Hong Kong Elections: “One Country, Two Systems”

On September 5, Hong Kong announced the winners for its Legislative Council, otherwise known as LegCo, that functions as its main legislative body. The council is in charge of enacting laws, budget planning, and judicial appointments. Election turnout was at a groundbreaking high, reaching 58 percent, and caused numerous traffic interruptions across the city as voters sought to cast their ballots. Since 2014, Hong Kong has been charged with protests in response to pro-Beijing policies of voter reform. The Umbrella movement, a pro-democracy political movement involving thousands of protesters in Hong Kong, signified the public’s desire for freedoms not found within mainland China. This most recent election further proved that Hong Kong is leaning towards a more democratic approach: six of the seventy members of LegCo were elected from left wing, independence-minded parties. Many of these new legislators -- including 23-year-old Nathan Law, Hong Kong’s youngest politician-- have served as leaders within the Umbrella movement. Hailed as the “new generation,” these legislators indicate the popularity of social reform within the city.

Chinese authorities tend to deal with self-determination movements with a crushing sense of autonomy. However, unlike in areas such as Tibet and Xinjiang, the government within Hong Kong takes a different approach. When Beijing signed an agreement with the British in 1997 in order to regain sovereignty over Hong Kong, its policy of socialism was banned from the region. According to the agreement, Hong Kong’s capitalist system and freedoms were to be kept intact for the next fifty years. However, the time limit of this agreement is quickly approaching, with no promise of the deal being upheld past the year 2047.

The foundation of LegCo itself is also questionable at best. Thirty seats are reserved for “functional constituencies,” or industries which are linked to mainland China, and Hong Kong voters may not directly cast a ballot for these seats. As such, pro-Beijing supporters won forty seats, forming enough of a majority to block major constitutional reform.

In mainland China, the election was given minimal coverage, reflecting Beijing’s unhappiness with the outcome of the election. Foreign news stations were blocked and social media concerning the pro-democrats was also censored. In the face of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and the victory of the Philippines in the IJC, any form of rebellion within China could be perceived to weaken its central government. The possibility of an independent Hong Kong in the future may be the stuff of dreams. However, the public’s strong desire for protection of their freedoms is reflected in political momentum and is something that Beijing cannot take lightly.