U.S. and Hong Kong (2003)

10 July 2003

Byliner: Hong Kong Now Must Move to Enlarge Democracy, State's Kelly Says

Assistant Secretary of State op-ed article in The Wall Street Journal

(This op-ed by James Kelly, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, was published in the Wall Street Journal July 10, and is in the public domain. No republication restrictions.)

(begin byliner)

The Streets of Hong Kong
By James A. Kelly

Hong Kong has just gone through a historic and serious test. On July 1, Hong Kongers, marching peacefully in the streets, 500,000-strong, spoke to convey the simple but powerful message that freedom matters deeply to them and they wanted to be heard. The government's 11th-hour decision to cancel the scheduled vote on new treason and antisubversion legislation was a sign of respect for the will of the people of Hong Kong. Credit goes to all those involved in the decision to listen to the deep concerns of Hong Kong's people, delay the vote, and conduct further consultations to revise the proposed laws. The dialogue now established between government and citizenry should advance an understanding so that the people have a clear picture of what is at stake and the government grasps firmly the priorities Hong Kong citizens expressed on July 1.

The July 1 march, however, was about more than just Article 23 of the Basic Law. The citizens of Hong Kong clearly have something to say about the fundamental decisions on the structure of Hong Kong's government that are coming in the months and years ahead.

Common sense suggests that people should not have to take the extraordinary step of going into the streets to convey their views to the government. The July 1 march demonstrates the need for better channels of communication between the populace and their government so that the people's representatives can more accurately reflect their views. There is no more effective means of providing that better channel than through the institutions of democracy. In the same way it stipulated a requirement for treason and subversion legislation, Hong Kong's miniconstitution, the Basic Law, stipulates further steps to enlarge democracy by 2007. The July 1 march affirms the importance of acting now to begin to move toward greater democracy in Hong Kong.

No one element of political reform is the answer to all of Hong Kong's troubles. It will take time and the emergence of common cause among often disparate interest groups if the Hong Kong people are to reach their full potential. Building democracy, representative political parties and a tolerant civic culture from the ground up is hard work. The United States cares about Hong Kong's future and looks forward to the day when every citizen will be able to contribute fully and freely toward Hong Kong's success. If there is one point that emerges from the American experience that is relevant to Hong Kong in the aftermath of its struggle with this new law, it is simply this: Trust your people. You can't succeed without them.

(James Kelly is Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.)

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