https://www.scmp.com/rss/324505/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Immediately after the draft proposal on Hong Kong’s national security legislation was announced by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee on May 22, and before the NPC itself had considered the matter, Chris Patten, former governor of Hong Kong, made a statement. Hong Kong’s autonomy was “guaranteed” under the “one country, two systems” principle, he said, and “enshrined” in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. And, he added, “What we are seeing is a new China dictatorship. The... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3088645/western-leaders-have-been-quick-denounce-beijings-national-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3088645/western-leaders-have-been-quick-denounce-beijings-national-security?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jun 2020 00:15:18 +0000 Many of Hong Kong’s oldest temples, built in the 17th and 18th centuries, are consecrated in the name of Hau Wong. It is the honorary title bestowed upon Yang Liangjie, a general who defended the last emperor of the Song dynasty until his, and the dynasty’s, dying breath in 1279, not far from what is now Kowloon City. No one remembers that the Song dynasty made its last stand in Hong Kong. Because there is one thing the British and Chinese have both always got wrong: the story of Hong Kong does... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2103449/hong-kong-people-dont-need-any-history-lessons-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2103449/hong-kong-people-dont-need-any-history-lessons-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jul 2017 03:32:12 +0000 It is silly season, when a goodly part of Hong Kong travels overseas. I have been no exception, and frequently check news from home through the South China Morning Post’s website. Most recently, I have not needed to – for we have made the global news. The report that a global study on walking made Hongkongers the most active in the world was unbelievably good. Few of us would dream of not taking the lift or escalator. We prefer going to a mall and the cinema over the gratuitous pastimes of... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2103408/why-protecting-hong-kongs-freedoms-chinas-best-interests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2103408/why-protecting-hong-kongs-freedoms-chinas-best-interests?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jul 2017 05:46:04 +0000 Hong Kong’s return to China 20 years ago was triggered by an extraordinary legal document. The Joint Declaration, sealed by China and Britain in 1984, provided a vision of Hong Kong that remains largely accurate today. The treaty set out the core principles of the “one country, two systems” concept, establishing China’s sovereignty over the city from July 1, 1997. It also provided reassurance for Hong Kong people, promising the city a high degree of autonomy, protection of rights and freedoms, a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2102435/unnecessary-fuss-over-sino-british-joint-declaration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2102435/unnecessary-fuss-over-sino-british-joint-declaration?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jul 2017 20:15:30 +0000 On his recent visit to Hong Kong to mark the handover anniversary, President Xi Jinping ( 習近平 ) delivered a speech reviewing at length the history of Hong Kong and the mainland. He denounced colonialism, and lauded the rise of nationalism as just and fair. How China’s top leader viewed Hong Kong’s history since 1840 – on the occasion of this historic moment – will have a great bearing on various issues relating to “one country, two systems”. Xi’s stance and rationale are clear. And such clarity... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2102115/hongkongers-should-heed-xi-jinpings-words-and-re-educate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2102115/hongkongers-should-heed-xi-jinpings-words-and-re-educate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Jul 2017 09:09:43 +0000 “Walk steadily to reach the far distance” – this Chinese saying has been used quite frequently by President Xi Jinping in reference to the rocky road that Sino-US relations have been navigating in recent years. But more recently, after setting foot in Hong Kong to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the city’s return to China, Xi used the same proverb on several occasions to make it clear that Beijing would “unswervingly” maintain the “one country, two systems” model. His approach was not a matter... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100932/hong-kong-gets-message-loud-and-clear-visit-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100932/hong-kong-gets-message-loud-and-clear-visit-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Jul 2017 08:39:18 +0000 Well, here is a sentiment I could never foresee myself experiencing, let alone putting down on paper, but here goes: I completely agree with pro-Beijing lawmaker Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan. A group of protesters led by Joshua Wong Chi-fung of Demosisto went to the Golden Bauhinia statue in Wan Chai last week and draped a black cloth over it. Quat, a member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, described his action as “childish and disrespectful”. Indeed it... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100708/hong-kongs-radical-young-politicians-need-grow-and-learn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100708/hong-kongs-radical-young-politicians-need-grow-and-learn?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Jul 2017 04:03:09 +0000 The day after presiding over Britain’s part in the ceremonies for the Hong Kong handover, Prince Charles found himself on the royal yacht Britannia making its way to the Philippines. By all accounts he had not had a happy time during his brief visit and, in widely leaked remarks, reflected on his discomfort with his Chinese counterparts who he privately described as being a bunch of “waxworks”. The prince had endured a rain-drenched ceremony at the Tamar barracks and looked far from happy when... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2100788/well-never-forget-you-britain-told-hong-kong-straight-face?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2100788/well-never-forget-you-britain-told-hong-kong-straight-face?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Jul 2017 03:32:48 +0000 “The identity of Hong Kong ... everything will disappear” Anthony Chan “One country, two systems is now gone.” Fenella Sung “Look at Hong Kong ... it’s a shell of what it was.” Geoffrey Ho “Mr 689 ... He broke the system, the values of Hong Kong.” Albert Ng * Twenty years after the Hong Kong handover, the mood in Vancouver is far from celebratory for some of the city’s dwindling population of HK-born residents. Is their decidedly grim view across the Pacific clouded by a subconscious effort to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2100290/20-years-after-handover-has-hong-kong-experiment-failed-vancouver-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2100290/20-years-after-handover-has-hong-kong-experiment-failed-vancouver-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Jul 2017 01:00:45 +0000 Hong Kong is left with much soul searching after ushering in a new chapter yesterday. Wrapping up his three-day visit for the 20th anniversary of reunification with China, President Xi Jinping did not shy away from broaching a host of practical problems facing the city. The remarks are the most comprehensive – and authoritative - yet made, ranging from the need to better implement the policy of “one country, two systems” to staying united and fostering new development. It is now incumbent upon... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100896/new-government-and-community-must-rise-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100896/new-government-and-community-must-rise-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2017 17:42:03 +0000 Today, as Hong Kong celebrates the 20th anniversary of its return to China, there is reflection and optimism. The “one country, two systems” principle under which our city is governed has fared us well, helping us through difficult times to ensure prosperity and growth. But in recent years, there has been a tendency to concentrate on the past and present rather than to anticipate trends and seize on initiatives. There is no better occasion than President Xi Jinping’s visit and the inauguration... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100813/time-regain-focus-and-seize-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100813/time-regain-focus-and-seize-future?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 17:21:38 +0000 Despite all the predictions of doom by Western pundits in 1997, Hong Kong has done well since its reversion of sovereignty to China 20 years ago. The handover was a historic event, hailed by Chinese everywhere as the closure of the century-long humiliation suffered by China at the hands of the Western powers, beginning with the Opium War. Even Taiwan sent a delegation to Hong Kong for the handover ceremony. The transition itself went smoothly under the leadership of Tung Chee-hwa, the first... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100399/can-hong-kong-become-indispensible-nation-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100399/can-hong-kong-become-indispensible-nation-again?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 03:46:19 +0000 President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday began his three-day visit to Hong Kong, the first time he has been here since he became the head of state. On his arrival at the airport, Xi spelled out the three purposes of his trip – to express good wishes; to show support; and to help Hong Kong plan its future. It has always been Beijing’s policy to firmly support the special administrative region. That is why as we mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty, the state leader... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100645/xi-jinpings-visit-will-help-cement-our-ties-nation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100645/xi-jinpings-visit-will-help-cement-our-ties-nation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2017 17:15:45 +0000 The 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule is almost upon us and now is the time to reflect on our lessons learned and examine what the future may hold. At the core of the handover is the “one country, two systems” principle. People who support this idea say it is a masterful invention by Deng Xiaoping ( 鄧小平 ) and an ingenious way to resolve Hong Kong’s handover issues. I believe China had no other choice. As a British colony, Hong Kong’s political and social systems mimicked... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100328/hong-kong-part-china-must-keep-its-eyes-future-not-past?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100328/hong-kong-part-china-must-keep-its-eyes-future-not-past?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2017 08:28:06 +0000 The future belongs to those who can change it. “Now we are finally masters of our own house,” said Hong Kong’s first Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, in a speech on that rainy night on June 30 in 1997. That has proven to be a fateful remark 20 years on. During a 20-year period of great change and upheaval, where China emerged as an economic power and decisively overtook Hong Kong’s perceived superiority, the city’s paltry mantra was to “get close to China” or “no changes after 1997”. Hong Kong’s... https://www.scmp.com/business/money/wealth/article/2100507/hong-kong-needs-wake-and-smell-coffee-stay-relevant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/money/wealth/article/2100507/hong-kong-needs-wake-and-smell-coffee-stay-relevant?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2017 04:16:55 +0000 Missed the first of our two-part countdown from last week? Click here to read our 26th to 50th picks for the best Hong Kong films since the handover. 25. Kung Fu Hustle (2004) There are special effects movies, and then there is Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s bombastic martial arts spectacle. As cartoonish as a live-action film could ever aspire to be, the comedy legend’s homage to 1960s and ’70s Hong Kong cinema is a surreal showcase of slapstick action at its most exhilarating. 24. Chinese Odyssey... https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2100350/50-best-hong-kong-films-1997-handover-part-2-25-1?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2100350/50-best-hong-kong-films-1997-handover-part-2-25-1?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2017 00:30:35 +0000 On July 1, Hong Kong will mark the 20th anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty. As we celebrate this special milestone, it’s worth reflecting on what we’ve achieved over the past two decades, and, more importantly, where we’re headed in the future. By almost any major measure of economic performance, Hong Kong is the envy of the world. In 2016, Hong Kong companies broke new records in revenues and profits. Unemployment hovers at an incredibly low 2.5 per cent. GDP continues to climb... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2100423/hong-kongs-shot-prime-time-ours-lose-if-we-dont-grasp-moment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2100423/hong-kongs-shot-prime-time-ours-lose-if-we-dont-grasp-moment?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jun 2017 11:23:16 +0000 Reminiscing about Hong Kong’s market changes since the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty had never been Money Matter’s plan, until the arrival of two emails, one from a reader and another from a regulator. Both are responding to an early piece on the change of the Articles of Association by dozens of Chinese state-owned enterprises listed in Hong Kong to make the Communist Party Committee their key governing body. The column questioned why Hong Kong’s market watchdog agencies have not asked... https://www.scmp.com/business/global-economy/article/2100237/capitalism-chinese-characteristics-very-much-here-stay-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/global-economy/article/2100237/capitalism-chinese-characteristics-very-much-here-stay-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jun 2017 11:10:37 +0000 To celebrate or not to celebrate? Are you among the Hongkongers asking themselves this question as we mark the 20th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule? If yes, why? Isn’t reuniting with the motherland a cause for celebration? Yet here we are, 20 years after the colonisers left, grappling with a question that in itself suggests something is terribly wrong. Five years of hits and misses – Leung Chun-ying steps down as leader of a bitterly divided Hong Kong Before you decide whether... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/2100227/celebrate-handover-anniversary-hongkongers-should-ask-if-were-better-20?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/2100227/celebrate-handover-anniversary-hongkongers-should-ask-if-were-better-20?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jun 2017 10:24:38 +0000 Looking at the Basic Law from different perspectives may yield different results. For the past 20 years, most people, including myself, have understood the Basic Law to be a legal instrument intended to continue and preserve Hong Kong’s way of life for at least 50 years under Chinese sovereignty. I call this the internal perspective, which looks at how the Basic Law serves the interests of Hong Kong and Hong Kong people. However, the internal perspective has proven to be divisive, one that sees... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100021/how-hong-kongs-basic-law-can-serve-interests-all-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100021/how-hong-kongs-basic-law-can-serve-interests-all-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jun 2017 09:41:24 +0000 Even as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region gets ready to celebrate the 20th year of its establishment, many questions are still being asked about the role of the central authorities in Hong Kong and their relationship with the territory. Some answers are in order. Basic Law ‘re-education’ urged by Beijing’s former top man in Hong Kong First, in accordance with the both the Chinese constitution and the Basic Law, the central authorities with responsibility for Hong Kong may refer to: the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099977/beijings-rightful-role-hong-kong-affairs-should-not-be-seen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099977/beijings-rightful-role-hong-kong-affairs-should-not-be-seen?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jun 2017 10:46:10 +0000 Andrew Burns, Britain’s first consul general to Hong Kong after the 1997 handover, spoke to a business audience in the days before he retired in 2000. Erudite and amusing in equal measure, he asked himself what he would say in summary about Hong Kong’s future: “If given just one word, I would say ‘Worry’. But if I were given two words, I would say: ‘Don’t worry’.” Still today, as we look at Hong Kong’s future with 20 years of “one country, two systems” under our belt, that seems good advice. So... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/2099870/its-been-20-years-hong-kong-please-just-get-business-what?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/2099870/its-been-20-years-hong-kong-please-just-get-business-what?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jun 2017 06:08:27 +0000 The war on Hong Kong pro-independence thought looks like it is here to stay. The legal chief of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, Wang Zhenmin, this month told Hongkongers to wake up from our “illusion” that we can develop a set of politics different from the mainland’s. Just three days earlier, the city’s outgoing chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, warned against a “gradual growth of pro-independence thought”. Calls for Hong Kong independence are a non-starter. But here we are being... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099717/beijing-cannot-wish-away-growing-sense-hopelessness-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099717/beijing-cannot-wish-away-growing-sense-hopelessness-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jun 2017 06:01:26 +0000 No governing method is better for Hong Kong than the “one country, two systems” framework laid out in our mini-constitution, the Basic Law. On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the return to China from British rule, the success of the principle is plainly evident. But there have been strains that have eroded trust and some Hongkongers believe the assurance of “a high degree of autonomy” is being undermined while Beijing contends the “one country” element is too often being ignored. Every effort... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099847/commitment-one-country-two-systems-must-remain-strong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099847/commitment-one-country-two-systems-must-remain-strong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jun 2017 17:00:00 +0000 How far can Britain go to ensure that the promises made in the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong’s handover will be kept? The answer depends on whom you ask. According to Chris Patten, the last colonial governor before Hong Kong returned to China in 1997, Britain has a “legitimate interest” in asking China whether it is living up to its promise of ensuring that the city’s way of life and freedoms remain unchanged for 50 years until 2047 as provided by the agreement. “It’s a joint... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2099805/how-far-should-britain-go-ensure-joint-declaration-promises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2099805/how-far-should-britain-go-ensure-joint-declaration-promises?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jun 2017 05:03:21 +0000 “China has decided against extending Britain’s lease over most of Hong Kong and will ‘recover’ its sovereignty over the colony, according to usually well-informed sources,” I reported exclusively from Beijing in a dispatch published in The Wall Street Journal on July 23, 1982, two months before prime minister Margaret Thatcher arrived in the capital for talks on Hong Kong with Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平). I had opened The Wall Street Journal bureau in China in 1979, when China and the US established... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099536/it-beijings-interests-ensure-hong-kong-doesnt-wilt-and-fade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099536/it-beijings-interests-ensure-hong-kong-doesnt-wilt-and-fade?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jun 2017 03:15:42 +0000 On July 1, Hong Kong will commemorate the 20th anniversary of its transfer of sovereignty from Britain to China. The Hong Kong government has budgeted an extravagant HK$640 million to celebrate this milestone, but ironically has also revealed that it will mobilise 10,000 police officers to “protect” the attending state leaders, including President Xi Jinping ( 習近平 ). The local authorities also disclose that “huge barriers” will be erected to cordon off the hotel where China’s VIPs will take up... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099446/summer-hong-kongs-discontent-20-years-after-its-return-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099446/summer-hong-kongs-discontent-20-years-after-its-return-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jun 2017 09:18:30 +0000 50. The Postmodern Life of My Aunt (2007) Siqin Gaowa shines as a tough yet gullible woman in her 60s in Ann Hui On-wah’s tragicomic tale of mid-life crisis, which finds heart-warming humanity even in a Shanghai full of swindlers. Chow Yun-fat nearly steals the show as a despicable tease. 49. Colour of the Truth (2003) When did the critically derided Wong Jing last direct an enjoyable film? A case could be made for this tightly scripted revenge thriller (co-directed by Marco Mak Chi-sin), which... https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2099275/50-best-hong-kong-films-1997-handover-part-1-50-26?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2099275/50-best-hong-kong-films-1997-handover-part-1-50-26?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jun 2017 00:30:30 +0000 In the run-up to the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty, heated arguments abound over how to manage the territory’s affairs. Surprisingly, the US might offer some useful lessons for China. Long before the post-colonial status of Hong Kong was debated, the US was successfully governing a number of semi-autonomous territories. The most prominent of these “American SARs” is Puerto Rico, a former Spanish colony in the Caribbean, with roughly half of Hong Kong’s population... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099348/what-hong-kong-can-learn-puerto-rico-american-sar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099348/what-hong-kong-can-learn-puerto-rico-american-sar?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jun 2017 08:10:17 +0000 In the twenty years since the establishment of the Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong has experienced slower economic growth and increased economic inequality compared to the previous twenty years. Why is that? Average annual GDP and GDP per capita increased, respectively, by 6.6 and 4.8 per cent in the period 1977-1997, but 3.2 and 2.6 per cent in 1997-2017. Among households with heads aged 20-65 years old, the Gini-coefficients on the distribution of household income (before government... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2099161/blame-25-44-year-olds-slowing-hong-kongs-gdp-handover?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2099161/blame-25-44-year-olds-slowing-hong-kongs-gdp-handover?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jun 2017 07:45:00 +0000 In the run-up to the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty, the Democratic Party recently issued a 16-page document stating its views on democracy and reunification. Compared with the Civic Party, which marked the 10th year of its founding last year, the Democratic Party is more moderate and rational. While the Civic Party takes a more aggressively localist stance, the Democrats seek to maximise the city’s autonomy within the Basic Law framework. In a political scene that... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099119/hong-kongs-democratic-party-wont-get-far-without-considering?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099119/hong-kongs-democratic-party-wont-get-far-without-considering?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jun 2017 05:31:10 +0000 Confucius and science are not that far apart when it comes to determining when someone is adult enough to make competent decisions. The ancient philosopher and teacher said he “knew where he stood” at the age of 30, while modern medicine puts it at 25 years, when the typical human brain is fully developed. Just 20 years have passed since Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty, not long enough for full cerebral maturity, so it’s understandable why our city is still searching for direction. It... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2098927/only-20-hong-kong-under-chinese-rule-still-trying-find-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2098927/only-20-hong-kong-under-chinese-rule-still-trying-find-its?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jun 2017 05:02:56 +0000 In June 2007, with the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover fast approaching, the business section of the South China Morning Post indulged in a flight of fancy. “What might the city look like in another 10 years, in 2017?” one of the paper’s writers asked. The result of his wonderings was a 2,000-word short story that imagined a day in the life of a young Hongkonger in the run-up to the 20th anniversary celebrations. This work of fiction did not attempt to forecast what Hong Kong would be... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2098700/hong-kong-handover-what-we-got-right-and-wrong-predictions-2017?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2098700/hong-kong-handover-what-we-got-right-and-wrong-predictions-2017?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jun 2017 01:32:36 +0000 There are some who think Hong Kong might have been better off, economically and politically, had it remained a British colony. Economically and socially, British rule was good, but it was a total failure politically – and the consequences are still with us. As someone who arrived seven years before the handover and lived here through the end of British rule, I feel this political failure would have continued even if the UK had hung on to Hong Kong. [The French promoted] universal education,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2098258/hong-kong-still-paying-political-price-british-colonial-rule?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2098258/hong-kong-still-paying-political-price-british-colonial-rule?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jun 2017 05:50:28 +0000 As we weigh Hong Kong’s achievements and deficiencies over the past 20 years, one issue warrants particularly reflection. While there has been no shortage of blueprints to bring the city forward, development is still sadly two steps forward, one step back. This owes much to the lack of support in turning the ideas into reality. Unless we can overcome the obstacle and move in unity, the city risks losing out further in the years ahead. The plight has been put into perspective in an SCMP... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2098206/unite-shape-hong-kongs-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2098206/unite-shape-hong-kongs-future?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jun 2017 21:46:44 +0000 Hong Kong should strive for the title of Asia’s cultural hub as well as have the courage to break out of its comfort zone, according to panel members at the “Celebrating Hong Kong’s Coming of Age” conference organised by the South China Morning Post on Monday. Douglas Young, the co-founder and CEO of lifestyle products brand Goods of Desire, said he was optimistic about the city’s future and hoped Hong Kong could position itself as a cultural hub in Asia. “I wish for the future government to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2098013/shape-and-keep-business-leaders-tell-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2098013/shape-and-keep-business-leaders-tell-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jun 2017 03:00:45 +0000 Predicting what Hong Kong would be like 20 years after returning to Chinese sovereignty was tricky in 1997. Mainland China’s economy was on the march and pundits held a diverse range of opinions. The widely held view was that our city was the model Beijing wanted to emulate, so what we had would largely remain and the mainland would become more like us. We now know better. Gone will be the logjams created by self-centred lawmakers ... Vested interests will no longer be allowed to dictate for... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2096890/why-hong-kong-will-be-following-shenzhen-model-2037?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2096890/why-hong-kong-will-be-following-shenzhen-model-2037?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jun 2017 04:47:48 +0000 “The well water does not interfere with the river water”. The metaphor is one of the most memorable when it comes to describing the relationship between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, and Beijing’s policy of “one country, two systems”. Former president Jiang Zemin ( 江澤民 ) first popularised it in the wake of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 when he said Beijing would not impose socialism on Hong Kong while the latter should not meddle in mainland politics. At that time, Beijing was... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2096639/beijing-urges-understanding-hong-kongs-basic-law-it-should-look?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2096639/beijing-urges-understanding-hong-kongs-basic-law-it-should-look?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jun 2017 04:00:00 +0000 The question of how Hong Kong should develop under the “one country, two systems” formula has again been brought up by state leaders. This is to be expected as the city marks the 20th anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty. While the principles expounded are not startling, they underline Beijing’s growing concerns over the city’s development. The latest remarks by Zhang Dejiang (張德江), chairman of the National People’s Congress, are the most comprehensive summary yet of “the accurate”... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2096269/its-time-resolve-conflicts-over-one-country-two-systems?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2096269/its-time-resolve-conflicts-over-one-country-two-systems?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 May 2017 16:33:58 +0000 Yao Ming is used to overcoming challenges. He arrived in Texas speaking little English and wildly off the pace in the National Basketball Association, but became the first Chinese star player, winning a place in the Hall of Fame, as well as a charming personality in his second language. He’s fronted campaigns to persuade Chinese to stop ravaging wildlife: sales of shark fin have supposedly gone down as much as 70 per cent, and China has banned the ivory trade after a proposal he made as a member... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2093072/why-even-yao-mings-star-power-wont-convince-hong-kong-kids-celebrate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2093072/why-even-yao-mings-star-power-wont-convince-hong-kong-kids-celebrate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 May 2017 04:30:27 +0000 Anniversaries evoke all kinds of memories and emotions – and this is certainly the case in 2017 as we mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Many in our community strongly believe that the 20th anniversary is cause for celebration – that we should mark this milestone together as a testament to the considerable progress made over the past two decades, and as a juncture to consider the many... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2089596/real-value-hong-kongs-handover-celebrations-will-be-felt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2089596/real-value-hong-kongs-handover-celebrations-will-be-felt?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Apr 2017 02:01:00 +0000 There was never any doubt that the 20th anniversary of our reunification with the mainland would be marked with an array of celebrations and promotions. The questions are what kind of events do we have and how much will they cost? Now that the government has unveiled a list of programmes – with a staggering price tag of HK$640 million – more questions have been raised. The public is entitled to more explanation, given the amount is nearly 10 times the HK$69 million spent in marking the 10th... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2088295/justify-hk640-million-price-tag-handover-celebrations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2088295/justify-hk640-million-price-tag-handover-celebrations?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Apr 2017 16:48:20 +0000 Being able to review the past dispassionately and form honest judgments based on what we know, now, about actual circumstances and events, then, is the key challenge in the study of history. While we enjoy hindsight’s benefit, those living in earlier times had, as an ancient Chinese saying maintains, “to cross the river by feeling the stones”; in other words, to put one’s best foot forward into unknown currents and hope for the best. Nevertheless, some historical decisions with obvious... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/2075166/imagining-far-better-hong-kong-and-rueing-20-years-misrule?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/2075166/imagining-far-better-hong-kong-and-rueing-20-years-misrule?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Mar 2017 23:00:15 +0000