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Opinion | White paper underlines Hong Kong’s healthy shift away from Western-style democracy

  • It was not until Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty that its democratic development truly began
  • With Beijing’s support, Hong Kong is developing a democratic system that suits its circumstances

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The white paper on Hong Kong’s democratic progress, released on December 21, paints the true picture of its development since 1997. Photo: Dickson Lee
The general election for the seventh-term Legislative Council of Hong Kong took place last Sunday, signifying the development of Hong Kong’s democracy under the improved electoral system.
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The white paper titled “Hong Kong: Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems”, released by the central government on Monday, further reveals the real picture of Hong Kong’s political development.

It shows that the Communist Party and the Chinese government support the development of democracy in Hong Kong, while those who chant democracy slogans – but at the same time are acting against China and destabilising Hong Kong – in fact undermine Hong Kong’s democratic development.

As we all know, before returning to China in 1997, Hong Kong was under British colonial rule for a long time. The nature of colonial rule meant that there was no democracy in Hong Kong.

The colonial governor was never elected by Hong Kong residents. It was not until Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty that Hongkongers became the masters of their own affairs and began to enjoy genuine democracy and a high degree of autonomy.

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How does Hong Kong select its government?

How does Hong Kong select its government?

When the “one country, two systems” policy was proposed back in the early 1980s, the Chinese government had already drawn up a blueprint for democracy in Hong Kong for after its return to the motherland.

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