appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

SCMP Reporter

Hong Kong's response to last month's Manila hostage crisis has triggered a debate over how much autonomy the city has in dealing with foreign countries.
Hearing of the unfolding situation in Manila, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen tried to reach Philippine President Benigno Aquino by phone that day to express his concern for the Hong Kong tourists' safety.
But Tsang's actions immediately drew criticism from pro-Beijing figures.
Phoenix Television  anchor Anthony Yuen criticised the Hong Kong government for overreacting and said Tsang should not have called  Aquino as they were not on an equal footing.
'The Philippine president is a state leader while the Hong Kong chief executive is not. Please be careful. If there is anyone who can make the call, it must be [President] Hu Jintao ,' Yuen said. 
'You [Tsang] must understand that you are not in a position to act arbitrarily in times of crisis. There are manners and protocol. You represent Hong Kong only. The request for the Philippine authorities to investigate the hostage crisis has nothing to do with you,' Yuen said.
However,  Chinese University professor Simon Shen Xuhui, who studies international relations, said Hong Kong actually enjoys a 'sub-sovereign' status which allows it to handle certain foreign affairs.
'The Basic Law states that Beijing deal with Hong Kong's defence and diplomacy, while the city has a high degree of autonomy in external relations. These areas include economy, security, cultural affairs, sports, etc. Hostage rescue efforts should lie within the area of external relations but not within defence and diplomacy,' he said.



Manila hostage crisis