Posted on 09/28/2014 5:50:36 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Hong Kong police used tear gas on pro-democracy protesters on Sunday, turning up the heat on an already boiling confrontation between Hong Kong citizenry seeking a greater say in their region's affairs and the Beijing-backed leadership of the island. But what is their face-off really about?
Hong Kong is a "special administrative region" within China, having been returned to mainland sovereignty in 1997 by Britain. But having been a British colony since 1842, Hong Kong developed a decidedly more Western form of government and bureaucracy than the rest of China. Its citizens enjoy a greater degree of civil liberties than those on the mainland, due to the "one country, two systems" agreement between China and Britain.
Per the terms of the handover, Hong Kong has not had China's socioeconomic model imposed upon it. Instead, it has been granted a "high degree of autonomy as a special administrative region in all areas except defense and foreign affairs," which will last until 2047.
The issue is the implementation of a 2007 decree by the National People's Congress of China that promised "universal suffrage." Hong Kong's head of government, the chief executive, is currently elected by a mostly pro-Beijing, 1,200-member election committee. But the 2007 decision declares that the chief executive "may be implemented by the method of universal suffrage" in 2017.
In Hong Kong, that was taken to mean that every citizen would be allowed to vote for their chosen candidate for the position in a traditional democratic process.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Yeah check this out election wont be held until 2017 lots of thing could happen between now and then
Authoritarians cannot tolerate civil liberties and rights. The Chinese have already told the people in Hong Kong that they will choose the leaders approved by the party. The PLA is sure to be brought in as anything other would show weakness and lose face.
I better load up on cheap suits. That’s the first thing my bro-in-law wants to get when we hit there in NOvember.
My suit from Seoul still fits me fine (sort of) , 1974, the big heeled leather boots, always in style..
The Communist Party will not make concessions. If it has to make them in Hong Kong, it will have to make them in mainland China.
We’ve a few days away from China’s National Day - the day of the founding of the People’s Republic - but what is not lost on Chinese leaders is any hint of weakness would bring about the downfall of the Communist regime.
They are well aware they have to hang together or hang separately. How the democracy protests are resolved in HK will tell us much about China’s future.
I think a lot of the fear is the possibility that the protests could end up broken up like what happened at Tiananmen Square 25 years ago. Given the fairly large People’s Liberation Army contingent located in Guangdong Province next to Hong Kong, such a scenario is not far-fetched, sadly.
Yeah there is upside to all conflict in the world
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