Mahoney 1

2/8/2020
Hong Kong: Just One Example of the Authoritarian State in China

Protests at Hong Kong Polytechnic University i

The suffocating smoke of tear gas, the roaring red color of fire contrasted with the dark of

the night on the canvas of flickering city lights. ii The distinct gunshots of rubber bullets ring out

every few minutes. Military vehicles fill the streets in roads which have become littered with

makeshift roadblocks of red-clay bricks and steel metal barriers, the one’s you usually see at

concert venues or a football game.iii A smell of stale beer fills the room; not from a party, but

from the molotov cocktails that require the empty glass bottles.iv No, this is not Aleppo or the

streets of Juarez but the Hong Kong Polytechnic University; a city where kids are being shot

down in the streets.

To put simply: Hong Kong has a history of political chaos and the protests today (which

began in April 2019) represent decades of resistance against both China and their former

colonizers. Great Britain only released Hong Kong into the hands of China in 1997, one of the

country’s last colonies which many considered marked an end of their Empire. “One Country,
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Two Systems,” demonstrates the region’s current relationship with their new colonizers—the

communist government of China and their desires to halt any progression into democracy.v

Today, the “special administrative region,” operates under Hong Kong Basic Law, a kind of

mini-constitution which has ruled Hong Kong as soon as it left authority under Great Britain.vi

Basic Law grants citizens’ rights not found in any other part of China, including freedom of

assembly, freedom of speech and other rights exclusive to the region.

But what is the problem? Hong Kong Basic Law has an expiration date. When 2047

comes around, the people of Hong Kong will lose their exclusive rights and become another

puppet of the Chinese government. Also, the government has challenged Hong Kong Basic Law,

specifically threatening extradition back to the mainland for crimes committed on the

semiautonomous region of Hong Kong.

The hopes of the protestors seem simple, especially considering that their demands echo

the already existing democracies of many western countries. Some have picked up the rallying

cry, “Five demands, not one less”vii. The one demand already met, the withdrawal of the pro-

extradition bill in June by the Hong Kong chief executiveviii. The chance of extradition to China

for the people of Hong Kong would mean their rights, under their mini constitution, would no

longer apply. Hong Kong’s unique status in a country famous for human rights violations would

lose its power and the city’s autonomy would no longer exist. But the bill’s withdrawal in June

gave the protestors hope for more success.

Six months later, protesters still have the same five demands. Other than extradition they

want the word ‘riot’ no longer associated with their demonstrations. They want amnesty for

arrested protestors, a majority of whom university students in the city. They want investigation

into the police brutality occurring in the streets, a force that has shot at protestors with live
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ammunition. Finally, they demand complete universal suffrage in a city still occupied by the

ideology of communist china. ix

Just last week the pro-democracy candidates won in a landslide victory (a near 71%

turnout rate for voters) over their pro-extradition opponents yet the demands of the protestors

still remain. Of the 452 seats up for election, 389 pro-democracy candidates won. These officials

now control 17 of the 18 city councils. Before the elections, the city council was under control

of the establishmentx. The voter turnout rate combined with the overwhelming pro-democracy

win means one thing: Hong Kong wants democracy and the only thing stopping them, the

Chinese government. Even though the city council’s political power has no authority over

mainland China; the elections show the desires of not only the protestors but the population of

Hong Kong, to remain autonomous from mainland China.

The Chinese government deserves a proper name: a group of oligarchs who obey the

demands of their dictator. An authoritarian state, the government suppresses any form of

democratic progress in effort to keep control of their people. The protests in Hong Kong

represent just a small side of the reality of this regime and serves as an example of the corrupted

ideologies of the Chinese government.

i
“Hong Kong’s Protesters Break Their Core Principle”, The Atlantic, Suzanna Sataline
ii
“Citizen X’ and Hong Kong protesters’ battle for freedom”, ABC News
iii
“Hong Kong protesters building university campus into fortress”, Global News
iv
“Citizen X’ and Hong Kong protesters’ battle for freedom”, ABC News
v
“The Hong Kong protests explained in 100 and 500 words”, BBC News
vi
“Hong Kong: What is the Basic Law and how does it work?”, BBC News
vii
Ibid
viii
“Hong Kong Voted. Is Beijing Listening?”, The New York Times
ix
“The Hong Kong protests explained in 100 and 500 words”, BBC News
x
“Hong Kong Voted. Is Beijing Listening?”, The New York Times