Washington raises concerns about recent developments including the missing booksellers saga and Alibaba’s acquisition of the South China Morning Post
NG KANG-CHUNG
UPDATED : Thursday, 12 May, 2016, 9:07pm
Recent events have stoked concerns about Hong Kong losing its autonomy, the report said.
The United States has raised concerns that Hong Kong’s autonomy is being eroded under expanded influence and interference from Beijing.
The assertion was made in the US Department of State’s latest Hong Kong Policy Act Report released on Wednesday, which covered the period from April last year to February.
The report highlighted, among other “significant developments” in Hong Kong, the mysterious disappearances of five booksellers linked to a Causeway Bay shop selling titles critical of the central government, the rejection by the University of Hong Kong of the appointment of pro-democracy professor Johannes Chan Man-mun as pro-vice-chancellor, as well as the acquisition of the South China Morning Post by mainland e-commerce giant Alibaba.
Three of the 11 paragraphs under a section entitled “Significant Developments” are devoted to the Causeway Bay bookstore saga.
The report noted “many Hong Kong residents and international observers expressed deep concern that mainland security services had abducted [Causeway Bay Books owner Lee Po] across the border against his will”.
“[These cases] have raised concerns in Hong Kong and represent what appears to be the most significant breach of the ‘one country, two systems’ policy since 1997,” the report said.
It also noted that the British government “for the first time declared a breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration” in February.
On Alibaba’s acquisition of the Post, the report said “Alibaba’s executive vice-chairman [Joseph Tsai] said the firm aimed to counter ‘negative’ coverage of China in the international media”.
In an interview with the Post in December, Tsai stressed the importance of objective reporting when asked about a possible conflict between the Post’s editorial independence and the business interests of Alibaba.
“A lot of journalists working with ... Western media organisations may not agree with the system of governance in China and that taints their view of coverage,” Tsai said. “We see things differently. We believe things should be presented as they are. Present facts, tell the truth – and that is the principle we are going to operate on.”
The report also touched on the Mong Kok riot in February, saying it was “roundly condemned” by “a broad spectrum of Hong Kong society”.
Washington was satisfied “Hong Kong had maintained a sufficient degree of autonomy under the ‘one country, two systems’ model to justify continued special treatment by the US for bilateral agreements and programmes”.
But it added: “Events over the past year, however, raised concerns that greater central government influence and interference are eroding Hong Kong’s autonomy.”
In a statement, a spokesman for the Hong Kong government said: “Since the return to the motherland, Hong Kong has been exercising a high degree of autonomy and ‘Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong’ in accordance with the Basic Law.
“This demonstrates the successful implementation of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, which is widely recognised by the international community.
“Foreign governments should not interfere in any form in the internal affairs of Hong Kong.”
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1944446/us-report-highlights-worries-about-hong-kongs-autonomy-being
