Forget the pessimism, says German diplomat, most people would envy what the city has achieved
STUART LAUstuart.lau@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Friday, 28 August, 2015, 12:00am
UPDATED : Friday, 28 August, 2015, 12:00am
Nikolaus Graf Lambsdorff, in his Admiralty office, has a message for his countrymen - "Don't forget about Hong Kong. Don't forget Asia."Photo: Dickson Lee
Nikolaus Graf Lambsdorff had two images of Hong Kong before he arrived as Germany's top envoy two years ago.
"In Hong Kong, it's mostly about making money and spending money. They [Hongkongers] are not really interested in politics," he tells the South China Morning Post.
"The first, of course, is very true. The second could hardly be further from the truth."
This latter point was confirmed for the 61-year-old diplomat when tens of thousands of people camped out last year in Admiralty - where his office is located - and staged an unprecedented 79-day protest in a failed pursuit of greater democracy.
"If you look at the past 17, 18 years, Hong Kong has done a pretty good job - despite all the criticism. I'm aware of the daily discussions and debates in an open society like Hong Kong. Sometimes it helps to look at the results," he says.
"It's not so bad for Hong Kong. Most people would envy what Hong Kong has achieved."
He calls "one country, two systems" a "brilliant idea" - but says it would be premature to discuss how it should develop past the 50-year lifespan when it expires in 2047.
"Usually when you run out of subjects to discuss over dinner, in America you start to discuss who will become the next president. Here, the typical question is what will happen in 2047."
His own country offers a good lesson on how quickly things can happen in politics.
"I remember 30 years ago, when we were all in Bonn, I wasn't alone in wondering if I would see this [German reunification] ever in my lifetime. And then all of a sudden it happened. This was 25 years ago.
"For the next generation, my son, 28 years old, when I talk to him about the Berlin Wall coming down and the German unification, he starts rolling his eyes and says: 'Oh, here we go again. These old stories.' For him, that's the most natural thing that there is a united Germany."
The year 2047, he concludes, "is a long, long time to go. I only know many things will happen that none of us has ever expected. That's the only thing for sure".
To a seasoned diplomat like Graf Lambsdorff - who has served in two ambassadorial roles, in Moldova and as a special envoy for Southeast Europe, Turkey and the European Free Trade Association states - Hongkongers' public sentiments could hardly escape his attention.
"There was a lot of pessimism here in Hong Kong. I thought that was vastly exaggerated," he says, commenting on the fear of Hong Kong being marginalised amid overall Chinese development.
"I'm still quite optimistic insofar as Hong Kong's future is concerned, provided Hong Kong continues to play to its well-known strengths."
In less than two months, Germany will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of reunification. The historic event took place about a year after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, at a time when Beijing authorities used the military to suppress student-led protesters, resulting in the Tiananmen Square bloodshed.
On the diplomat's official bookshelf - apart from a few Hong Kong official documents - stands a leaflet by the city's unofficial June 4 Museum.
The very day when the Berlin Wall fell remains vivid in Graf Lambsdorff's mind. Already a career diplomat, he was posted in Jakarta as a press officer in an era of minimal telecommunications.
"My mother-in-law called and said she was crying [as] the wall came down. My first remark was - I know this sounds awful - 'Yes, and I'm the emperor of China.' I didn't believe a word. I had not heard anything. The [newspaper] had a special edition, but I still thought it was nonsense."
Jakarta was where Graf Lambsdorff started his hobby of golfing, perhaps not surprising given the lack of television or the internet. He grew so fond of the sport he even has a portable golfing machine set in his Admiralty office.
Reflecting on the current problems in Europe, he says: "Germany is located at the centre of Europe. We are the strongest of EU member states. With that comes a lot of responsibility. Whenever there is a crisis, people look to us."
That in part explains why German politicians seem too preoccupied to look East in their diplomatic endeavours.
He says: "One of the things that I try to explain to my own countrymen: 'Don't forget about Hong Kong. Don't forget about Asia'."
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1853172/im-optimistic-about-future-if-hong-kong-plays-its
