Taiwanese academics and Hong Kong students find it hard to agree with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), who said yesterday on the 15th anniversary of Hong Kong’s 1997 handover to China that the “one country, two systems (一國兩制)” design was “the best solution.”
“Are Hong Kong people happy with the arrangement after 15 years? It appears the answer is negative,” said Lin Wen-cheng (林文程), a professor at National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung. “While Hong Kong is a designated Special Administrative Region, its people know very well that Beijing is the boss and calls all the shots. People have no say in direct elections or over the influx of Chinese citizens.”
Lin observed that Hong Kongers’ attitudes toward China and Taiwan have changed drastically since the handover.
Hong Kongers used to be proud of their advanced economic and educational development, he said, adding that now Hong Kongers “feel inferior to Beijing and envy the democratic system Taiwanese enjoy.”
Lin warned that China has been using similar strategies to incorporate Taiwan with its “invisible influence,” such as economic measures and promotion of Zhonghua culture (中華文化).
In the short term, Beijing might be upset with Taiwanese people’s increasing support for independence, he said.
“However, its united front effort may be able to turn things around in the long term, which is a serious concern for us,” he added.
Political analyst Paul Lin (林保華), who lived in Hong Kong between 1976 and 1997, expressed similar concerns, saying Zhonghua culture is dangerous because of its lack of the concepts of freedom, law and democracy.
With the example of Hong Kong, he warned Taiwanese people against holding any delusion about “Chinese democracy” and lowering their guard to Beijing.
Public opinion polls showed that Hong Kongers under the age of 29 expressed the least support and had the most complaints about the handover because “it was not their decision.”
The Hong Kong case has taught us a lesson that we should make responsible decisions for future generations, Lin said.
Young Hong Kongers showed frustration in their observations about what had happened in the former British colony during the past decade.
“Beijing promised the system in Hong Kong would remain unchanged for 50 years, but this has not been the case,” Jessie Tam, who graduated from National Taiwan University’s graduate school last month, said.
While most young Hong Kongers pay little attention to politics, they did see some uncomfortable changes in the education system and social order, she said, adding that the influx of pregnant and job-seeking Chinese had caused serious resource distribution problems in Hong Kong.
The capital flow from China may have helped Hong Kong’s economy and employment, but it also created fierce competition with streams of job-seeking Chinese, Tam added.
A Hong Kong tourist in Taiwan, who gave her first name as Helen, said that increasing housing prices and stagnant wages are among the most common complaints of Hong Kongers who were born after 1980.
Hong Kong-based Angle Woo expressed concern about the worsening situation for freedom of speech, the wealth gap, increasing housing prices and stagnant wages, saying that young people “can’t see where their future lies” because of the Hong Kong government’s lack of vision.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated