[Correspondent Column] Xi Jinping's Hong Kong Visit as a Rehearsal for Ending 'One Country, Two Systems'

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] At 0:00 on July 1, 2047, at the Hong Kong Island Convention Center, the March of the Volunteers, the national anthem of the People's Republic of China (China), is played as the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Golden Bauhinia flag, is lowered. Then, the Chinese national flag, the Five-star Red Flag, is slowly raised. Only the Five-star Red Flag flutters in the venue. This is the scene of the end of Hong Kong's 'One Country, Two Systems' 25 years from now.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Hong Kong is a place with a dark history for China. After the Qing Dynasty was defeated in the First Opium War, it signed the Treaty of Nanjing with Britain in 1842. At that time, Hong Kong Island was handed over to Britain. After losing the Second Opium War, the Qing Dynasty suffered the humiliation of losing the Kowloon Peninsula across Hong Kong Island to Britain. In 1898, it also gave Britain the right to lease the New Territories north of the Kowloon Peninsula until 1997.

More than 80 years later, in 1982, the Iron Lady, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, visited China. This was when many Western democratic countries were visiting China one after another following the US-China diplomatic normalization in January 1979. China's reform and opening-up was a boon to Western capitalist countries.

Facing Thatcher was China's top leader Deng Xiaoping. Deng demanded the return of Hong Kong to China during Thatcher's visit. Britain offered to return only the New Territories, but China demanded Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories. Britain insisted on returning the Hong Kong territory but maintaining administration.

At this time, Deng Xiaoping proposed the plausible plan of One Country, Two Systems to Britain. China and Britain eventually signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration (Hong Kong Handover Agreement) to return Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, and maintain One Country, Two Systems for 50 years after the handover.

Five years after the handover, in 2002, China attempted to enact the Hong Kong National Security Law (Security Law). Hong Kong residents, fearing repression of anti-China figures, staged large-scale protests, and the Chinese government, conscious of overseas public opinion, stepped back.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

In 2014, large-scale protests erupted again. When China tried to reform the election system (direct election) so that only pro-China figures could run for Hong Kong Chief Executive, Hong Kong citizens took to the streets again. The Hong Kong democracy movement, known as the Umbrella Movement, occurred. Protests also took place in 2018 and 2019. When the Chinese government pushed to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance (Extradition Law), Hong Kong citizens fiercely resisted again, fearing abuse of the law. In 2020, the National People's Congress (NPC) of China directly enacted the Hong Kong Security Law. Since the Hong Kong Legislative Council could not enact the Security Law, the NPC enacted and passed it instead.

Last year, a law that completely shook the framework of One Country, Two Systems was passed. The NPC passed an election law applying the principle of 'Patriots governing Hong Kong' (愛國者治港, Aegukja Chihang) instead of 'Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong' (港人治港, Hangin Chihang). The revised election law is essentially One Country, One System rather than One Country, Two Systems. In fact, in the Hong Kong Chief Executive election held last May, John Lee, the Hong Kong Security Secretary who led the harsh crackdown during the 2019 Hong Kong democracy protests, was elected.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover event on July 1 next month. He will also attend the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected Chief Executive under the revised election law and receive an oath of loyalty. This visit by President Xi is his first to Hong Kong in five years since the 20th anniversary of the handover in 2017. It is also his first external activity since the COVID-19 pandemic. President Xi's visit to Hong Kong signifies that Hong Kong is part of mainland China.

It is hard to shake the thought that this 25th anniversary handover event is a rehearsal that brings forward by 25 years the end of One Country, Two Systems on July 1, 2047.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.