America's best gift to Hong Kong

The unique status of Hong Kong under China’s “one country, two systems” policy was recently challenged by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (UESRC)¹, an advisory body of the US Congress, who recommended an assessment of US’s export control policy on technology. The report, urging the US Government to review the current treatment of Hong Kong and China as two separate customs territories, plugged a loud dissonant chord to the Hong Kong Government. The implication is that US no longer trusts “one country, two systems” as a binding principle that supports all the privileges Hong Kong currently enjoys including the import of sensitive US technology for commercial use that can possibly be transferred to military use. Regardless of how well the Hong Kong Government complies with all the trade rules, the loss of confidence in the “one country, two systems” implementation will ultimately mean that Hong Kong is no difference from any other Chinese cities.

The UESRC report has detailed the recent evidential interference of Beijing on Hong Kong’s affairs as well as Beijing’s encroachment on Hong Kong’s political system. The report also mentioned about the recent ban of the National Party, the rejection of work visa of Victor Mallet as retaliation of FCC’s hosting of a lunch talk by the National Party’s Chairman before the party was banned, open suppression of discussions of ideas, all pointing to the political pressure exerted from Beijing that has jeopardized Hong Kong’s autonomy promised under the Basic Law.

The message may sound worrying to Hong Kong people, as we could lose all our privileges if Hong Kong was treated like other Chinese cities, including the most concerned VISA-free entry to hundreds of countries. But if we look at the UESRC report from Beijing’s perspective, the story is entirely different! It is not just losing some privileges, and it could actually mean a complete denial of a country’s integrity if the “one country, two systems” implementation was seen as a failure by the international community. The UESRC report is a wakeup call to Beijing and her blind flatterers, and warned them of the serious consequence of the escalating interference. In reality, for China, the cost of disrupting “one country, two systems” at this stage is too high, and before Taiwan returns, there is no better move than to sell the beautiful promise of “one country, two systems” over the Taiwan strait. Beijing simply can't afford to make Hong Kong just another Chinese city so soon!

For Hong Kong, there is certainly no better news than this. Global Times and People’s Daily will hopefully be more cautious when pointing their fingers at things and people that Beijing dislikes. Explicit local sycophants will receive fewer instructions to interfere. In a way, some controversial political views may be permitted to emerge again. Society may restore stability or the same level of stability that it used to have. But all these could be wishful thinkings if the top leaders only focused on their power and saw any forms of criticism as bad intentions of subverting state power.

November 18, 2018

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