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One China, two systems, but the same difficulties
By Lee Min-yung 李敏勇
After Britain’s lease on Hong Kong expired in 1997, the territory was returned to China. Seventeen years ago, a great historical ruse was exposed as the “one country, two systems” policy turned out to mean that China intended to swallow Hong Kong lock, stock and barrel.
This event was reminiscent of the situation in Taiwan on Aug. 15, 1945, after World War II had ended, when Taiwanese with no thought of independence or sovereignty and feeling that they were Chinese compatriots, were looking forward to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and its version of China to take over, without knowing if that would be good or bad.
Less than 20 months later, on Feb. 28, 1947, they had their answer. There was heavy suffering and no one was there to help.
Now, despite working so hard in pursuit of democracy, all the nation has is a government that is too gutless to run the dictatorship it seems to want and too intolerant to accept the diversity of democracy.
Hong Kong was returned to the People’s Republic of China, the successor government of the Republic of China and the Qing Dynasty, because Britain’s lease on the colony had expired. The difference between Hong Kong in 1997 and Taiwan 52 years earlier was that Hong Kongers were very clear on the fact that things could go really bad.
Most of the intellectuals and economically powerful people had British citizenship. Furthermore, due to globalization and information transparency, the whole world has been watching in detail what has actually been happening in Hong Kong under the “one country, two systems” policy.
People in Hong Kong were not eliminated, like the intellectuals and economically powerful people in Taiwan, instead they were left alone and without assistance.
After the KMT occupied Taiwan, bringing with it its nationalist version of China, less than 20 months passed before the 228 Incident occurred. Seventeen years after Hong Kong was returned to China, they were hit by a Chinese white paper, The Practice of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ Policy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Hong Kong’s democracy movement mobilized and the situation began to resemble the situation in Taiwan during the Incident, when Taiwanese were demanding increased autonomy. However, judging from the opinion of observers, communist China will not relent on its tough approach.
China might have ousted the KMT through social revolution, but there is no difference in how it uses its power.
The essence of its Chineseness is disconnected from the Chineseness that Taiwanese cast off during Japan’s colonial rule, as well as the Chineseness that Hong Kongers cast off under British rule. Both Nationalist and Communist China want nothing more than to rid Taiwan and Hong Kong of their non-Chineseness.
What democracy? What freedom?
China is all about me, myself and I. The same is true of the blue revolution in Taiwan and the red revolution in China. They have internalized the will to resort to might and armed force.
Even today, in the 21st century, their heads are chock-full of ideas about celestial empires.
This is precisely why Nationalist China and Communist China have ran into problems with Taiwan and Hong Kong.
History has left traces in the present and the present reflects history. It is just that Hong Kong and Macau are in China, and Taiwan is not.
Lee Min-yung is a poet.
Translated by Perry Svensson
source: Taipei Times
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