Exclusive | Caught between China and the United States: why Hong Kong is the latest battleground in the rivalry and Article 23 could be the tinder to the explosive relationship
- Premier’s remarks expected to spark lively debate, set tone for future action on Hong Kong
- Beijing bristling over protests, lack of national security law, US interference in city’s autonomy
This is the third in a nine-part series examining the issues Chinese leaders face as they gather for their annual “two sessions” of the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference this week. This story looks at the expectations for Beijing’s policy on Hong Kong.
As China’s political elite begins its annual parliamentary sessions this Friday, there will be more to the Hong Kong issue than meets the eye this time.
Every year, the city’s observers methodically pore over the Chinese premier’s work report, looking for the one-paragraph mention of China’s two special administrative regions: Hong Kong and Macau. Every word is weighed and analysed to detect the slightest change in Beijing’s policy towards the city.
So far, the messages have been unwaveringly consistent. There have been subtle changes of tone here and there, but by and large the premier routinely reaffirms the “one country, two systems” principle that grants the two cities the unique status of a high degree of autonomy.
This year, however, things could be different, sources have told the South China Morning Post. Not only did the long-running social unrest that struck the city over the previous year thrust it into the national spotlight, the intense rivalry between China and the US has also given the Hong Kong issue a new urgency.