Hong Kong Crisis Highlights China's Generation Gap
Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-wah's decision to
shelve discussion on Article 23 is a recognition of the
power of the 500,000+ crowd's demands for a greater say,
and an admission of his own popularity in Hong Kong.
Since becoming Chief Executive in 1997 at the handover,
Tung has survived by listening to Beijing, and not the
people of Hong Kong. Personally picked by Jiang Zemin
for the job, he has been chosen for a second term, again
by Jiang, even though he was generally unpopular among
the Hong Kong public. Tung is considered by most to be
"unlucky" by many Hong Kong residents. Immediately
after the handover, Hong Kong was hit by the Asian financial
crisis. Since then, Hong Kong's economy has been in a
funk, with property values falling over 60 percent since
1997. Most leading multinationals have moved their head
offices for China from Hong Kong to Shanghai or Beijing,
which has partially contributed to an unemployment rate
over 8 percent.
Tung has followed a policy of strictly toeing the line
of Beijing's Jiang Zemin, who said that the people of
Hong Kong should pass Article 23 without worrying about
the provisions of the article. Then, the central government
would open up assistance to put Hong Kong's economy back
on track.
But the people of Hong Kong didn't buy the argument.
The sponsors of the July 1 demonstration expected a turnout
of 100,000; instead they got 500,000. Premier Wen Jiabao,
who then was visiting from Beijing, had to cut short his
visit and go back to Beijing to avoid getting caught in
the crowds.
This crisis highlights a greater problem: An older generation
of leaders, such as Jiang and Tung, are less responsive
to the needs of their people, than a newer, younger leadership,
such as Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao. As China's wealth spreads
to its growing middle class, people now expect more accountability
from their government and leadership. It is worth mentioning
that Wen Jiabao received favorable press coverage in Hong
Kong for visiting the family of a SARS victim, and was
photographed holding a baby.
Six years after Hong Kong was brought back into China's
fold, large groups of Chinese tourists are visiting and
shopping in Hong Kong, helping to prop up the economy.
China's press has not yet publicly reported the rollback
of Article 23 in Hong Kong.
Inevitably, as the China visitors go back to their homes,
they are going to ask the question: "If the people
of Hong Kong can protect their freedoms by demonstrating
on the streets, then why can't we?"
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