Chinese Communist Party uses 'boiling frogs' strategy to undermine freedom and democracy in Hong Kong and Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/06/17
By: Pin Min-ming, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – From Hong Kong’s handover from the British to China in 1997 to the end of Tung Chee-hwa’s (董建華) term as chief executive in 2005, Hong Kong maintained a semblance of its democratic system via established checks and balances on government power.

However, under the leadership of Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) starting in 2017, the government of the special autonomous region (SAR) has taken a quick authoritarian turn under increasing influence from Beijing.

In the past, new legislation introduced in Hong Kong was expected to be approved by the Hong Kong Bar Association before it could pass in the City Legislative Council (LegCo).

Theoretically, this practice should have been maintained under China’s “one country, two systems” framework. However, only 22 years after the 50-year transition period that was stipulated by the Sino-British treaty on Hong Kong, it is obvious that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has no intention to honor the provisions of the agreement.    [FULL  STORY8]