Opinion | For a better future, Hong Kong’s leaders must study China’s past

In the ‘struggle’ to safeguard national security, self-criticism is implicit. Yet Hong Kong politicians on both sides often fail to reflect on their actions

We need leaders who can, through studying history, assess the mood accurately and discern where Hong Kong’s evolution within China can lead

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A commemorative assembly marking the 110th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution is held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on September 23, 2021. Hong Kong’s continued prosperity depends on our leaders understanding China’s political psyche. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 8:15am, 23 Dec 2022

Hong Kong’s social upheaval only petered out under the double whammy of a transplanted national security law and the Covid-19 pandemic. As pre-pandemic life resumes, we will return to Hong Kong’s political evolution.

Politicians in Hong Kong could learn from Winston Churchill’s observation that in history lie all the secrets of statecraft. Or from Henry Kissinger’s book, Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy, in which he writes that great leaders must be able to withstand solitude, sustained only through studying history.

Several recent cases illustrate our politicians’ deficiencies.

Media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s sedition trial features a saga over him hiring a British barrister. Ahead of the Court of Final Appeal’s judgment, several pro-government politicians called for a National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee interpretation on the case.

In pre-empting the court’s authority and, indeed, the NPC’s decision, these politicians forget that history shows the NPC does not interpret Hong Kong law lightly, doing so on only five occasions in 25 years. Perhaps they oversimplified Beijing’s call to safeguard national security, misunderstanding terms used by the leadership such as “struggle” as Beijing encouraging them to further extend local political extremities.

Lai’s supporters have continued their cheerleading, sensing the possibility to embarrass Beijing internationally. Ironically, this farce has allowed Lai’s political enemies to reiterate that Hong Kong is unable to safeguard national security.