While the unprecedented intervention by Beijing to salvage Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's political reform package may appear to undermine 'one country, two systems', in reality it is a healthy development. It is far more preferable to deal directly with the central government than with shadowy intermediaries.
Only weeks before Beijing backed down, Chinese officials were saying that the proposal by the Democratic Party was unacceptable because it violated the spirit of the Basic Law and the December 2007 decision by the National People's Congress Standing Committee on universal suffrage. Thus, on May 26, Li Gang, deputy director of the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong, said the proposal of having five new Legislative Council members representing the district councils chosen by the public was inconsistent with the Basic Law. And, on June 7, Qiao Xiaoyang , deputy secretary general of the Standing Committee, said the proposal could not be accepted because there was a long tradition for district councillors to return Legco representatives through elections among themselves.
These statements made it appear as though Beijing's position was rooted in principle and could not be changed. And yet, less than two weeks later, Beijing reversed its position. This shows that the Chinese stances may simply have been negotiating positions.
Qiao, who had previously been seen as an authoritative spokesman on Hong Kong matters, will now be viewed as little more than a front man. This, it seems, is the fate of Chinese officials whose job it is to deal with Hong Kong. When Beijing shifts position, they are sacrificed.
Thus, Lu Ping , former director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, famously said in 1993, on the front page of the People's Daily no less: 'The future development of Hong Kong's democracy is a matter entirely within Hong Kong's autonomy. The central government will not intervene.' In 2004, the central government did intervene.
Ironies abound. In 2004, Qiao was the official sent to Hong Kong to explain the new position. Asked how that position could be reconciled with Lu's earlier statements, he said the NPC Standing Committee was the highest organ of state power and its decisions overrode previous statements by any official, regardless of rank. Now, Qiao has been given a dose of his own medicine.