Ting Shi and Jasmine Wang | 5 Sept 2014 | Bloomberg
The U.K. government’s acceptance of China’s plan for limiting free elections in its former colony of Hong Kong is a “great insult,” said the city’s former chief secretary.
Anson Chan:
“What’s happening in Hong Kong and the way Beijing is treating Hong Kong are inconvenient truths that the British government would rather ignore.”
Martin Lee:
“The British government policy in Hong Kong can be summarized in three words: More China trade.”
Mark Landler | 4 Sept 2014 | New York Times
WASHINGTON — Pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong are girding for what some predict will be a tense final showdown with the Chinese government over whether Beijing will permit genuine democracy to take root in the former British colony.
Nicholas Watt | 15 July 2014 | The Guardian
“The UK remains fully committed to the joint declaration and we will not shy away from defending the principle of ‘one country, two systems’. This government believes that the best way to preserve Hong Kong’s strengths and to ensure that it continues to prosper is through a transition to universal suffrage which meets the aspirations of the people of Hong Kong.
“The important thing is that the people of Hong Kong have a genuine choice and feel that they have a real stake in the outcome of the 2017 election.”
Met Hong Kong democracy champions Martin Lee & Anson Chan, who are pressing for universal suffrage under HK Basic Law pic.twitter.com/gVDgAMC0et
— Jason Kenney ن (@kenneyjason) April 8, 2014
Met Hong Kong democracy champions Martin Lee & Anson Chan, who are pressing for universal suffrage under HK Basic Law pic.twitter.com/gVDgAMC0et
— Jason Kenney ن (@kenneyjason) April 8, 2014
James Pomfret | 7 April 2014 | Reuters
“The future of freedom and democracy in Hong Kong is under serious threat,” U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, head of the U.S. Congressional Commission that advocates improved human rights and the rule of law in China, said in a statement.
“China is already placing “pre-conditions” on who can run (in 2017), raising serious doubts about whether the elections will be free and fair,” he added, during the session.
James Pomfret | 7 April 2014 | Reuters
China has cautioned the United States not to interfere in Hong Kong affairs after Vice President Joseph Biden met two prominent pro-democracy advocates who have warned of Beijing’s tightening control of the territory, state news agency Xinhua said.
A former British colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, Hong Kong enjoys considerable autonomy and broad freedoms as a capitalist hub.
But it has been locked in a lengthy battle with Beijing’s leaders to push through reforms that could culminate in a direct election of its leader in 2017.
4 April 2014 | The White House – Office of the Vice President
Readout of the Vice President’s Meeting with Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Advocates
Vice President Biden dropped by a meeting today at the White House with two of Hong Kong’s leading pro-democracy advocates, former Legislative Council member Martin Lee and former Chief Secretary Anson Chan. The Vice President underscored our long-standing support for democracy in Hong Kong and for the city’s high degree of autonomy under the “one country, two systems” framework.
3 April 2014 | Congressional-Executive Commission on China
Under China’s “one country, two systems” policy, Hong Kong residents enjoy greater freedom and autonomy than people in mainland China, including freedoms of speech, press, and religion. China has stated it intends to allow Hong Kong residents to elect their Chief Executive by universal suffrage for the first time in 2017 and to elect Hong Kong’s Legislative Council by universal suffrage in 2020. As Hong Kong’s government contemplates electoral reform in the run-up to the 2017 election, concerns are growing that China’s central government will attempt to control the election by allowing only pro-Beijing candidates to run for Chief Executive. Concerns over press freedom have also grown in the wake of several incidents in which journalists have been violently attacked or fired.
The roundtable featured two prominent advocates for Hong Kong democracy, Martin Lee and Anson Chan, who examined the prospects for Hong Kong’s democratic development.
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