Opinion | Hong Kong has come a long way, but prospect of a patriotic education law still sparks anxiety

News of the central government’s patriotic education law has raised questions about how and to whom it will be applied in Hong Kong

While the city is unlikely to see a repeat of the protests held against national education, there is some unease over the proposed law

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Kindergarten pupils compete in a flag-raising competition at a patriotic education centre in Sha Tin in January 7. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 4:30pm, 2 Jul 2023

When it emerged that a draft patriotic education law was submitted to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee for first review last week, it caused a stir in Hong Kong. That is understandable since the draft says the country will adopt measures to strengthen awareness of China’s history and traditional culture among those in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan to safeguard national unity.

First is the practical question of how this piece of national legislation, should it pass, will be applied in Hong Kong. Would it be added to the list of national laws to be applied in Hong Kong in Annex III of the Basic Law? If so, will we be required to adopt it through local legislation, or will it just be applied in Hong Kong automatically like the Beijing-decreed national security law in 2020?

Starry Lee Wai-king, Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the NPC Standing Committee, said she understood that the bill will not be added to Annex III, meaning Hong Kong would not be constitutionally bound to enact local legislation on patriotic education. Perhaps more significant is that Lee’s words suggested a softening of Beijing’s stance towards Hong Kong as it allows the city more leeway to implement national policies. Restored trust will go a long way towards ensuring the future of “one country, two systems”.

Legal obligations aside, Hong Kong will need to adopt and promote patriotic education by other means, most likely through schools as that is the most effective way of reaching young people and their families. Given that Xu Anbiao, deputy head of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, says the draft calls for “schools and families to provide stronger education for children and teenagers”, it sounds like schools will do the bulk of the work.

Starry Lee Wai-king, Hong Kong’s sole representative in the NPC Standing Committee, said it was her understanding that Hong Kong would not be constitutionally bound to legislate on patriotic education. Photo: Sam Tsang

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu publicly vowed: “Whether or not the bill is passed, the Hong Kong government will match the central government’s requirement on patriotic education.”

He made a point of highlighting that Hong Kong would be able to meet the requirements of the draft legislation, emphasising that a good deal of work had already been done on that front. Lee’s remarks signal to the central government that there will not be a repeat of the demonstrations in which students, teachers and other protesters turned out against the government’s plans to reform the curriculum to include moral and national education.

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