The President of China now likes what he sees in Hong Kong
Tom Cheshire
Correspondent in Asia @chesh China had promised to keep the Hong Kong way of life unchanged until 2047. Critics say that ended 25 years earlier, with the draconian national security rule and the crushing of the dispute. But Mr Xi’s speech was astonishing in his long-term view of “One country, two systems”. “Hong Kong and Macao will have to maintain their capitalist system for a long time, with a high level of autonomy,” said the Chinese president. This suggests that One Country, Two Systems can last beyond the 2047 expiration date. Because, as Mr. Xi looks at Hong Kong, he now likes what he sees, what the National Security Act has achieved. In 2017, on his first visit to Hong Kong as a Chinese leader, his tone was much more belligerent. “Any attempt to jeopardize China’s sovereignty and security, to challenge the power of the central government, or to use Hong Kong to infiltrate and sabotage the mainland is an act that crosses the red line and is “It is absolutely unacceptable,” he said. afterward. He now believes that the “challenge” is gone. And the streets of Hong Kong attest to that. In 2017, after Xi’s speech, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets, demanding greater democracy. Five years later, the streets are silent.
