Former governor Chris Patten, democracy activists Joshua Wong and Martin Lee, and Causeway Bay bookseller Lam Wing-kee called on the United States to safeguard Hong Kong’s autonomy yesterday during a US Congressional hearing.
The democracy advocates had been invited to speak to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and assess Hong Kong’s development in the 20 years after the handover.
Appearing through video teleconference, Patten criticized China for breaching the Joint Declaration by . Referring to China’s assertion that “what happens in Hong Kong is nobody else’s affair”, Patten stressed that the Joint Declaration was an international treaty and thus of international interest.
“It’s perfectly clear that Hong Kong has not been given what it was promised by the new sovereign power.” As an international trading and economic hub, Hong Kong’s government and balance between its economical and political freedom was “plainly a matter of considerable interest to the rest of the international community”, Patten said. “Britain has every right to interfere.”
“If China can’t even handle the reasonable democratic aspirations it promised to do of people in Hong Kong [in the Joint Declaration], it doesn’t give one a huge amount of confidence to its ability to handle wider issues.”
He went on to criticize the Hong Kong government for “cutting off” any dialogue with the pro-democracy movement, using as an example Chief Executive-elect Carrie Lam, whom he accused of showing no interest in negotiating with student protest leaders during the mass Occupy rallies of 2014.
Patten called on Chinese president Xi Jinping “to put people’s hearts and minds at rest” during his anticipated visit for the handover celebrations and reassure Hongkongers that the city’s autonomy and way of life would remain unchanged until 2047.
Meanwhile, Wong, one of the leaders at 2014’s Occupy movement, said that “One Country, Two Systems” would be no more if China’s grip on Hong Kong continues to tighten. Wong spoke of “massive political prosecution [sic]” to “pave the way” for the 20th handover anniversary celebrations. “The government intends to disqualify democratically-elected lawmakers in the opposition camp […]. Unfortunately, Hong Kong remains far from a democracy after the Umbrella Movement.”
Wong called for support from the Trump administration, saying that support from the U.S. was crucial to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp. “Some people may think [the movement] is a failure because we can’t achieve the goal of universal suffrage, but I am here to tell you today that the spirit of the movement is in the heart of Hong Kong people. That’s why I have been trying to gather more support at the international level by strengthening our collaboration around the world,” the student activist said.
“I started my fight for democracy six years ago when I was 14. The Father of Hong Kong’s Democracy, Martin Lee, is turning 79 years old this year, after four decades of struggle. I wonder, if I come to the age of 79, will I be able to see democracy?” he added.
Lee, a veteran pro-democracy activist, former legislator and esteemed lawyer, said the “two systems” part of “One Country, Two Systems” wouldn’t be fully realized until Hongkongers become the “masters of our own house” by winning the right to democratic elections.
The barrister also highlighted a warning made by China Liaison Office’s legal chief Wang Zhenmin over the weekend, in which he said further calls for independence would threaten the existing “One Country, Two Systems” policy, describing the statement was “deeply unwise” as it would undoubtedly spark further protests.
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China monitors China’s human rights and rule of law developments. The Commission proposed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in 2015 after the disappearance of Lam and his fellow booksellers.
Beijing mouthpieces Ta Kung Pao and the Global Times, as well as local newspaper Oriental Daily, immediately commented on the hearing, calling Wong and Lee “race traitors” who had “badmouthed” Hong Kong and accusing the United States’ of malice for inviting them to speak at Congress.
Read the full transcripts of the hearing here.
Reader Interactions