America-China war of words over Hong Kong's rights to self-rule

We all know by now that People's Republic of China is the major trading partner of America. The Chinese factories are humming year round to make all kinds of consumer goods found in 'Dollar General Store', even freebies given at McDonald fast-food outlets in kiddy's happy meal box. China's economy is still growing at 8.5 per cent clip, which is unheard of in an emerging nation. The Chinese government should be happy about their GDP growth rate. Nonetheless, why are the Chinese authorities throwing diplomatic volleys at the Bush Administration? Something is amiss here. The Chinese government is very sensitive about Hong Kong especially when the issue is democracy in the recently annexed land.

Diplomatic skirmishes between Washington and Beijing started in the second week of January over the issue of how to govern Hong Kong. The local people wanted a democratically elected government, which the Beijing authority would not approve at this time. The State Department's spokesperson Mr. Richard Boucher used some harsh words to show America's support for the democracy movement that is rife in the island of Hong Kong.

Before getting into the issue of the status of democracy in Hong Kong, some primer about the island is appropriate. Hong Kong used to be a British crown colony until 1997. It is located on the southeast coast of China southeast of Chinese province of Guangzhou. The island and the vicinity was occupied by the British during the Opium War (1839-1842) and ceded to them by the Treaty of Nanjing (1842). Other portions of the colony were acquired in 1860 and in 1898 by a 99-year lease. The colony was reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. Hong Kong's territory is only about 422 square miles. Over five million people call it home. Thus, the population density is one of the highest in the world. Victoria is the capital.

Over five and half years ago at midnight on July 1, 1997, the crown colony of Hong Kong was officially reverted to Chinese sovereignty, ending 156 years of British rule. Steven Levine wrote in the yearbook in 1998 Encyclopedia Britannica the following: "After a formal handover, the colony became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China. The ceremony culminated a 13-year transition that had been initiated by the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong, signed by the heads of the two governments in December 1984. The agreement stipulated that under Chinese rule the HKSAR would enjoy a high degree of autonomy, except in matters of foreign relations and defence, and that the social and economic systems as well as the lifestyle in Hong Kong would remain unchanged for 50 years after 1997. Many observers, however, expressed considerable skepticism about China's pledge to abide by the "one country, two systems" plan outlined in the agreement. They feared that China would drastically curtail the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents."

The prediction made by many Sino-experts came true. The Beijing Government is very tightlipped about the status of democracy in Hong Kong. An appointed person by the name Tung Chee-hwa now governs the island. And this is the bone of contention amongst Hong Kong citizens. They want a participatory democracy as opposed to governance by an appointed authority. The democracy movement in Hong Kong is alive and well. In July 2003, a protest march in Hong Kong by about 500,000 residents raised an eyebrow amongst Beijing politicians. They did not like the look of it but they chose to remain reticent about it, which is a typical Chinese style. Again, on New Year's Day nearly 100,000 people demonstrated in Hong Kong to demand full democracy. This was the biggest protest in the territory since the July demonstration, which shocked Beijing leaders.

On January 9, 2004, the British Trade Secretary, Ms. Patricia Hewitt said that Hong Kong should follow the wishes of its citizens and move toward greater democracy in line with the constitution agreed before Britain handed the territory back to China in 1997. On the same day, U.S. State Department spokesman Mr. Richard Boucher expressed the United States' "strong support for democracy through electoral reform and universal suffrage in Hong Kong," saying that would stimulate the territory's economic development. Mr. Boucher also added that America believes in democracy and the Hong Kong people and the Hong Kong government need to start addressing the democracy issue. The U.S. government will support the wishes of the people of Hong Kong. After all, the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong is of interest to America.

This not the first time the U.S. government has criticised the Beijing authorities over the democracy issue both in the mainland and in the island of Hong Kong. The Chinese government has hard time digesting the criticism leveled at them. Beijing administration often insists that such comments are interference in its domestic policies. Kong Quan, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, was quoted by the Xinhua News Agency as responding to Mr. Boucher's comment on Hong Kong's political development. The Chinese spokesperson retorted to U.S. allegation as follows: "Hong Kong affairs (are) an internal issue of China, and the Chinese government firmly opposes any foreign government interference in the affairs of Hong Kong in any form." The Chinese official position is that the island's political structure should evolve in an orderly manner. In other words, Chinese government is in no mood to allow democracy in Hong Kong right away.

As I have mentioned earlier, Hong Kong, a former British colony, reverted to Chinese rule six years ago in 1997. Hong Kong is now a special administrative region of China governed under a doctrine known as "one country, two systems." Chairman Deng Xiaoping developed the doctrine under which the Chinese government has allowed it to operate semi-independently. Incidentally, Hong Kong runs a thriving stock market whose index "Hang Seng" is a barometer of the economy of the region and is widely followed by the financial analysts all over. The island is one of the financial nerve centers in the Far East only next to Tokyo. Thus, the Chinese authorities did not want to disturb the free market demeanor of Hong Kong.

The China-U.S. relationship -- politically, at least -- is reasonably stable for over two years, though the economic relationship between the two has become strenuous -- grown over a U.S. trade deficit, which is growing month after month. Incidentally, the Bush administration wants that Beijing float its currency.

Many western nations feel that the Chinese government is dragging its feet over the issue of how much democracy they should allow for the folks living in Hong Kong. It should be pointed out that Britain drew up the Basic Law with China before the handover to ensure the territory would have a high degree of autonomy under Chinese rule. Nonetheless, the constitution stipulates that Beijing has the final say over any electoral changes. In his policy address, Mr. Tung Chee-hwa made no mention of a timetable for public consultation on democratic reforms. That has angered many citizens and raising fears that any reforms would be dictated by Beijing. Incidentally, Mr. Boucher's statement was a near verbatim copy of comments made by deputy State Department spokesman Adam Ereli on January 2, 2004, that prompted a protest from the Chinese foreign ministry, which labeled the remarks "interference." Pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong are demanding the government and Beijing commit to a firm timetable for implementing political reforms, including direct elections of the island's next leader by 2007.

In summary, a war of words recently broke out between U.S. and China over the issue of democracy in Hong Kong. While America believes that the people of Hong Kong should have a right to choose their leader democratically, the Beijing authorities feel that it is an internal matter of China. They rather would delay the process and in their defence say that the island's political structure must evolve gradually. The bilateral relationship between America and China is not going to change because of the diplomatic skirmishes. This is a sideshow at its best. Notwithstanding the difference in views regarding Hong Kong's right to elect a governor democratically, both the U.S. and China need each other for maintaining a status quo in trade and investment. Lest we forget, China has become the leading trade partner of America.

Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah, is a researcher staying in New Orleans, USA.