A white paper issued by the Central Government threatened Hong Kong’s autonomy devalued the Basic Law sparking demonstrations and outrage in Hong Kong.
The paper emphasised that the high degree of autonomy enjoyed by Hong Kong is subject to the central government’s authorisation and even if in future the city can choose a leader via universal suffrage, that leader needs to be loyal to the country.
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying says the white paper is in line with the Basic Law however, protestors and lawmakers believe that Beijing is treating the Basic Law like toilet paper and twisting the definition of one country, two systems, reports the SCMP.
Lawmakers and Occupy Central co-organiser Benny Tai claims that Beijing’s message in the white paper is nothing new and is intended to scare Hong Kong residents.
