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News summary on the way home from work, Subsletter Evening.
It is the 25th anniversary of the return of sovereignty to Hong Kong, a former British colony, to China.
Hong Kong is going through a period of political upheaval because it is rapidly becoming Chinese.
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Hong Kong and emphasized 'one country, two systems', which means one country, two systems, but in the West, 'one country, two systems' is already dead.
The saying that Hong Kong is no longer what it used to be has already become a phrase.
Xi Jinping mentioned 'one country, two systems' 20 times
President Xi Jinping gave a speech for about 30 minutes at the 25th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong sovereignty, and made clear his will to 'Sinicize Hong Kong'.
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It is said that President Xi Jinping mentioned 'one country, two systems' (one country, two systems) 20 times.
He evaluated that "the practice of the one country, two system has achieved recognized success in the world" and declared the policy of adherence to the one country, two system, saying, "The one country, two system policy must be accurately implemented."
However, if you look at the contents, you can see the will to 'Sinicize Hong Kong'.
"The socialist system is the fundamental system of the People's Republic of China, and the leadership of the Communist Party of China is the most essential characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics," he said. , a key part of the remarks related to 'one country, two systems'.
The statement that "Hong Kong people should respect and defend the socialist system" can be seen as making it clear that Hong Kong cannot be separated from China's socialist political system.
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"It is a universally accepted political rule that the government should be in the hands of patriots," Xi said. No," he said, emphasizing 'the rule of Hong Kong by patriots'.
Here, 'patriots' can be called 'pro-China', so they are talking about 'China's control' repeatedly and explicitly.
West: China violates 'one country, two systems'
The meaning of 'one country, two systems' in the West is very different. Let's start with the Hong Kong Sovereignty Return Agreement.
This agreement was signed in 1984 by then-Chinese President Deng Xiaoping and then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Agreed.
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The West sees China as a promise to the international community to maintain the democratic political system and market economy that Hong Kong maintained during the British colonial period for 50 years.
Shaking this system would be a breach of promise.
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The United States and Britain strongly criticized China's Hong Kong policy on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong sovereignty.
"The rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong and the continued progress and prosperity of Hong Kong are under threat," British Prime Minister Johnson said in a statement. It became clear that I didn't see."
"Hong Kong gains economy, loses politics"
The West sees the recent situation in Hong Kong as a serious violation of 'one country, two systems'.
The protests that started against the extradition law in 2019 turned into anti-government protests demanding direct system, etc., and up to 2 million people took part.
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In June 2020, the Hong Kong National Security Law was enacted, and last year, Hong Kong's electoral system was completely overhauled so that only 'patriots' loyal to China could enter public office.
Because of this election law, there is currently no anti-Chinese legislator in the Hong Kong Legislative Council.
In the process, liberal Hong Kong media, such as the Bean Fruit Daily, were shut down.
With the disappearance of anti-Chinese politicians and anti-Chinese media, China has effectively taken over Hong Kong directly, and Hong Kong's autonomy is shrinking.
Five years ago, there were anti-Chinese protests on the 20th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong's sovereignty, but there are no protest plans this time.
Maybe even the buds of resistance have been cut off?
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In this situation, President Xi Jinping attended the Hong Kong sovereignty return event, and foreign media such as CNN interpret this as a 'declaration of victory over Hong Kong'.
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Hong Kong has lost its politics in the last 25 years, but has gained its economy.
Hong Kong's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 108% from $177.4 billion (about 230 trillion won) in 1997 to $369.1 billion (about 490 trillion won) last year, and its GDP per capita increased by 101.6%. It's because I'm mature.
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Xi Jinping to start his third term in office?
It is the first time in five years that President Xi Jinping has visited Hong Kong.
It is said that it is the first time in 893 days since January 2020, when the corona epidemic started in earnest, that it has left mainland China.
The fact that he went out of mainland China for the first time in 893 days, despite concerns about the quarantine, means that he values Hong Kong as much as he does.
There is also an analysis that Xi's move is one of the reasons for building a third term.
Xi is said to be the first Chinese president to challenge for a third consecutive term at the 20th Party Congress in the fall. The aspect of consolidating China's control over Hong Kong over the past 10 years in power as an 'achievement' analysis that there is.
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With a visit to Hong Kong as an opportunity, President Xi may resume his foreign activities, continuing his steps to justify a third term.
Now, it seems that the timetable of Chinese politics is centered around the party congress that will decide whether or not to serve as President Xi for a third term.
a piece of the day
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This is the parking lot in front of the domestic terminal of Gimpo Airport.
Cars are fully parked, and it seems that there are many tourists going to the countryside ahead of the weekend.
(Photo = Yonhap News, CCTV screen capture)
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