My Take | If we really want to make world news, let’s ban Chris Patten
Had Benedict Rogers been allowed in, he would have visited the jailed Occupy youngsters, criticised the authorities and not attracted global media attention
Beijing is often accused of illegitimately interfering in Hong Kong affairs. Yet, instances where its influence was exercised within its rights were often the most counterproductive.
One example was in August 2014 with the white paper on electoral reform, which pretty much doomed efforts by the city governmentto negotiate a compromise with the opposition.
A white paper is not a state order, but simply a statement of Beijing’s official position on a particular issue. Some of the latest papers were on the national space programme, traditional Chinese medicine, poverty reduction, and gender and ethnic equality.
Yet, that 2014 paper gave the opposition sufficient excuse to refuse any compromise and reject the reform package.
Imagine if the package had been passed. Every eligible local voter could have cast a ballot in the last chief executive election and John Tsang Chun-wah, the opposition’s preferred candidate, may have been the leader now.
The latest trouble concerns the refusal to let a British human rights activist into Hong Kong, a decision presumably made by the mainland authorities. Since it fell under foreign affairs, such an order would be in accord with the Basic Law.