Opinion | The Hong Kong protests are a quarrel over values. Beijing must find a wise answer to it

To resolve the political crisis in Hong Kong, it isn’t enough for Beijing to dismiss human rights and democracy. China has to articulate a values system comparable to the Western system to win back Hongkongers

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A security guard looks at his mobile phone while perched on a barrier near a yin and yang symbol in Beijing. The symbol is rooted in ancient Chinese philosophy and represents harmony. Photo: AP

Published: 7:00am, 1 Dec 2019Updated: 7:00am, 1 Dec 2019

With pro-democracy candidates making significant gains in the district council elections, Hong Kong continues to face its most serious political turmoil in decades.

As the chaos entered its sixth month, the US Senate and House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act on November 19 and 20. In response, Yang Guang, spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said that the biggest risk facing Hong Kong is violence, not issues of human rights and democracy.

Of course, violence is the most pressing risk at this moment. However, dismissing human rights and democracy altogether exposes the Chinese government’s lack of political courage to get to the heart of the matter.

If leaders in Beijing want to resolve the political crisis in Hong Kong, how do they propose to address the issues raised by Hongkongers who are increasingly asserting an identity separate from the mainland?

Following the 1911 revolution and the May Fourth Movement of 1919, it was the founders of the Communist Party of China, Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, who introduced the country to Western values – announcing the end of more than 2,000 years of Confucian ideology and holding high the banner of democracy and science.

Thus, the Western knowledge system and the values driving it were gradually integrated into the daily life and subconscious of all Chinese people.