The spectre of Tiananmen

China has a history of suppressing democratic movements, but people all over the world are hoping that, this time, the leadership in Beijing will change its tune in Hong Kong and honour its own policy of “one country, two systems”.

Cracking down on protesters calling for democratic reform would mark a reversal in the country’s political development, sending it back to a dark era of repression.

When Britain returned its former colony to China in 1997, Beijing publicly pledged a policy of “one country, two systems” to accommodate Hong Kong’s democratic character.

As far as the outside world understood it, the policy allowed Hong Kong a degree of self-administration and guaranteed its residents the same or similar freedoms to those they enjoyed under British rule. Hong Kong was given autonomy to run its economy and all other sectors except foreign policy and defence.

However, the “one, country, two systems” rule has hit problems after Hong Kong residents demanded the right to pick their own candidates to stand for election as representatives of their special administrative area, rather than having them handpicked by China, as Beijing has ruled.

China insists on using a committee to screen candidates on the basis of their loyalty to Beijing, thus snuffing out chances for an open election.

Amid proposals for electoral reform from the younger generation in Hong Kong, the leadership in Beijing has expressed an intention to tighten its grip on the city.  

 Beijing had promised that the representatives of Hong Kong would eventually be chosen through “universal suffrage”. The first-ever election for Hong Kong’s top leader is due in 2017. But Beijing decided last month against a proposal for open nominations of candidates.

Thousands of Hong Kong college and university students boycotted classes last week to protest Beijing’s decision to restrict voting reforms.

The situation is now tense in Asia’s financial hub after thousands of protesters defied tear-gas and batons to stand firm in their demand for truly democratic reform.

The demand has been made before in Hong Kong, but never has it resulted in such tensions. Observers said the unrest is the worst in the city since 1997, provoking fears that authorities could respond to a worsening situation with the kind of military crackdown seen in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square three decades ago. The 25th anniversary of the 1989 atrocity was marked in June, and no one wants to see a repeat of such bloody scenes on Chinese soil.

From Beijing’s point of view, Hong Kong residents already enjoy far more liberty than their compatriots on the mainland. But Hong Kong people are adamant they deserve these rights and more. 

These differences cannot be settled with violence. Negotiation is the only sustainable solution for peace.

Leaders in Beijing should not rely on violence to put down dissent, as they did in 1989. Hong Kong might be tiny compared to the whole of China, but it has been part of the global community for decades. Its buzzing economy has thrived in peace and forged strong links to the mainland. Scenes of bloody violence would badly damage that economy and thus backfire on Beijing.