Beijing's white paper lays down the red lines for Hong Kong | South China Morning Post
Andrew Leung
Andrew Leung says as well as sending a warning to Occupy Central supporters, the State Council's white paper also lays down the central government's red lines for Hong Kong on what it will not tolerate
As expected, the State Council's white paper on "one country, two systems" turned out to have the opposite effect to its intention. It offered a timely helping hand to Occupy Central organisers, and looks set to galvanise a bigger turnout for the annual July 1 march. Beijing is now becoming even more alarmed. A showdown looks likely.
The white paper has been widely condemned as trampling on Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy. But why at this juncture has Beijing's highest state organ seen fit to issue it, translated into seven languages? Trying to stem the Occupy Central momentum does not seem to be its only objective.
Perhaps it has one other purpose.
Reaffirming the constitutional safeguards for the "one country, two systems" formula, the white paper is a carefully thought-out response to emerging threats to Beijing's red lines under the Basic Law. It seems to have taken stock of the groundswell of anti-Beijing political undercurrents both inside and outside Hong Kong. While none of these red lines are being crossed, the risks are beginning to loom large.
The first red line is that "one country" must not be subverted by "two systems". A deliberately provocative, anti-Beijing, Hong Kong-centric identity seems to be fermenting. Beijing's worries are not helped by an attempt to break into the People's Liberation Army's local garrison. Nor is Beijing happy to see frequent waving of colonial-era flags during demonstrations.
Granted, vocal criticism of the Communist Party have been and will continue to be a welcome feature of Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, as will the city's accolade as a capital of public demonstrations. But any undercover attempt to engineer a Jasmine revolution in Hong Kong to overthrow the Communist Party would be a different matter.
Adding to Beijing's anxiety is Hong Kong's failure to get Article 23 of the Basic Law enacted, which safeguards national security, or to introduce national education, which would instil a greater sense of national identity.
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http://online.wsj.com/articles/hong-kong-lawyers-march-for-judicial-independence-1403873329
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