Meant to comment on this bit in the SCMP yesterday, “Expat Voting Rights ‘Worry Beijing’”. The lead:

The right of non-Chinese nationals to vote and stand for election in Hong Kong is part of the “international influence” that is “troubling” to Beijing, a former mainland researcher for the Basic Law Committee argues.

Take out the word “nationals.”

It will make implementing universal suffrage in the city more complicated, Cheng Jie, associate professor of law at Tsinghua University, believes.

Any port in a storm, any excuse in the book.


“Not only civil servants but also judges can be foreigners. This unique arrangement may have been a great mistake of the Basic Law ….

If you’re not ethnic Chinese, doesn’t matter if you were born here or if you’ve been here for more than a decade, you’re a foreigner.


“Consequently, universal suffrage in Hong Kong would be more complicated than for nation states where only its own citizens are eligible for elections.”

If you’re not ethnic Chinese, becoming a citizen of Hong Kong is next to impossible – unless you’re Allan Zeman.


In November 2003, the then chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, Tsang Yok-sing, sparked controversy among expatriates when he told a forum that the right of non-Chinese nationals to vote in Hong Kong was “rather dubious”. He is currently president of the Legislative Council.

Take out the word “nationals.”

“Foreign influences were noticed during the July 1 demonstration and in later elections,” she wrote. The 500,000-strong march targeted both the Hong Kong and central governments, she noted.

“Foreign influences” most likely a euphemism for non-Chinese residents of Hong Kong.

“The surprisingly broad-based resentments illustrated by the protest brought an end to the central government’s former laissez-faire policy, and called for new thoughts,” Dr Cheng wrote.

Farewell one country, two systems.

==================

Want a Hong Kong passport? From the Government’s web site:

You are eligible to apply for a HKSAR Passport if you are:

  • a Chinese citizen;

You are regarded as a person of Chinese nationality if you are a Hong Kong resident:

(a) of Chinese descent who was born in Hong Kong or other parts of China; or

(b) who fulfils the criteria of Chinese nationality in the Nationality Law of the People’s Republic of China.

Article 7 Foreign nationals or stateless persons who are willing to abide by China’s Constitution and laws and who meet one of the following conditions may be naturalized upon approval of their applications:

(1) they are near relatives of Chinese nationals;

(2) they have settled in China; or

(3) they have other legitimate reasons.

Good luck if you’re not Allan Zeman. At least that’s what I’ve been told. If I’m wrong, please tell me.

Hongkie Town
Share