Hong Kong Dream, Taiwan Dream, Chinese Dream

Hong Kong Dream, Taiwan Dream, Chinese Dream
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
August 25, 2014

Summary: We are convinced that Hong Kong's increasing freedom, openness, and democracy will benefit the whole of China and ethnic Chinese the world over. We hope that Beijing and the pan-democrats will safeguard Hong Kong's stability, promote democracy in Hong Kong, demonstrate mutual tolerance, dissolve their differences, and broaden their consensus. Allow the people of Hong Kong to fully express themselves, arrive at a reasonable reform package, expand the Hong Kong Government's support base, and stabilize society, enabling Hong Kong's democracy to move forward step by step. Allow Hong Kong to continue serving as Mainland China's free port for reform and liberalization. Allow it to become a model for Taiwan and Mainland reintegration. The Hong Kong Dream, and the Taiwan Dream must become key links in the the China Dream.

Full Text Below:

Hong Kong encompasses a mere 1104 square kilometers. It is a small place. But it has played a special role in modern and contemporary Chinese history. Ethnically, emotionally, culturally, and even in terms of sovereignty, Hong Kong is definitely a part of China.

But Hong Kong is also one of China's "special regions." It has played a special role in modern and contemporary Chinese history. In 1842, The Qing Court was defeated in the Opium War. It was forced to cede and lease Hong Kong to Great Britain. Hong Kong became a British colony. The reality of colonialism shattered the link between Hong Kong and Mainland China. But it also linked them. Hong Kong's political system, lifestyle, social attitudes, and cultural trappings, all took a unique path, and led to the development of a uniquely Hong Kong model. On the other hand, Chinese culture remains the bedrock of Hong Kong culture. Residents of Mainland China Hong have swarmed into Hong Kong repeatedly during its history, leading to the formation of a diverse and complex immigrant society.

On the one hand, Hong Kong's colonial status amounted to a century of humiliation for modern China. On the other hand, Hong Kong became the trigger for political and social change in China. The film "Bodyguards and Assassins" tells the role of Hong Kong in Sun Yat-sen's democratic revolution. The film exaggerated of course. But Hong Kong has undeniably been a window of enlightenment for Mainland China. It has been a hotbed of revolution, a channel for patriots and overseas capital, and a base for exiles and refugees. In fact, the success of the Xinhai Revolution is intimately linked to Hong Kong. The KMT and CCP cooperated during the Northern Expedition. Hong Kong was a Mecca for the labor movement. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the lonely island of Hong Kong remained a stronghold of Chinese thought, literature, and resistance.

Following 1949, the CCP refrained from taking advantage of its victory to occupy Hong Kong. Instead it gradually established a "long-term use, comprehensive planning" approach. Hong Kong became a window through which Mainland China could break through embargos, transport supplies, export goods, obtain foreign exchange, collect funds, and gather intelligence. During this period, Hong Kong evolved from an entrepot into and industrial city and a trade port. It underwent rapid economic development. It benefitted from its special political status, geographical location, and liberal politico-economic system. Hong Kong is a free port, financial center, a maritime and air RTS, one of the four Asian Tigers, and the Pearl of the Orient.

Hong Kong's special status led to the development of a unique lifestyle. A Hong Kong Dim Sum restaurant has recently become all the rage on Taiwan. It was originally a Western-style icehouse selling cheap snacks. Its menu gradually expanded. It combined a Western restaurant and dining model, then evolved into one of today's most popular cafes. Hong Kong is a paradise of freedom. Its cultural roots are traditional Chinese, but it also integrates East and West. That is why it has become the movie capital and Chinese pop cultural capital for ethnic Chinese the world over. It is known as the "Hollywood of the East," the "Chinese language dream factory," and "Chinese Amusement Park." Chinese movies and pop culture with Hong Kong characteristics have spread throughout the world. It is universally believed that Hong Kong culture has benefitted from the confluence of Chinese and Western culture. Hong Kong has become a cultural and creative industry enjoying unfettered creative freedom.

This brief review enables us to sum up Hong Kong's history. Hong Kong, with its special political status, its colonial and immigrant social composition, and its free and open society, has given it a special role in the Mainland's development, in cross-Strait relations, and in East Asian regional development. This role has contributed to Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. More importantly, it has made it a tangible and intangible asset to the Mainland, and a driver that has catalyzed Mainland China's progress.

Recently, political reform in Hong Kong reached a critical juncture. In July, Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying submitted a report to the Mainland government's Standing Committee, concerning the selection process for Chief Executive in 2017, and the Legislative Council in 2016. This is known as "dual universal suffrage." At the end of the month, the Mainland Standing Committee will consider the issue. Currently the chief controversy between the Beijing authorities and the so-called pan-democrats pertains to the selection process for chief executive. Both sides agree to universal suffrage when electing the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council. But Beijing wants patriots who love Hong Kong as candidates for Chief Executive. It insists on universal suffrage in accordance with the Basic Law. The Chief Executive Nomination Committee shall nominate candidates. The pan-democrats emphasize democratic ideals. They question the "Love Hong Kong, love the country" definition. They fear the NC will become Beijing's tool for screening candidates.

According to the relevant laws and regulations, Mainland China's Peoples Congress may render a decision on Hong Kong reform. But it needs the Hong Kong government to author a draft, then submit it to the Legislative Council. If the Bill is defeated in the Legislative Council, the controversy will continue. The next chief executive election will follow the existing model. The problem of "universal suffrage" will always dog Hong Kong politics.

In other words, Hong Kong politics finds itself at a fork in the road. In recent years, Hong Kong's economic, political, and social culture has encountered many complex problems. Former Premier Wen Jiabao used "deep-seated contradictions" to characterized these challenges. Hong Kong needs a soft landing for its political and constitutional controversy. Otherwise Hong Kong society will experience a widening wealth gap, conflicts between old residents and new immigrants, economic bottlenecks, and other issues that will confuse the situation even further.

We are convinced that Hong Kong's increasing freedom, openness, and democracy will benefit the whole of China and ethnic Chinese the world over. We hope that Beijing and the pan-democrats will safeguard Hong Kong's stability, promote democracy in Hong Kong, demonstrate mutual tolerance, dissolve their differences, and broaden their consensus. Allow the people of Hong Kong to fully express themselves, arrive at a reasonable reform package, expand the Hong Kong Government's support base, and stabilize society, enabling Hong Kong's democracy to move forward step by step. Allow Hong Kong to continue serving as Mainland China's free port for reform and liberalization. Allow it to become a model for Taiwan and Mainland reintegration. The Hong Kong Dream, and the Taiwan Dream must become key links in the the China Dream.

社論－香港夢 台灣夢 中國夢
2014年08月25日 04:10
本報訊

香港，土地面積僅約1104平方公里，只是彈丸之地，但是在中國近現代及當代史上，卻始終扮演著極其特殊的角色。從血脈淵源、歷史情感、文化傳承，以至於主權歸屬上，香港，絕對是中國的一部分。

另外一方面，香港又實實在在是中國的一個「特別的區域」，在近當代中國的歷史發展道路上，起著特殊的作用。1842年，清廷在鴉片戰爭中戰敗，隨後分階段割讓和租借香港土地予英國，香港自此成為了英國的殖民地。成為殖民地的事實，讓香港和中國大陸既斷裂又連結，在政治體制、生活方式、社會人心、文化樣貌上，都走上了自己的獨特道路，發展出獨特的香港模式。另一方面，中華文化仍是香港文化的底蘊，中國大陸的居民在不同歷史時期湧進香港，形成了多元複雜的移民社會。

香港的殖民地地位，一方面是百餘年來中國近代史的恥辱與苦痛，另一方面，香港也成為觸發、參與中國政治社會變革的門戶。電影《十月圍城》訴說了香港在孫中山領導的民主革命運動上的角色，雖嫌誇飾，但不容否認，香港確實是是中國思想啟蒙的窗口，是革命的策源地，是海外志士與資金的通道，也是流亡者的避難基地。其實，不只辛亥革命的成功和香港有莫大關聯，北伐時期國共合作下，香港是工人運動的重鎮，抗戰時期「孤島」香港也是思想、文學和抵抗行動的據點之一。

1949年以後，中共並未乘勝追擊、占領香港，反而逐步確立「長期利用、充分打算」的方針，香港成為中國大陸突破禁運，轉運物資，出口貨物，取得外匯，徵集資金和收集情報的窗口。在這段時期，香港從轉口港逐漸發展為工業城市、經貿大港，經濟迅速發展，在特殊的政治地理位置和寬鬆的經濟管制體制下，香港是自由港，是金融中心，是海空轉運站，是亞洲崛起的四小龍，是東方之珠。

由香港的特殊地位，還發展出獨特的生活文化，以台灣最近流行的香港茶餐廳而言，它原本是出售廉價西式小吃的冰室，後來餐點種類逐漸增加，又與西菜館、餐室的模式相結合，演變成為今日廣受大眾歡迎的茶餐廳。香港是自由的樂土，他的文化植根中國傳統文化，卻又融匯中西，所以成為全球華人社會中最為矚目的電影天堂和「華人流行文化之都」，被譽為「東方好萊塢」、「華語夢工場」和「華人娛樂碼頭」，有香港特色的華人電影和流行文化向全球輻射。人們普遍認為，香港文化的魅力就是受益於華洋合璧、自由創作、無拘無束」的創意產業體制。

簡短回顧這段過去，可以進行歷史的總結，香港以其特殊的政治地位，和殖民與移民社會性質，自由開放的社會文化，長期保持了在大陸發展、兩岸關係、東亞區域上的特殊作用，這個作用既促成了香港的繁榮穩定發展，更是大陸有形無形的重要資產，驅動催化了中國的進步。

最近，香港政改方案的討論到了關鍵時刻。香港行政長官梁振英7月向人大常委會提交報告，內容涉及應否修改2017年香港特首及2016年立法會的產生辦法，亦即所謂的「雙普選」，這個月月底，大陸人大常委會預定審議這個議題。當前，北京當局和所謂的泛民主派之間最大的爭議在於特首的產生辦法。也就是雙方都同意特首和立法會「雙普選」的願景，但是北京方面希望由愛港愛國人士出任普選後特首，堅持依照基本法落實特首普選，特首參選人須由提名委員會提名，泛民主派強調民主理念，質疑「愛港愛國」定義，憂慮提委會成為北京「篩選」參選人的工具。

按照相關法律規定的程序，如果大陸人大常委會針對香港政改問題作出了決定，也需要先由港府訂定草案，並提交立法會審議通過，如果草案在立法會到遭否決，爭議還會持續，而未來特首選舉將會沿用現有模式，「普選」問題將始終成為香港政治的大難題。

也就是說，香港政治正在一個叉路口，不可能否認的，這幾年來，香港經濟政治社會文化各方面都有許多複雜難題待解，溫家寶前總理曾用「深層次矛盾」來概括這些難題，政治與政制的爭議如果沒有「軟著陸」，勢必和香港社會貧富差距擴大、新舊居民移民衝突、經濟發展瓶頸等問題纏繞在一起，使得局面更為治絲益棼。

我們深信，香港的自由開放以及民主深化，對於全中國、對於華人社會都有著重要意義，我們期待北京方面和泛民主派方面能夠從維護香港穩定，促進香港民主的大視野出發，互存包容之心，縮小差距、擴大共識，讓香港的民意能充分表達，最終達成一個最合理的政改方案，港府的社會支持基礎能夠擴大，社會能夠穩定，香港的民主能夠一步一步向前推進。讓香港繼續成為中國的改革特區和自由開放港，成為台灣與大陸融一過程的典範，香港夢、台灣夢共同成為中國夢重要一環。