Opinion

How Hong Kong and Beijing can pick up the pieces after months of tumult

Fearing the loss of Hong Kong to a separatist movement fuelled by foreign interference, China is determined to act tough even if it risks alienating the man in the street

Hong Kong must secure both Beijing’s trust and international confidence, while China’s leaders need to figure out Hong Kong’s value to the nation

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Anthony Cheung Bing-leung is chair professor and adviser in public administration at the Education University of Hong Kong and a former secretary for transport and housing (2012-17).

Published: 8:30am, 13 Oct 2020Updated: 8:30am, 13 Oct 2020

On October 1 last year, when the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China was celebrated, Hong Kong experienced one of its most violent and chaotic days.

At the end of the month, the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee pledged to govern the city in strict accordance with the constitution and Basic Law and to establish a sound legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security. That marked a major turning point for Hong Kong.

Central supervision of the local government has since been tightened and a tailor-made national security law imposed. A new era emphasising “one country” has dawned. One year on, while violent protests have somewhat subsided, the city is still in search of a solution to its political conundrum.

With the national security law, optimists hope for the end of disorder and arrival of a “second transition”, while pessimists worry about the erosion of the city’s autonomy and freedom. Such starkly opposing sentiments point to the same sad reality where past assumptions behind the “one country, two systems” framework no longer apply.