President Xi Jinping on Jan 27 heard the 2020 Work Report of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, presented by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor via video link. He said afterward that “Hong Kong’s transition from chaos to stability has once again demonstrated that the principle of ‘patriots governing Hong Kong’ must be always upheld to ensure the steady and sustained implementation of ‘one country, two systems’. It is the fundamental principle that concerns the sovereignty, national security and development interests of the country, as well as Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability in the long run.” He added that “the central government’s overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong can be effectively implemented only when the SAR is governed by patriots,” and that “only under the governance of patriots will Hong Kong maintain the constitutional order enshrined in the nation’s Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR, resolve its deep-rooted problems effectively, achieve lasting peace and stability and make due contributions to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”
For many years, some people in Hong Kong, including some in the pro-establishment camp, have interpreted the message “love the country and Hong Kong” as “love the Chinese nation but not the People’s Republic of China”. They treasure the legacy of Hong Kong under British rule instead of the HKSAR. The so-called “moderate democrats” refer to the anti-PRC and anti-communist faction who only love the Chinese nation and the Hong Kong under British rule. For instance, Szeto Wah, the late founding member of the United Democrats of Hong Kong, which turned into the Democratic Party in 1994, was one of them. However, the anti-extradition movement in 2019, which soon became the “black revolution”, demonstrated that the “moderate democrats” or the entire “pan-democrat camp” for that matter had aligned with separatists out of the shared political stance of opposing the PRC and maligning the country’s political system.
ALSO READ: Western misunderstandings of 'one country, two systems'
Therefore, as the enactment of the National Security Law in June last year put an end to the social unrest, it marked the beginning of the restoration of Hong Kong’s constitutional order and set the agenda for implementing the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong”. It started with reforming the governance system. The National Security Law prohibits all acts of subversion against the PRC, a necessary instrument to plug the statutory loophole resulting from failure to pursue national security legislation according to Article 23 of the Basic Law. Following that, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress passed a decision on extending the term in office of the Sixth-Term Legislative Council for no less than a year, which led to the departure of opposition lawmakers who refused to be patriots. It is expected that the method of selecting the LegCo and the Chief Executive Election Committee will be revised this year to better implement “patriots governing Hong Kong”.
As the enactment of the National Security Law in June last year put an end to the social unrest, it marked the beginning of the restoration of Hong Kong’s constitutional order and set the agenda for implementing the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong”
One should take notice of two recent phenomena that reflect the central government’s overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong and its stepped up effort to nurture patriots locally. These are supplementary actions to ensure “patriots governing Hong Kong” on the regime level.
On Jan 31, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Luo Huining joined Chief Executive Carrie Lam for a visit to the Hong Kong Police Force headquarters in Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station in Kowloon. On behalf of the central government, Luo extended good will as well as moral support to the HKPF and all members of disciplined services and offered Chinese New Year greetings ahead of the holidays. While previous directors of the Liaison Office and chief executives attended important meetings and ceremonies together, that was the first time both of them made a visit to SAR government agencies. As Luo was also present when Lam presented her 2020 Work Report to President Xi on Jan 27, it is not a stretch to imagine that the role of the Liaison Office in the HKSAR has been strengthened.
Also on Jan 31, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong proposed a new political program to “reform and transform Hong Kong”. The new platform calls for administrative reform as well as judicial reform. Administrative reform includes a governance system, structure, management and civil service system, which aims to eliminate excessive bureaucracy, simplify administrative procedures, enhance governance capabilities and ensure government efficiency. It also urges the SAR government to be more proactive in pursuing economic development and integrate Hong Kong’s development into the overall development plan of the nation, especially seizing the growth opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. As for judicial reform, it suggests that a supervisory office similar to the Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman of the UK will be tasked to enhance the current mechanism of addressing misconduct of judges.
This is the first time the DAB has presented such a comprehensive political program for the development of Hong Kong since it was founded 29 years ago. The DAB also announced that it would step up its role from a consultative participant in the establishment to a political party actively involved in HKSAR governance via multiple channels. It will, at the same time, recruit patriotic talents for pursuing government reform through legal bodies and consultative organs. These projected moves indicate the DAB is working toward becoming the ruling party of the HKSAR.
There are some people in Hong Kong who do not appreciate and even oppose the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong”. Their negative attitude resonates with criticism of the principle constantly coming from the West. Such opinions are born of misinterpretation of “one country, two systems” as the central government keeping its hands off HKSAR affairs while allowing the US and UK governments to do whatever they want in Hong Kong. That is why the US government has imposed sanctions on government officials in Beijing and Hong Kong; while the UK authorities announced new arrangements for BN(O) passport holders and their dependent family members to become UK citizens sooner.
READ MORE: Crackdown on acts of subversion bolsters 'one country, two systems'
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the once-in-a-century paradigm shift in the global power balance. With the increasing hostility from the US and the UK toward China, it is imperative that Beijing enhances the governance of Hong Kong by strengthening the political forces and manpower of patriots in Hong Kong’s political system.
The author is a senior research fellow of China Everbright Holdings.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
