From: Wing Ng <wing@pegasus.com>
Subject:      Re: Reply to comments about HK democracy
Reply-To: Wing Ng <wing@pegasus.com>
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1992 00:31:03 GMT
Comments: To: C0370@UNIVSCVM.CSD.SCAROLINA.EDU,
          I990002@UNIVSCVM.CSD.SCAROLINA.EDU,
          N280014@UNIVSCVM.CSD.SCAROLINA.EDU,
          T290164@UNIVSCVM.CSD.SCAROLINA.EDU, B118789@VAX.CSC.CUHK.HK,
          china-nt@uga.cc.uga.edu, members@ahkcus.org

Diane Liang writes:
> Wing Ng writes:
> >There is no question that the British acted with colonial master
> >superiority up to about 20 years ago.  But things change,
> >situation progressed, as HK became more developed and
> >internationalized, as HK Chinese take over the economic power
> >in HK.
> >
>     Yes,  things  are changing in HK,  but complaints about  ill-
>     treatment  are     still around.  One of the examples is  the
>     unfair business in bidding     for the airport contracts.

Unfair in assigning airport contracts, definitely true.

>     Mak  Ging  Tai  said that "HK is a free and open  society  in
>     almost  any      sense of the word".  Then  why  couldn't  HK
>     Chinese   choose  a  more  democratic      system  until  the
>     merciful  British  governor suddenly handed over  a  proposal
>     out  of  his  whim?  Is  that proposal  good  enough  for  HK

HK is free and open, BUT does not have a democratic political system.
Since the Join Declaration of 1984, PRC has been obstructing develop-
ment of dem. in HK every step of the way.  And it reacts with
unprecedented fury over minor reform proposals by the British
governor that definitely does not conflict with the Joint Decl.
or the Basic Law for HK.  PRC can only say the proposals conflict
in spirit.  If you talk "spirit", you can say 1+1 = 2 conflicts with
the "spirit", it is vague and completely malleable.

>     citizens?  I  think      HK people deserve  more  than  that,
>     considering   their  advanced  education      and   developed
>     economy.  Democracy  should  not  be offered  by  a  colonial
>     ruler,   rather,  it  should  be  chosen  by  the  people.  A
>     democratic HK is the hope of the whole China, indeed.

My personal thought is that when China democratizes in the future,
it might emulate the HK model, just like with south China turns
capitalistic, it takes the "Hong Kong Road".  Yes, a successful
democracy in HK is a beacon of hope of all China, that's why we
in the HK dem. movement take this current dispute very seriously
indeed.

> >The "race" question is quite different in HK than in America.
> >In America, blacks and whites are stuck with each other.  In HK,
> >most British are there on assignment temporarily and those cannot
> >stand the local Chinese can always leave and go back to U.K.
> >
>
>     One  simple question:  are those Brits superior to HK Chinese
>     in the     sense that they have a lot of privileges in  doing
>     business?

No, only in the case of govt. contracts, and certain regulated
industries like banks.

And even those Brits in HK are doing business smarter than those
in U.K. because of the good busienss climate, I suppose.  British
businesses in HK, like Cathay Airways and Hong Kong Bank, are on
the whole rather successful.

>     The  disbute  between UK and China is much  more  complicated
>     than  the     the issue you mentioned here.  I don't  see  an

I don't think it is "much more complicated".  CCP is just so
allergic to the d-word.

>     easy  solution  here.     But I really hope HK will become  a
>     model for Mainland to copy in her future development.
>
> >Wing
>
> Diane

I do hope so.  And thanks for your encouragement.

Wing
Newsgroups: talk.politics.china