Carrie Lam, China-Hong Kong Dual System and the Struggle for Autonomy: A Diplomatic Analysis

Abstract

Carrie Lam, the fourth Chief Executive was “Too Pro-China” to insist on the autonomy or enhance the struggle of Hong Kong for autonomy as proposed by the 1997 China’s promises to the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and the international community, that it would operate a “One Nation-Two Systems” for fifty years, ending in 2047. The last twenty-five years have been characterized by broken promises, failed covenants, unnecessary political meddling, judicial undercutting, press gagging and restrictions on freedom of speech leading to protests, advocacy, instability and political tension in the territory. The UK which should have intervened by reminding China of the July 1, 1997 pledges and accord and in absolute terms compel China to uphold the agreements, has been burdened by socio-political, economic and domestic challenges. China has taken advantage of UK’s domestic problems and political instability to violate the agreements over Hong Kong. This article argues that the people of Hong Kong were aware of/already sensed a consistent decline in China’s resolve to allow freedom of speech, democracy, freedom of the press, uninterrupted judicial process, fundamental human rights and the British educational system. This article concludes that while the UK kept her promise to transfer HK to China after Ninety-Nine years (1898-1997). China has refused to keep to the post transfer treaty. The covenant of fifty years has been broken almost immediately after it was signed. The UK on the other hand has broken the ethical/moral covenant to keep China on the covenant lane. Aside pockets of condemnations, no sanctions have been recommended or applied for failure or default by China. This paper is essentially a field research with reliance on primary and secondary sources of data in published outlets such as journals and online articles, newspaper interviews, and books. Its scope is limited to issue and content analysis of Hong Kong’s struggle to make China keep her promises. The study adopts the Kant’s Struggle for Autonomy as a theoretical guide. It captures the essence of the struggles in Hong Kong.