Five weeks ago students in Hong Kong began peacefully protesting the powers of the Communist Party in Beijing, demanding a democratic process to elect their new leader. If you haven’t been following this story or feel confused, Her Campus Bucknell summed it up for you.
Hong Kong used to be a British Colony and was returned to China in 1997. The agreement between China and Britain was that China could govern Hong Kong under the principle of “one country, two systems,” meaning that Hong Kong would be considered Chinese territory, but basically play by their own rules. Hong Kong implements their own legal system and the leaders work to protect certain liberties such as freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. They are usually considered autonomous, and can make their own decisions—just as long as they don’t make too much noise.
Two main groups, Occupy Central and the Hong Kong Federation of students, have recently been making a lot of noise, upsetting the Communist powers of China. The students are pushing for electoral reform, demanding a more representative way to choose leaders. The current leader of Hong Kong, the chief executive, is currently chosen by a 1,200 member election committee. Most of the members of this committee are viewed as pro-Beijing or Communist Party supporters. The Chinese government promised that Hong Kong could hold direct elections for chief executive by 2017, but recently changed the rules. The new rules, voted active in August 2014, say that the people will only get to choose from a list of two or three candidates who would be previously selected by a nominating committee. Democratic activists are upset by this idea because they think that the committee will be comprised of mainly Communist party sympathizers. Therefore, activists are concerned that the elections won’t really be free.
These protests gained a lot of attention worldwide, especially from Western countries that get giddy whenever they hear about the rise of a new democracy. As Americans, it’s sometimes easy to judge other situations with our own biases in mind. It is clear that for us, a liberal democracy is the best form of government in terms of American’s culture and values. Since the birth of our nation we have always praised freedom and individual expression. Although I love and appreciate the culture and government we experience here in America, the culture of China is much different than ours—and democracy (at least at the moment) may not be the solution.
After speaking with one of my professors, who happens to be from Beijing, I learned that there might be two sides to this story. I began to chat with him about what’s going on in his home country and before I even finished, he rolled his eyes. “It’s ridiculous,” he said while rubbing his head, “a young person challenging the government is unheard of in China.” He began to explain to me how deeply rooted the idea of “elderly respect” is in China. This cultural norm began with the old Confucian dedication to filial piety, or respect for ones parents. This respect carries over to society, where it has always been unacceptable to speak out against elders. Although we may not agree with this opinion, it is how a large portion of Chinese society thinls. Pro-Beijing groups such as the Silent Majority for Hong Kong and the Caring Hong Kong Power have emerged and argued that the pro-democracy groups are endangering the city and creating unnecessary problems. They suggest that the protests could damage Hong Kong’s peaceful reputation, hurt the economy, and pose a threat to its relationship with China. The current chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, supports Beijing’s new election proposal and says that any change to create more freedom is a step forward for the development of Hong Kong’s society.
I’m not sure what lens to use when viewing this issue, but I think the most important part of analyzing any situation involves knowing all sides of the argument. So I leave it up to you: Should Hong Kong students and pro-democracy activists continue to push for more liberal election laws? Or, should they be happy for what the Communist Party has already conceded? Stay tuned on your Asia Pacific news, gather all the necessary information, and choose which side you would support if you were a Chinese citizen.