Hong Kong

Why in news?

• Recently, China has passed a wide-ranging new security law for Hong Kong which makes it easier to punish protesters and reduces the city's autonomy.

About Hong Kong:

• Officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (HKSAR), Hong Kong is a metropolitan area and special administrative region of China.
• It is located in the eastern Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea.
• It was a British colony after the Qing Empire ceded the Island at the end of the First Opium War in 1841 then again in 1842
• It remained under British control until 1997. Afterwards, the territory was returned to China.
• Hong Kong is a highly developed territory and is one of the most densely populated places in the world.
• The territory has become one of the world's most significant financial centres and commercial ports. It is the world's tenth-largest exporter and ninth-largest importer
• Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade
• Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China under a principle of "one country, two systems".
• It operates as a separate currency, customs territory, border controls and has a free port. Hence, no tariffs are charged on the import or export of goods.

Sino-British Joint Declaration

• It is a treaty signed between the United Kingdom and China in 1985 on Hong Kong under Chinese sovereignty.
• According to the treaty, China would reassume control of Hong Kong in 1997.
• It stated that China's basic policies regarding Hong Kong "will remain unchanged for 50 years" and ensured a high degree of autonomy to Hong Kong.
• These policies are stipulated in the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution.
  • Under the Basic Law - the Constitution that has governed Hong Kong since 1997 the HKSAR is a part of China but enjoys “a high degree of autonomy” and “executive, legislative and independent judicial power”, except in foreign policy and defence.
  • It also says “the socialist system and policies shall not be practised” in Hong Kong for 50 years.
  • In short, the document affirms the principle of “one country, two systems”.

Recent crisis:

• China has recently started pushing for an improvement in the ‘Basic Law’ signalling a fundamental change in the way the Hong Kong is run.
• Since the British handover of Hong Kong to China, Hong Kong residents have time and again taken to the streets to protect their Basic Law freedoms, with the first major pro-democracy protest taking place in 2003.
• The largest protests since the 1997 handover took place in 2019, when for months tens of thousands of Hong Kongers agitated against a proposed extradition law, and continued with pro-democracy marches

Chinese response:

• Under Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong was always meant to have a security law, but could never pass one because it was so unpopular.
• On 30 June 2020, China introduced the National Security Law (NSL) in Hong Kong in response to massive pro-democracy protests.
• The controversial law reduces Hong Kong's judicial autonomy and makes it easier to punish demonstrators and activists.
• Beijing insists that the law is needed to bring stability to the city, but critics say it violates the "one country, two systems" principle under which the former British colony was handed back to China.
• The new China-imposed security law and an official campaign dubbed “Patriots rule Hong Kong” has since criminalised much dissent and strangled the democracy movement. 

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Arrange the following places in their increasing distance from the equator:

1. Hong Kong

2. Bangkok

3. Kuala Lumpur

4. Beijing

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1-3-2-4

(b) 3-2-1-4

(c) 3-2-4-1

(d) 1-3-4-2

Answer