Dialogue with China necessary for boosting Hong Kong's autonomy

The clearances were conducted after a court issued an order prohibiting the blocking of roads in areas near government buildings where students and others have been continuing their rallies.

Authorities have indicated they will clear sites also in a district where more radical protesters are camped.

Some scuffles erupted as demonstrators took exception to this development. Several arrests were made after protesters stormed the Legislative Council building premises and clashed with police. The situation is volatile, and there are concerns that further disorder could be sparked.

We urge Hong Kong’s authorities and the protesters to exercise restraint.

The protests started in late September. They were triggered by China’s decision to introduce a system under which only pro-China candidates are permitted to run in the election for the chief executive post.

Students and other people demanding greater democracy in Hong Kong naturally resented this decision.

At one point, the authorities tried to forcibly evict the demonstrators, but this only added fuel to the protest movement.

Meanwhile, some Hong Kong residents have become increasingly annoyed by the drawn-out rallies. Travel agencies and shops have suffered heavy financial losses, and traffic congestion has been a serious problem.

The emergence of more extreme elements has also caused support for the protesters to wane. The rashness of this strategy is undeniable.

 

Timing of crackdown

Hong Kong’s authorities refrained from resorting to forceful measures ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit meeting held recently in Beijing. They apparently waited until the Apec meeting had finished before they used more forceful measures, so as not to invite international criticism of their actions.

A US-China summit meeting was held on the sidelines of the Apec event. At a joint press conference, US President Barack Obama touched on the turmoil in Hong Kong, saying, “The United States … [will] encourage the elections that take place in Hong Kong [to be] transparent and fair and reflective of the opinions of the people there.”

In response, Chinese President Xi Jinping asserted that the protests were “illegal” and foreign countries should not interfere in those affairs.

The primary responsibility for the growing chaos in Hong Kong rests with China, which has completely rejected demands for greater democracy and tried to contain the protests by force.

Talks held in October between student protest leaders and Hong Kong officials ended without any agreement to end the stand-off, and prospects for a resumption of dialogue are dim. Several student leaders recently attempted to fly to Beijing to take their demands directly to the Chinese government, but were not allowed to board at the Hong Kong airport.

The Hong Kong Basic Law, which serves as the constitution, guarantees the region “a high degree of autonomy” under the “one country, two systems” model. We think China should respect this basic law and pursue dialogue that will advance Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.

The stability and prosperity of Hong Kong is in the interest of not just the residents there, but also of China.