In western countries it may have popped up in the media as little blips here and there.
Notably: when they started, the million-man march, and the siege of Poly University. With protests coming up on a one-year anniversary and showing no signs of dissipating, Beijing is proposing a sweeping National Security law that would curb many of the freedoms Hong Kongers enjoy and value, as well as allow for the Chinese military to be deployed in Hong Kong. If there were ever a battleground for democracy in the modern world, it’s in Hong Kong right now and how it plays out matters around the world.
Hong Kong & China
Many in the west are aware that Hong Kong was under British rule until 1997, when it was handed back to China under the “One country, two party” system. This allowed Hong Kong to maintain its own economic, governmental and legal systems.Hong Kong is also not subjected to the massive amount of censorship and oppression that is seen in mainland China, freedom of speech is allowed and there’s no need for a VPN if you wish to access sites like Facebook, Instagram or Google, which are banned in China.
Key Figures
Joshua Wong
Joshua Wong is one of the most prominent activists in the pro-democracy movement, and he has been actively involved in campaigning for democracy and reforms in Hong Kong since 2014. Wong played a crucial role in persuading US politicians to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights & Democracy Act in 2019. He has been excluded in running for elected positions in Hong Kong in what is seen as an effort to reduce his influence.
Carrie Lam
Carrie Lam is Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Officer (kind of like a governor if you’re American). The Chief Executive Officer is elected from a restricted pool by the Chinese government in Beijing, therefore, Hong Kongers are excluded from this decision. Carrie Lam is highly unpopular due to the fallout from proposing the extradition bill to mishandling the response to COVID-19.
What’s it all about?
In February of 2019 an extradition bill was proposed by pro-Beijing legislators, this bill would allow for the extradition of criminal suspects to countries with which Hong Kong does not share an extradition treaty with, including China. Hong Kong’s existing extradition bill specifically excludes extradition with “the Central People's Government or the government of any other
part of the People's Republic of China". Despite the Chinese government’s claim that the bill would only serve to “plug loopholes” to ensure that Hong Kong would not become a haven for criminals, citing the case of Chan Tong-kai, a Hong Kong resident who murdered his girlfriend while the two were on a trip in Taiwan. Hong Kong has no extradition agreement with Taiwan and so Chan has been able to evade murder charges, because the crime was committed outside of Hong Kong’s jurisdiction. Critics and Hong Kongers fear that the bill would be used to target activists, human rights lawyers, journalists, social workers, politicians and any voices opposed to mainland China. An additional concern is that people could be arbitrarily detained, extradited to face an unfair trial and potentially torture under China’s legal system. Hong Kong has seen a handful of instances when individuals have disappeared in Hong Kong only to resurface in detention in China. Lam Wing Kee, one of five shareholders who owned Causeway Bay books in Hong Kong was abducted in 2015 for selling books critical of Chinese leadership.
Initial Protests & Escalation
On March 15th 2019, the first protest against the proposed extradition bill was held at the Central Government Complex.
The April 28th protest saw tens of thousands of Hong Kongersmarching through Causeway Bay and Wanchai to the legislative council in protest against the bill. The June 9thprotest saw potentially over a million Hong Kongers take to the streets in protest, the number of people involved in the protests is disputed by the Hong Kong government and the protest organizers. The protesters themselves are a diverse crowd, coming from various professions and of various ages, which shows a unified support for maintaining the freedoms Hong Kongers enjoy. While the protests started out peacefully, as they continued to stretch on over a longer period of time and gain momentum, support and even international attention the Hong Kong police force started to react in an increasingly aggressive manner. Violence and misconduct by the police include beating compliant arrested protestors with batons, alleged sexual assault of detainees, refusal to show proper identification and of course the excessive use of tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons. According to a report by Human Rights Watch released in January of 2020, almost 7,000 people have been arrested, and an excess of 160,000 rounds of teargas, 10,000 rubber bullets, 2,000 beanbag rounds and 1,900 sponge grenades have been fired during protests. Such measures have resulted in protesters pushing back and many Hong Kongers calling for an independent investigation into police brutality and misconduct. Despite the police’s actions being condemned by medical workers, Amnesty International, and Human Rights watch, only one police officer has been disciplined for using excessive force against protestors in 2019. The increase in use of force and escalating tensions over the bill lead to the pro-democracy movement to present the government with a list of 5 demands, which is echoed in the chant used at protests of “five demands, not one less”. The five demands are:
1) Full withdrawal of the extradition bill.
2) An independent commission of inquiry into alleged police brutality.
3) Retracting the classification of protestors as “rioters”.
4) Amnesty for arrested protestors.
5) Universal suffrage for both the legislative council and the chief executive.
After the protest on June 9th, the extradition bill was shelvedon June 15th. Despite this move to place the law in an uncertain place, it did nothing to dissipate the disapproval of Hong Kongers and did not meet any of the five demands. Throughout the summer Hong Kongers continued to take to the streets to call for the full withdrawal of the bill and to decry how police handled the initial protests. At the end of July, 44 activists are charged with rioting, which is the first this charge is used amid the protests. In October, the extradition bill is officially withdrawn, however, by this time it is seen as too little, too late by Hong Kongers as live rounds have been fired at protestors and the withdrawal of the bill only meets one of their five demands. On November 17th, after a spate of protests at universities around Hong Kong, studentsand protestors set up an initial roadblock at the Cross-Harbor tunnel close to the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong and took the university as a base to defend it from police attacks, which had happened at other universities. Police reacted by blocking all entrances to the university and attempting to storm it multiple times. The siege of the university lasted until November 29th, arrests were high with many medical service volunteers, reporters, and first-aiders arrested along with the protestors. Protests continued every weekend and sometimes during the week on workers lunch breaks for the remainder of 2019, with tensions remaining high between police and protestors.
What’s Happening Now
China stunned Hong Kong and the world last week when it announced it was proposing a new security law and completely bypassing Hong Kong’s Basic Law article 23, which requires security laws to enacted by the local government (HKSR). Instead, the law will be voted on by China’s National People’s Congress and is expected to pass on May 28th. This law would make the following acts criminal: secession, subversion, terrorism, and activities by foreign forces that interfere with Hong Kong (China has long maintained that foreign governments are behind the protests in Hong Kong). China would also be allowed to set up its own institutions in Hong Kong for security purposes and could include the deployment of the Chinese Military. China claims this law is for the security of Hong Kong, but Hong Kongersfear it will curb their right to free speech and ability to protests as these could be seen as subversion.
Why Hong Kong Matters
Many countries, politicians, and individuals in the west often express an uneasiness in China’s growing power and very few people (companies & countries) are willing to stand
up to China because they want access to the Chinese consumers, cheap production of products and access to its natural resources. Hong Kong is truly a battle ground between democracy that the people want and an outside power trying to impose its will on people who do not want it. Despite continuing attempts to suppress their voice, Hong Kongers are showing that they are willing to stand up to China. If they succeed in having their voice heard and their demands met, it will be a serious blow to China and its claim on places like Taiwan and Tibet.
While I may be slightly disillusioned with democracy in my home country, when I was in Hong Kong talking to protestors, they have a much more hopeful view of America and still see it as a beacon of democracy and hope that the American peop
le and government will support them in their own quest for democracy. Many people worry about China’s growing dominance and influence, especially with their track record on human rights and free speech. The battle ground to curb China’s power may very well be in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Tibet. While these places are often a world away from where we are, and you may never have been to them, they are all places that China claims as its territory, but the people claim their independence.
Sources
Barnes Jr., Melvin
“Hong Kong in Protest”
Pang, Jessie & Torode, Greg
“Thousands Take to HK Streets to Protest New Laws”
Kleefeld, Eric
“China and Hong Kong: A Historical Context”
Ho, Rosemarie
“HK Building Case Against Police”
Human Rights Watch
Tsoi, Grace
“Hong Kong Security Law”
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