By Liu Xiaoming (
) 08:54, September 17, 2014Email|
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Comments twitter facebook Sina Microblog reddit More and more places in Hong Kong now accept Chinese yuan. (File Photo)
Lord Patten is putting at risk Britain’s new economic partnership withBeijing
Lord Patten was the last governor of Hong Kong, and still, it seems, has a keen interest inits affairs. He has written a piece for The Financial Times, extolling his views on Britain’s“moral and political obligation” to its former colony. But his words, like his actions asgovernor, reveal that he never understood China, and that his views on Hong Kong areanachronistic and unhelpful.
The background of Lord Patten’s piece is that the Chinese National People’s Congress(NPC) has decided that the election of a chief executive for Hong Kong in 2017 shall beimplemented by universal suffrage. This is the lawful requirement under the Basic Lawadopted by the National People’s Congress in 1990, and marks a historic step forward inHong Kong’s history. But in Lord Patten’s eyes, this is “denial” of democracy and meansthe Hong Kong people “l(fā)ack the ability to choose who governs them”.
Given Lord Patten’s reputation, it is saddening to note that his judgment is so flawed, justas it was when he was in his Hong Kong role. He writes that “Beijing’s views on the statusof the Hong Kong judiciary raise concerns about judicial independence” – a seriouslymisleading and irresponsible claim which has no basis in fact.
Only a week earlier, Lord Neuberger, the President of the Supreme Court of the UnitedKingdom, had said that “at the moment I detect no undermining of judicial independence.”Lord Patten, of course, made no mention of this in his article.
But Lord Patten has been getting it wrong in Hong Kong since the beginning, despite hisstrong and misguided attachment to the place. In his article, he takes pains to defend hisrecord there: but he should not forget that it is exactly what he did in Hong Kong thatcaused confrontation between China and Britain over Hong Kong and a cooling of therelationship between the two countries.
It was Lord Patten himself who impeded the course of Chinese-British cooperation overHong Kong, and made the smooth handover of the colony more difficult. He sowedmistrust, division and estrangement in the society, and hindered the advancement ofdemocracy. That is his legacy.
Hong Kong has not, as Lord Patten appears to believe, been bequeathed democracy byBritain. For more than a century and a half, Britain had total responsibility for the territory– and did nothing to encourage or produce democracy. It is therefore the rankesthypocrisy of people such as Lord Patten to criticise China for any perceived failings tointroduce democracy.
Democracy will come to Hong Kong naturally. It is the outcome of the region’s socialprogress. Its constitutional basis must be the Basic Law, not the Sino-British JointDeclaration. The Basic Law sets out in clear terms the objective of selecting a chiefexecutive for Hong Kong through the application of universal suffrage, while the JointDeclaration only provided for election or consultation.
Now China’s NPC decision on Hong Kong’s political reform has reaffirmed that it willproduce a chief executive through universal suffrage. But curiously, Lord Patten has askedChina to deliver its commitment. The Chinese government does have commitments toHong Kong: to advance democracy in an orderly, step-by-step way.
These are the commitments that the Chinese central government has made to all Chinesepeople, including Hong Kong people. There is no need for a foreigner to make irresponsiblecomments.
Political reform in Hong Kong is at a critical and sensitive juncture. The NPC’s decisionreflects a strong sense of responsibility to Hong Kong, and to all China. The decision islawful and reasonable. It sets out the principle for the election of the chief executivethrough universal suffrage and suits the reality in Hong Kong. The sovereignty andjurisdiction over Hong Kong rests with the Chinese central government. The decision is areflection of this principle. It brooks no defiance by any individual or any force.
As long as the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, and the wider public, follow theBasic Law and the NPC’s decisions, and continue with rational, practical discussions aimedat building consensus, then I believe that political reform will proceed smoothly. In thisway Hong Kong will achieve the final objective of universal suffrage and advancedemocracy.
Hong Kong today is not the Hong Kong of 1997, and the Chinese-British relationship oftoday is not the Chinese-British relationship of 1997 either. Today China and Britain arecommitted to building a comprehensive strategic partnership for common growth andinclusive development. Our cooperation in a wide range of areas has delivered real benefitsto both our peoples, as was shown in the Sixth China-UK Economic and Financial Dialoguejointly chaired by Vice Premier Ma Kai and Chancellor George Osborne last week. HongKong should not be allowed to be an obstacle in Chinese-British relations; instead, Chinaand the UK should work together to maintain the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.This not only serves the fundamental interests of Hong Kong people; it also serves thecommon interests of China and the UK, as well as the wider international community. LordPatten’s ill-informed comments do nothing to advance that cause.
Liu Xiaoming is the Chinese ambassador to the UK
(Editor:Kong Defang、Huang Jin)
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