the situation.
In 1997, Beijing established a provisional legislature and effectively dismantled electoral changes made by Britain in the waning years of colonial rule.
"According to my interpretation, they won't allow universal suffrage in 2007 unless they don't care about Hong Kong any more," said Raymond Wu, a Hong Kong deputy to the Chinese parliament, the National People's Congress.
Wu said recent opposition to the Hong Kong government's proposed anti-subversion law might have discouraged Beijing from allowing popular elections.
Half a million people poured into the streets last July to denounce attempts by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) to push through the tough security bill, which critics feared would be used against anyone critical of China.
Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997 and both sides agreed that the former colony would enjoy a high degree of autonomy for 50 years.
Hong Kong's constitution allows the possibility of direct elections for chief executive and all of the Legislative Council from 2007. But it also says Beijing must approve any election reforms, which means China has the final say.
China's Communist Party clearly fears growing demands for full democracy could threaten its control over the territory and possibly spread to the mainland.
Widespread anger against Tung, who is backed by China but not popularly elected, has fuelled demands for more democracy.
While much public frustration has been directed against Tung and not against China's leaders, political analysts believe that Beijing's increasingly hardline stance will alienate more people before the legislative elections later this year.
Recent opinion polls show two-thirds of Hong Kong people want to elect their own leader and all of their legislators from 2007.
Joseph Cheng of Power for Democracy, a think tank working along-side pro-democracy parties, said democrats are organizing a rally to push for more voting rights on July 1 -- to mark the seventh anniversary of the handover and to coincide with the massive protest last year.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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