Hong Kong in midst of tussle over ‘tricky’ relationship between liaison office, Basic Law, and daily running of the city
- Long-held belief that Article 22 of city’s mini-constitution prevented involvement in day-to-day governance now the subject of hot debate
- British push to change article’s language back in 1989 suggests they foresaw the possibility of just such a debate
Commonly held views in Hong Kong dictate that mainland Chinese agencies are restricted from interfering in the day-to-day running of the city by its mini-constitution, the Basic Law.
But these are not ordinary times, and the precarious political climate means nothing should be taken for granted.
The Hong Kong government found itself in hot water from both pan-democrat and pro-establishment camps over the weekend after releasing flip-flopping statements on the legal status of Beijing’s liaison office in the city.
A government source on Monday conceded it had become “very tricky” for the government to explain whether the work of the liaison office fell within the scope of the Basic Law’s Article 22, which guarantees non-interference.
An initial Saturday night statement identified the liaison office as one of three Hong Kong bodies established by the central government in accordance with Article 22, a contradiction, at least partially, of the stance taken by the mainland Chinese agency.
But only hours later, at 1.22am on Sunday, the Hong Kong government backtracked, issuing a statement that said the liaison office had not been set up under Article 22.