Then & Now | Why Hong Kong is nothing like Macau – for now, at least

With the international spotlight on Hong Kong, comparisons are being made between the city and the other Chinese special administrative region

When it comes to their people and politics, the two could hardly be more different

Reading Time:2 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Tourists in Macau. Historically a bolt-hole for those out of favour in mainland China, the former Portuguese territory has little appeal as place of residence for the mainland’s wealthiest citizens in comparison to Hong Kong, with its rule of law. Photo: Bloomberg

Jason Wordie

Published: 7:45am, 8 Nov 2019Updated: 8:05am, 8 Nov 2019

As Hong Kong’s summer of civil unrest staggers into autumn, among the least helpful international commentaries that have appeared have been comparisons between China’s two special administrative regions – Hong Kong and Macau.

Focus has been directed at how Macau appears largely devoid of organised political dissent. Less attention has been directed to the underlying reasons for this.

Extensive mainland Chinese influence over Macau’s internal affairs goes back several decades before the Portuguese handover to Chinese rule in 1999. Since the mid-1960s, political and economic power in Macau has been held by a handful of prominent Chinese families, who control virtually the entire economy.

Two post-handover chief executives came from this circle; the first, Edmund Ho Hau-wah, was the son of Macau’s leading “red capitalist”, Ho Yin. After the communist-fomented riots in 1966 – known as the “12-3” incident, for the December date on which they occurred – the Macau government effectively capitulated, and henceforth did whatever mainland authorities indicated.

Unlike Hong Kong, where serious rule-of-law considerations still prevail, modern Macau has little permanent appeal for mainland China’s wealthiest citizens. The law-abiding, especially, are materially better off elsewhere in China. Historically, Macau, even more than Hong Kong, was a convenient offshore/onshore bolt-hole for those out of favour in the Chinese mainland. But this appeal has greatly diminished in recent years.

Macau routinely hands over criminal suspects to mainland authorities; its police force and judiciary are just not large enough to deal with all contingencies and consequently sidestep them from the outset. People suspected of being “national security” risks – however tangential, as various Hong Kong legislators and social activists have discovered – are simply denied entry.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x