Latest news with #LoKin-hei
Yomiuri Shimbun
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Chinafication of Hong Kong: Control Further Tightening over Politics and the Economy
One of the few remaining pro-democratic parties in Hong Kong has been forced to decide to disband. The 'high degree of autonomy' that has been granted to Hong Kong is coming to an end under pressure from China. The Democratic Party — Hong Kong's largest pro-democratic party — decided at a meeting in April to move forward with the procedures for dissolving itself. A party convention will be held at a future time to make an official decision on the issue. Founded in 1994, the party has played a central role in Hong Kong's democratic movement. If dissolved, parties critical of the administration led by the Chinese Communist Party will effectively disappear from Hong Kong politics. Democratic Party chair Lo Kin-hei cited the 'overall political environment' in Hong Kong as he announced the decision to dissolve the party. The intentions of Chinese President Xi Jinping's administration obviously had an impact on the decision. In Hong Kong, an election for the Legislative Council, the territory's parliament, is scheduled to be held in December. Since the last election in 2021, only people recognized as 'patriots' by the authorities have been allowed to run, and pro-democratic forces will not be able to field candidates in the upcoming race either. Moreover, in recent months, the Chinese side has reportedly been pressuring several Democratic Party senior members to dissolve the party before the election, warning them that it would otherwise face 'serious consequences.' Beijing likely aims to stage a 'success' in governing Hong Kong by holding an election after thoroughly eliminating all forces other than pro-China parties. With the blatant clampdown on pro-democratic forces intensifying, the sense of stagnation that covers the cosmopolitan territory of Hong Kong continues to be reinforced. Senior Democratic Party members and others have already been arrested and imprisoned, and many people have fled overseas for fear of being caught. Based on the Sino-British Joint Declaration, China promised to maintain a 'high degree of autonomy' for Hong Kong for 50 years after its return to China in 1997. It cannot be overlooked that Beijing is trampling on an international commitment and promoting the Chinafication of Hong Kong. The Xi administration is also tightening its control over Hong Kong's business community. In response to a plan by a Hong Kong company that operates two major ports on the Panama Canal to sell its business to a consortium of U.S. investors, a senior Chinese government official declared, 'Those who betray national interests will bear the curse of history,' pressing the firm to review the plan. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted that China's influence be removed from the canal. The Xi administration, on the other hand, is pressuring the Hong Kong firm, probably because it believes that China would be at a disadvantage in the struggle for hegemony with the United States if port operations at the canal, which is a key trade hub, are put in the hands of the United States. Chinese antitrust authorities have started a review of the sale. If the Hong Kong company's transactions are influenced by Beijing's intervention, the territory's credibility as an international financial center will further decline, thereby damping China's national interests as well. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 7, 2025)
Egypt Independent
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Hong Kong's oldest pro-democracy party is shutting down as Beijing leaves no room for dissent
Hong Kong CNN — Hong Kong's oldest and largest pro-democracy political party is moving to disband as Beijing's sweeping crackdown on the city leaves even moderate opposition groups with no room to operate. The Democratic Party, one of the leading voices of opposition in the semi-autonomous city for the past three decades, has started the process of dissolution following recent warnings from Chinese government officials, two of its veteran members told CNN. 'The message was that the party has to be disbanded or there will be consequences,' said one of them, Yeung Sum, a former Democratic Party chairman. Fred Li, a former lawmaker, said a Chinese official told him that the party should not remain until the end of this year, when an election will be held. Founded by liberal lawyers and academics three years before the former British colony's 1997 handover to China, the Democratic Party had campaigned for universal suffrage and on matters from labor rights to conservation during a period when such issues were openly discussed in the city. Widely seen as moderates willing to work with Beijing, Democratic Party leaders had spearheaded a significant voting bloc in the city's legislature and were regularly afforded space to critique local government policy, until mass pro-democracy protests in 2019 ushered in a new and more restrictive political era. Beijing's crackdown in the years since, including the prosecution and jailing of pro-democracy leaders, has left the once-influential party rudderless as it contends with sweeping national security legislation and 'patriots only' electoral reforms enacted in 2021 that make it nearly impossible for opposition candidates to stand for the city's legislature. Democratic Party chairman Lo Kin-hei told a news conference last Sunday that 90% of about 110 party members had voted to delegate power to a committee to start the dissolution process, adding he hoped a final vote would take place in the coming months. 'I hope Hong Kong's political parties… will continue to work for the people,' Lo said. 'We have always hoped to serve the Hong Kong people, and to do things that are good for society.' Democratic Party chairman Lo Kin-hei, left, and Mok Kin-shing, vice chairman, speak at a press conference at the party's office in Hong Kong on April 13, 2025. Chan Long Hei/AP The Democrats' move to disband demonstrates Beijing's unwillingness to allow even the mildest of dissenting voices to be heard in Hong Kong, say analysts. John Burns, emeritus professor at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), said the party had 'symbolized the promise of some kind of democratic development in Hong Kong, leading to universal suffrage as promised in the Basic Law,' referring to the city's mini-constitution. 'A dissolution of the party reflects official Hong Kong's turn away from popular participation, locally accountable government, and increased transparency toward more authoritarian rule,' Burns said. Eric Lai, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said the Democrats' move 'shows there are no more feasible ways for groups to exist as an opposition party.' 'It's self-conflicting for the government to suggest that nothing has changed,' he said. In a statement to CNN, a city government spokesperson said decisions by individual groups 'to disband or suspend operation are completely unrelated to the freedom or rights enshrined in Hong Kong law.' Criticism of the government remains permitted in Hong Kong, 'however strong, vigorous or critical' it may be, so long as it is 'based on facts,' the spokesperson said. The Hong Kong government would 'continue to resolutely discharge the duty of safeguarding national security,' they added. No space for compromise The Democrats had enjoyed relative political freedom following Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule, even holding more seats than any other party in the mostly pro-Beijing legislature until 2004. The party's leaders were often the figureheads of major demonstrations, including an annual June 4 vigil to commemorate the Tiananmen Square massacre and a well-attended pro-democracy march held every July. (Neither event would be permitted on the Chinese mainland, and both are now effectively banned in Hong Kong). But support for the Democrats plunged in 2010 after its leaders negotiated directly for universal suffrage with officials from Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong – a move seen as a betrayal by other pro-democracy groups. The party was then pushed further to the sidelines by the emergence of a new generation of pro-democracy leaders and student activists during months-long protests for universal suffrage in 2014. Democratic Party candidates for legislative elections show thank-you messages outside the legislature in Hong Kong on September 17, 2004. Martin Chan/South ChinaDemocratic Party lawmaker Roy Kwong Chun-yu addresses crowds at a protest in Hong Kong on June 16, 2019. Geovien So/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images However, when anti-government demonstrators returned to Hong Kong's streets en masse in 2019, the Democrats' popularity resurged as many of its leaders stood on the front lines of the massive – and sometimes violent – protests that rocked the financial hub. Later that year, the Democratic Party was the biggest winner in local district council elections. But its participation in the protests also drew the ire of Hong Kong authorities and Beijing, paving the way for its demise. 'The party made mistakes when it failed to draw a clear line between itself and radical separatists calling for Hong Kong's independence from 2014-2020,' said Burns, from HKU. 'Authorities have punished the party, jailing and chasing out Democratic Party leaders.' Over the past five years, the space for the Democrats to maneuver has been increasingly squeezed by Chinese authorities. In 2020, Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong, introducing the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for four main crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. A year later, the Chinese government rewrote Hong Kong's electoral rules to require candidates to seek nomination from pro-Beijing groups, essentially excluding the opposition from elections. A legislature filled with Beijing loyalists last year unanimously passed a law expanding the scope of national security offenses. Beijing and the Hong Kong government argued that the electoral changes had enhanced democracy and have repeatedly defended the security laws as restoring order and returning prosperity to the city. But critics say they have curtailed freedoms and had a 'chilling effect' on civil society, including independent institutions and the media. Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London, said political and social protests seen as challenging state security are 'becoming increasingly if not well-nigh impossible.' 'Many other elements of civil rights, including that of speech and organizing political parties have also been severely curtailed,' he added. Last year, five former Democratic Party lawmakers were among 45 opposition figures sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years after they were found guilty of subversion for taking part in an election primary in 2020. National security police have also placed HK$1 million ($129,000) bounties on pro-democracy activists who fled overseas, including an Australia-based former Democratic Party lawmaker accused of secession, subversion and collusion with a foreign country. Meanwhile, the trial of media tycoon and outspoken democracy supporter Jimmy Lai is ongoing, more than four years after he was detained on charges of colluding with foreign forces, which he denies. The Democratic Party's announcement last weekend follows the dissolution of almost 100 civil and pro-democracy organizations in Hong Kong in the wake of Beijing's crackdown. The party had tried to survive as a civic group in recent years but struggled to raise funds as multiple private venues canceled their events, often at the last minute. Former Democratic Party lawmaker Emily Lau said the party's move to disband was 'very sad.' 'We've been around for over 30 years, and we've got the support of many Hong Kong people,' she told CNN outside court in February, before another former party lawmaker was jailed on charges of rioting during the 2019 protests. 'I don't know what they are thinking in Beijing. We have demonstrated, not just words, but by action, that we are reasonable. We are willing to talk, to negotiate, to compromise, reach a deal and go forward.'
Egypt Independent
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Hong Kong's oldest pro-democracy party is shutting down as Beijing leaves no room for dissent
Hong Kong CNN — Hong Kong's oldest and largest pro-democracy political party is moving to disband as Beijing's sweeping crackdown on the city leaves even moderate opposition groups with no room to operate. The Democratic Party, one of the leading voices of opposition in the semi-autonomous city for the past three decades, has started the process of dissolution following recent warnings from Chinese government officials, two of its veteran members told CNN. 'The message was that the party has to be disbanded or there will be consequences,' said one of them, Yeung Sum, a former Democratic Party chairman. Fred Li, a former lawmaker, said a Chinese official told him that the party should not remain until the end of this year, when an election will be held. Founded by liberal lawyers and academics three years before the former British colony's 1997 handover to China, the Democratic Party had campaigned for universal suffrage and on matters from labor rights to conservation during a period when such issues were openly discussed in the city. Widely seen as moderates willing to work with Beijing, Democratic Party leaders had spearheaded a significant voting bloc in the city's legislature and were regularly afforded space to critique local government policy, until mass pro-democracy protests in 2019 ushered in a new and more restrictive political era. Beijing's crackdown in the years since, including the prosecution and jailing of pro-democracy leaders, has left the once-influential party rudderless as it contends with sweeping national security legislation and 'patriots only' electoral reforms enacted in 2021 that make it nearly impossible for opposition candidates to stand for the city's legislature. Democratic Party chairman Lo Kin-hei told a news conference last Sunday that 90% of about 110 party members had voted to delegate power to a committee to start the dissolution process, adding he hoped a final vote would take place in the coming months. 'I hope Hong Kong's political parties… will continue to work for the people,' Lo said. 'We have always hoped to serve the Hong Kong people, and to do things that are good for society.' Democratic Party chairman Lo Kin-hei, left, and Mok Kin-shing, vice chairman, speak at a press conference at the party's office in Hong Kong on April 13, 2025. Chan Long Hei/AP The Democrats' move to disband demonstrates Beijing's unwillingness to allow even the mildest of dissenting voices to be heard in Hong Kong, say analysts. John Burns, emeritus professor at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), said the party had 'symbolized the promise of some kind of democratic development in Hong Kong, leading to universal suffrage as promised in the Basic Law,' referring to the city's mini-constitution. 'A dissolution of the party reflects official Hong Kong's turn away from popular participation, locally accountable government, and increased transparency toward more authoritarian rule,' Burns said. Eric Lai, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said the Democrats' move 'shows there are no more feasible ways for groups to exist as an opposition party.' 'It's self-conflicting for the government to suggest that nothing has changed,' he said. In a statement to CNN, a city government spokesperson said decisions by individual groups 'to disband or suspend operation are completely unrelated to the freedom or rights enshrined in Hong Kong law.' Criticism of the government remains permitted in Hong Kong, 'however strong, vigorous or critical' it may be, so long as it is 'based on facts,' the spokesperson said. The Hong Kong government would 'continue to resolutely discharge the duty of safeguarding national security,' they added. No space for compromise The Democrats had enjoyed relative political freedom following Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule, even holding more seats than any other party in the mostly pro-Beijing legislature until 2004. The party's leaders were often the figureheads of major demonstrations, including an annual June 4 vigil to commemorate the Tiananmen Square massacre and a well-attended pro-democracy march held every July. (Neither event would be permitted on the Chinese mainland, and both are now effectively banned in Hong Kong). But support for the Democrats plunged in 2010 after its leaders negotiated directly for universal suffrage with officials from Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong – a move seen as a betrayal by other pro-democracy groups. The party was then pushed further to the sidelines by the emergence of a new generation of pro-democracy leaders and student activists during months-long protests for universal suffrage in 2014. Democratic Party candidates for legislative elections show thank-you messages outside the legislature in Hong Kong on September 17, 2004. Martin Chan/South ChinaDemocratic Party lawmaker Roy Kwong Chun-yu addresses crowds at a protest in Hong Kong on June 16, 2019. Geovien So/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images However, when anti-government demonstrators returned to Hong Kong's streets en masse in 2019, the Democrats' popularity resurged as many of its leaders stood on the front lines of the massive – and sometimes violent – protests that rocked the financial hub. Later that year, the Democratic Party was the biggest winner in local district council elections. But its participation in the protests also drew the ire of Hong Kong authorities and Beijing, paving the way for its demise. 'The party made mistakes when it failed to draw a clear line between itself and radical separatists calling for Hong Kong's independence from 2014-2020,' said Burns, from HKU. 'Authorities have punished the party, jailing and chasing out Democratic Party leaders.' Over the past five years, the space for the Democrats to maneuver has been increasingly squeezed by Chinese authorities. In 2020, Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong, introducing the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for four main crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. A year later, the Chinese government rewrote Hong Kong's electoral rules to require candidates to seek nomination from pro-Beijing groups, essentially excluding the opposition from elections. A legislature filled with Beijing loyalists last year unanimously passed a law expanding the scope of national security offenses. Beijing and the Hong Kong government argued that the electoral changes had enhanced democracy and have repeatedly defended the security laws as restoring order and returning prosperity to the city. But critics say they have curtailed freedoms and had a 'chilling effect' on civil society, including independent institutions and the media. Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London, said political and social protests seen as challenging state security are 'becoming increasingly if not well-nigh impossible.' 'Many other elements of civil rights, including that of speech and organizing political parties have also been severely curtailed,' he added. Last year, five former Democratic Party lawmakers were among 45 opposition figures sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years after they were found guilty of subversion for taking part in an election primary in 2020. National security police have also placed HK$1 million ($129,000) bounties on pro-democracy activists who fled overseas, including an Australia-based former Democratic Party lawmaker accused of secession, subversion and collusion with a foreign country. Meanwhile, the trial of media tycoon and outspoken democracy supporter Jimmy Lai is ongoing, more than four years after he was detained on charges of colluding with foreign forces, which he denies. The Democratic Party's announcement last weekend follows the dissolution of almost 100 civil and pro-democracy organizations in Hong Kong in the wake of Beijing's crackdown. The party had tried to survive as a civic group in recent years but struggled to raise funds as multiple private venues canceled their events, often at the last minute. Former Democratic Party lawmaker Emily Lau said the party's move to disband was 'very sad.' 'We've been around for over 30 years, and we've got the support of many Hong Kong people,' she told CNN outside court in February, before another former party lawmaker was jailed on charges of rioting during the 2019 protests. 'I don't know what they are thinking in Beijing. We have demonstrated, not just words, but by action, that we are reasonable. We are willing to talk, to negotiate, to compromise, reach a deal and go forward.'
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Members of Hong Kong's Democratic Party approve plan to disband
Members of Hong Kong's Democratic Party voted on Sunday to move forward with plans to dissolve the party as its leaders first proposed in February, the party's chair said. The party is the latest Hong Kong civil society group to meet its end amid a years-long political crackdown, with scores of activists arrested, jailed or in exile. The vote "means most of our members are willing to allow the Central Committee to take steps to dissolve the party", said Lo Kin-hei, chair of the 30-year-old party that was once the city's stalwart opposition force. "This is not the final decision that the party is dissolving," Lo told a news conference. "In the coming few months, I hope there will be another general meeting (where) we actually will get that motion into debate and vote." Lo declined to comment on media reports that Beijing is exerting pressure on the group via middlemen to shut down the party before December's legislative elections. More than 90 percent of the 110 or so attendees supported the motion to let party leaders deal with the procedures required for dissolution, such as accounting requirements. The liquidation of the party, which is registered as a Hong Kong company, may not be completed within the year, said vice-chair Mok Kin-shing. "Even if we hand over the matter to a liquidator, it is not something that can be dealt with quickly," Mok said. Lo said in February the disbandment was due to Hong Kong's "overall political environment" but declined to say if the group had come under pressure from Beijing. The party was not experiencing financial stress, he said at the time. A vote to dissolve the party will require the support of 75 percent of meeting participants. - Behind bars - The Democratic Party was founded in 1994, near the end of British colonial rule, when Hong Kong's leading liberal groups merged. Its top concern was determining how the city would eventually elect its own leader and lawmakers through universal suffrage as promised in China's "One Country, Two Systems" model. Beijing tightened its grip on the Chinese finance hub after massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019. The group holds no elected seats after its lawmakers resigned en masse in 2020 in protest. Four party lawmakers were jailed last year for subversion under a Beijing-imposed national security law. Former party leader Albert Ho is behind bars pending trial for national security charges that could see him jailed for life. Hong Kong's second-largest opposition group, the Civic Party, closed its doors in 2023. hol/tc
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Members of Hong Kong's Democratic Party approve plan to disband
Members of Hong Kong's Democratic Party voted on Sunday to move forward with plans to dissolve the party as its leaders first proposed in February, the party's chair said. The party is the latest Hong Kong civil society group to meet its end amid a years-long political crackdown, with scores of activists arrested, jailed or in exile. The vote "means most of our members are willing to allow the Central Committee to take steps to dissolve the party", said Lo Kin-hei, chair of the 30-year-old party that was once the city's stalwart opposition force. "This is not the final decision that the party is dissolving," Lo told a news conference. "In the coming few months, I hope there will be another general meeting (where) we actually will get that motion into debate and vote." Lo declined to comment on media reports that Beijing is exerting pressure on the group via middlemen to shut down the party before December's legislative elections. More than 90 percent of the 110 or so attendees supported the motion to let party leaders deal with the procedures required for dissolution, such as accounting requirements. The liquidation of the party, which is registered as a Hong Kong company, may not be completed within the year, said vice-chair Mok Kin-shing. "Even if we hand over the matter to a liquidator, it is not something that can be dealt with quickly," Mok said. Lo said in February the disbandment was due to Hong Kong's "overall political environment" but declined to say if the group had come under pressure from Beijing. The party was not experiencing financial stress, he said at the time. A vote to dissolve the party will require the support of 75 percent of meeting participants. - Behind bars - The Democratic Party was founded in 1994, near the end of British colonial rule, when Hong Kong's leading liberal groups merged. Its top concern was determining how the city would eventually elect its own leader and lawmakers through universal suffrage as promised in China's "One Country, Two Systems" model. Beijing tightened its grip on the Chinese finance hub after massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019. The group holds no elected seats after its lawmakers resigned en masse in 2020 in protest. Four party lawmakers were jailed last year for subversion under a Beijing-imposed national security law. Former party leader Albert Ho is behind bars pending trial for national security charges that could see him jailed for life. Hong Kong's second-largest opposition group, the Civic Party, closed its doors in 2023. hol/tc
