
‘One country, two systems’: from Macau, Hong Kong must learn the art of integration
- Hong Kong has all along considered one country, two systems as a way to set ourselves apart from the rest of the country
- In contrast, for Macau and Beijing, the principle is about integration and convergence
My guess is that no one in Beijing lost any sleep over Macau’s Legislative Assembly elections yesterday. And they shouldn’t. There were no surprises. It is the least contested election in Macau with only 14 electoral lists competing for 14 directly elected seats.
And as a result, only one token pro-democracy candidate list – led by the very mild Jose Pereira Coutinho – remained.
Once upon a time, it was hoped that Hong Kong would prove that one country, two systems was the best way forward and facilitate what would ultimately be the country’s reunification.
And so it is the “Macau model” that the country has embraced, and it is Macau that is being allowed to take the lead ahead of Hong Kong.
In other words, to enjoy the backing of the country, we are no longer free to turn our backs on it.

Hong Kong has all along considered one country, two systems as a way to set ourselves apart from the rest of the country. That kind of thinking set us on a diverging path. In contrast, for Macau and Beijing, the one country, two systems principle is about integration and convergence.
For those who have been complaining about “mainlandisation”, take note of Beijing’s treatment of both Hong Kong and Macau. Beijing is serious about integration, about inviting the two cities to contribute, to play distinct roles, albeit in very different ways.
Hong Kong must respect ‘one country’ to keep ‘two systems’
Again, Beijing is not talking about taking over or overpowering us. It is extending to us an invitation to interact with, engage with, and have an impact on the rest of the country.
The Hong Kong model of one country, two systems veered off course, and hit a rut over our differences. An overemphasis on how different we are from the rest of the country made it hard to see common ground, find common interests and collaborate.
Some of us may not like Beijing’s aversion to political surprises, but it doesn’t mean we need to keep pushing its buttons.
As long as Beijing doesn’t swoop in again to clean up after us politically, we can surely map out a brighter future for one country, two systems.
Alice Wu is a political consultant and a former associate director of the Asia Pacific Media Network at UCLA
