Hong Kong vs China: Why Are These Protests In Hong Kong?


The last couple of weeks, protests in Hong Kong have been making all the headlines, but most of us are unaware of why exactly they are taking place. It's a massive issue, and the answer isn't quite as simple as you might imagine.

The protest has been going for several months. This is not all happening in a vacuum. There are a lot of important reasons behind it which stretches back to several years.

Let's start with a little bit of background check. 

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region controlled by The People's Republic of China, and it enjoys limited autonomy as defined by the Basic Law. 

The concept of ''one country, two systems'' allow socialism and capitalism to coexist under ''one country'', which is mainland China. The deal was agreed back in 1984, and in 1997, Hong Kong officially came under the principle of ''one country, two systems''.

Beijing basically leads the chain of command while Hong Kong retains its own money, passport, immigration channels, and legal system. 

Things Are Changing


Things are changing, Hong Kong still enjoys the freedom which is not seen in mainland China, but people state that there is a growing influence of China in the internal matter. There are several examples as per Right Group, few of which are listed below: 

• Legal rulings that have disqualified pro-democracy legislators. 
• Disappearance of Hong Kong booksellers, and a tycoon - all re-emerged in custody in China. 
• Artists and writers are pressurised to self-censor.
• Journalist was barred from entering Hong Kong for hosting an event that featured an independent activist. 

But the main evident point has been democratic reform. 

Hong Kong's leader, the chief executive, is currently elected by a 1,200-member election committee - a mostly pro-Beijing body chosen by just 6% of eligible voters. Not all the 70 members of the territory's lawmaking body, the Legislative Council, are directly chosen by Hong Kong's voters. Most seats not directly elected are occupied by pro-Beijing lawmakers. Some elected members have even been disbarred after Beijing issued a controversial legal ruling that effectively disqualified them. (cited from BCC)
Back in 2014, the Chinese government stated that it would allow voters to choose their leaders from a list approved by a pro-Beijing committee, but people called this a ''sham democracy''. 

People Are Unhappy

Hong Kong's citizens are very unhappy about high housing and living standards. Plus the majority of the people don't identify themselves as Chinese. According to data, most identify themselves as Hong Kongers while around 11 per cent call themselves ''Chinese''. The data shows that more than 70 per cent are not happy or proud of being Chinese citizens. 

With people especially youth unhappy, there has been a rise in anti-mainland Chinese sentiment in Hong Kong in recent years. Some young activists have even called for Hong Kong's independence from China, something that alarms the Beijing government. Protesters feel the extradition bill if passed, would bring the territory closer under China's control.

What Are The Protesters Demands? 


The protest has been going for several months and seen all kinds: peaceful marches, widespread strike, and clashes and vandalism. This year protest began in March, but it picked up in June. The protest was sparked by widespread opposition to a now-shelved extradition bill, but there is demand for full democracy and police accountability. 

In general, five main demands have emerged: 

• Withdraw the bill
• Leader Carrie Lam to step down
• Inquiry into police brutality
• Those who have been arrested to be released
• Greater Democratic Freedoms

The protest has plunged the city into its biggest political crisis in decades and poses the most serious popular challenge to President Xi Jinping since he came to power.

- Asia And World News 4U

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