Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the National People’s Congress, in Hong Kong, in May last year. Picture: Reuters
Opinion
Opinion
Reflections
by Wee Kek Koon
How China’s emperor maintained absolute control during the Han dynasty
China’s No 3 leader Zhang Dejiang’s statement that the central government ‘bears the responsibility to supervise’ Hong Kong takes our columnist back to an era when the emperor exercised control over local administrations