Abstract
This chapter analyzes the process and outcome of the third round of constitutional reform concerning the selection method for the Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The author argues that the risk-free approach adopted by the Central Government in Beijing and the radicalization of the opposition alliance in Hong Kong contributed to the impasse over constitutional reform. The failed political negotiation best illustrates two major challenges to Hong Kong’s democratization: the Central Government’s perception of and reaction to political risks and the fragmentation of oppositions in Hong Kong as conditioned by the local electoral system. As such, the prospect of constitutional reform in the future will very much depend on changing conditions underlying these two challenges.
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Notes
- 1.
Article 43 and Article 45, the Basic Law.
- 2.
Article 45, the Basic Law.
- 3.
Article 5, the Basic Law.
- 4.
Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Issues Relating to the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and for Forming the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the Year 2012 and on Issues Relating to Universal Suffrage (Adopted at the Thirty First Session of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People’s Congress on 29 December 2009), http://www.basiclaw.gov.hk/tc/basiclawtext/index.html (accessed 18 May 2016).
- 5.
Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, The Interpretation by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of Article 7 of Annex I and Article III of Annex II to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (Adopted at the Eight Session of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People’s Congress on 6 April 2004), http://www.basiclaw.gov.hk/en/basiclawtext/index.html (accessed on 18 May 2016).
- 6.
Ibid.
- 7.
Occupy Central with Peace and Love, “manifesto”, http://oclp.hk/index.php?route=occupy/book_detail&book_id=11 (accessed 18 May 2016).
- 8.
Alliance for True Democracy, “Proposals for universal suffrage”, http://www.atd.hk/?page_id=38 (accessed 18 May 2016).
- 9.
Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong, “Speeches of Qiao Xiaoyang at the Forum with Selected member of Legislative Council” (in Chinese), http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/china/2016/05/160519_china_zhangdejiang_hk_politics (accessed April 17, 2017).
- 10.
Alliance for True Democracy, “Proposals for universal suffrage”, http://www.atd.hk/?page_id=177 (accessed 18 May 2016).
- 11.
Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Issues Relating to the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Region by Universal Suffrage and on the Method for Forming the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the Year 2016 (In Chinese), http://www.2017.gov.hk/en/decision/index.html (accessed on 18 May 2016).
- 12.
Chun-ying Leung, “Seek Change Maintain Stability Serve the People with Pragmatism”, http://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/2013/eng/ (accessed 18 May 2016).
- 13.
Ta Kung Pao, 6 May, 2014. http://news.takungpao.com/hkol/politics/2014-05/2479327.html (accessed 18 May 2016).
- 14.
The Hong Kong SAR Government, “Method for Selecting the Chief Executive by Universal Suffrage Consultation Report and Proposals”, http://www.2017.gov.hk/en/second/report.html (accessed 18 May 2016).
- 15.
Nanzao.com, June 18, 2015, http://www.nanzao.com/tc/hk-macau-tw/14e050f45b7586e/28-zan-cheng-8-fan-dui-0-qi-quan-li-fa-hui-fou-jue-2017-te-shou-pu-xuan-zheng-gai-fang-an (accessed 18 May 2016).
- 16.
Wen Wei Po, 22 November, 2012. http://paper.wenweipo.com/2012/11/22/PL1211220007.htm (accessed 18 May 2016).
- 17.
China Review News, 9 December 2012. http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1023/3/1/5/102331521.html (accessed 18 May 2016).
- 18.
Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Issues Relating to the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Region by Universal Suffrage and on the Method for Forming the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the Year 2016 (In Chinese), http://www.2017.gov.hk/en/decision/index.html (accessed on 18 May 2016).
- 19.
Path of Democracy, http://pathofdemocracy.org/%e6%b9%af%e5%ae%b6%e9%a9%8a-%e6%94%bf%e6%94%b9%e5%a4%b1%e6%95%97-%e6%89%80%e7%82%ba%e4%bd%95%e5%9b%a0/ (accessed 18 May 2016).
- 20.
Inmediahk.net, June 24, 2013. http://www.inmediahk.net/node/1017063 (accessed 18 May 2016).
- 21.
Hong Kong Students Union Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/hkusupage/posts/682252188499949 (accessed 18 May 2016).
- 22.
Civic Party, “Manifesto Commemorating the 10th Anniversary”, http://www.civicparty.hk/?q=node/7025 (accessed 18 May 2016).
References
Books and Journal Articles
Lau, Siu Kai. 2014. Hong Kong’s Unique Path to Democracy. Hong Kong: Commercial Press (Hong Kong) (in Chinese).
Lau, Siu Kai.. 2015. The Implementation of the One Country Two Systems in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Commercial Press (Hong Kong) (in Chinese).
Li, Xiaohui. 2013. “Discussion on the Struggle over the Governing Power and the Path to Consensual Politics Concerning the Development of Political System in Hong Kong.” Hong Kong and Macau Studies. June. (in Chinese).
Poon, Kit.. 2008. The Political Future of Hong Kong: Democracy within Communist China. London: Routledge.
Zhu, Shihai. 2015. “Candidates for the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Will of the Central Government.” Hong Kong and Macau Studies. January. (in Chinese).
Documents
The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.
Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Issues Relating to the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and for Forming the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the Year 2012 and on Issues Relating to Universal Suffrage (Adopted at the Thirty First Session of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People’s Congress on 29 December 2009).
The Interpretation by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of Article 7 of Annex I and Article III of Annex II to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (Adopted at the Eight Session of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People’s Congress on 6 April 2004).
Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Issues Relating to the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Region by Universal Suffrage and on the Method for Forming the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the Year 2016 (in Chinese).
Websites
Occupy Central with Peace and Love, http://oclp.hk.
Alliance for True Democracy, http://www.atd.hk.
Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong, http://www.locpg.hk.
The Constitution and Mainland Affairs Bureau, http://www.2017.gov.hk
Path of Democracy, http://pathofdemocracy.org.
Hong Kong Students Union Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/hkusupage.
Civic Party, http://www.civicparty.hk.
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Poon, K. (2018). The Impasse Over Constitutional Reform: Negotiating Democracy in Hong Kong. In: Fong, B., Lui, TL. (eds) Hong Kong 20 Years after the Handover. Studies in the Political Economy of Public Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51373-7_1
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