China slammed Taiwan Monday for offering asylum to Hong Kong people facing prosecution for involvement in anti-government protests, telling the island’s leaders to “stop meddling” in the territory’s affairs.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen voiced support last month for granting asylum to some Hong Kong protesters, with the semi-autonomous financial hub in the midst of an unprecedented political crisis.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Chinese cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office, warned Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party to “stop undermining the rule of law in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs, and stop indulging criminals in any way.”

Taiwanese authorities “ignore the facts and reverse black and white, not only masking the crimes of a small number of Hong Kong militants, but also fueling their arrogance for destroying Hong Kong”, said Ma.

Last month after dozens of Hong Kong activists reportedly involved in an unprecedented storming of the city’s parliament fled to Taiwan, the Taipei said it would provide assistance to those seeking sanctuary.

“They openly claim to provide (protesters) asylum, making Taiwan into a ‘haven sheltering criminals’, where does this put the safety and welfare of the Taiwan people?” asked Ma.

Beijing regards Taiwan as a part of China awaiting reunification, but the island is a self-ruled democracy.

The protest movement in Hong Kong was sparked by widespread opposition to a plan for allowing extraditions to the Chinese mainland, but has since morphed into a broader call for democratic rights.

Taiwan’s history of providing sanctuary to Chinese dissidents has been mixed.

The island still does not recognize the legal concept of asylum but has, on occasions, allowed dissidents to stay on long-term visas.

Ties with Beijing have soured since Tsai came to power in 2016 because her party refuses to recognize the idea that Taiwan is part of “one China.”

Last Update: Monday, 19 August 2019 KSA 14:38 - GMT 11:38 </s> TAIPEI, TAIWAN—President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan on Saturday called for domestic and international support of the island’s de facto independence, days after China’s leader, Xi Jinping, warned that unification with China was inevitable. “It is impossible for me or, in my view, any responsible politician in Taiwan to accept President Xi Jinping’s recent remarks without betraying the trust and the will of the people of Taiwan,” Tsai said in a briefing for foreign reporters.

“We hope the international community will pay attention and combine efforts to speak out on our behalf,” she said. Xi’s speech, his first major address on Taiwan, has given Tsai a chance to position herself as the young democracy’s defender, both to the outside world and to voters who will decide next year whether she stays in office. Her party was battered in local elections in November, but since Xi’s address, there has been a groundswell of support for her on social media and even in publications that tend to oppose her. Tensions between Taiwan and Beijing, which claims the self-governing island as part of Chinese territory, have emerged as one of the region’s flash points. Xi, the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao, reiterated in his speech that Beijing would use force if necessary to prevent Taiwan from seeking formal independence.

Xi has been ramping up pressure on Tsai’s administration over her refusal to accept the so-called 1992 consensus — a vague notion, accepted by Tsai’s predecessor, that posits that Taiwan and China are part of the same country, with each side allowed its own interpretation of what that China is. President Tsai says Taiwanese want to maintain self-rule

In his speech, Xi urged Taiwan to avoid a “dead end” and accept his offer of the “one country, two systems” framework under which Hong Kong has operated since Britain returned it to Chinese rule in 1997. But many people in Hong Kong and elsewhere — not least in Taiwan — believe that Hong Kong’s promised freedoms have been eroding under Xi’s rule. “I myself expect all of Taiwan’s political parties to clearly state, ‘We reject “one country, two systems,’” Tsai said Saturday. </s> TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan on Saturday defended a proposal to purchase $2.2 billion in arms from the U.S., following a Chinese announcement that it would sanction any American companies involved in the deal.

U.S. weapons help strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense in the face of a growing military threat from China, the defense ministry said.

“The national army will continue to strengthen its key defense forces, ensure national security, protect its homeland and ensure that the fruits of freedom and democracy won’t be attacked,” the ministry said in a statement.

China announced late Friday that it would impose sanctions on any U.S. enterprises involved in the deal, saying it “undermines China’s sovereignty and national security.”

Taiwan split from China during a civil war in 1949, but the mainland still considers the self-governing island as part of its territory.

The U.S., which recognized Beijing as the government of China in 1979, does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but U.S. law requires that it provide Taiwan with sufficient defense equipment and services for self-defense.

The Trump administration announced the proposed $2.2 billion sale, which would include 108 Abrams tanks and 250 Stinger surface-to-air missiles, earlier in the week.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, speaking in New York on Friday, said that her government has strengthened Taiwan’s national defense to protect its democracy, according to a transcript posted on the presidential office website.

China has objected to her U.S. visit, which Taiwan calls a “two-evening transit stop” on the way to Haiti and three other Caribbean nations that recognize Taiwan.

“We urge the U.S. to abide by the ‘One China’ principle and … not allow Tsai Ing-wen’s stopover, cease official exchanges with Taiwan and refrain from providing any platform for separatist Taiwan independence forces,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday in Beiijng.

Tsai dismissed Chinese criticism of both her visit and the arms deal. “We don’t need our neighbor to make irresponsible remarks,” she told reporters in New York, according to Taiwan’s official Central News Agency.

She has rejected Chinese pressure to reunite Taiwan and China under the “one-country, two-systems” framework that governs Hong Kong. She said Friday that the people of Taiwan stand with the young people of Hong Kong who are fighting for democratic freedoms in ongoing protests.

“Hong Kong’s experience under ‘one country, two systems’ has shown the world once and for all that authoritarianism and democracy cannot coexist,” she said.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> HONG KONG (AP) — Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong were preparing for a candlelight vigil Tuesday commemorating the 30th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen crackdown, underscoring concern for Chinese human rights in the semi-autonomous territory, even as its own civil liberties are under threat.

Hong Kong is the only region under Beijing's jurisdiction that holds significant public commemorations of the 1989 crackdown and memorials for its victims. Hong Kong has a degree of freedom not seen on the mainland as a legacy of British rule that ended in 1997.

The annual evening event at Hong Kong's Victoria Park near the bustling Causeway Bay shopping district is expected to attract tens of thousands of participants.

This year's vigil will feature a replica of the "Goddess of Democracy," a plaster sculpture of a female figure holding a torch that was displayed in Tiananmen Square in the days leading up to the 1989 crackdown, which took place on the night of June 3-4 and is believed to have killed hundreds and possibly thousands of people.

"That statue was crushed by tanks at the June 4 crackdown, the June 4 massacre. So we are rebuilding this here ... to symbolize that we are still continuing to fight for democracy, and continue on the spirit of the '89 democratic protests," said Chow Hang Tung, vice chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, which organizes the annual vigil.

Visitor Winnie Ma, a 55-year-old church worker, said she brought her 80-year-old mother to the park especially to view the statue on the 30th anniversary.

"I don't know if she will see it vindicated, but I hope that I will be able to," Ma said.

Meanwhile, at the University of Hong Kong, a dozen students laid flower bouquets at the "Pillar of Shame," a sculpture by Danish artist Jens Galschiot commemorating the crackdown's victims.

"Just because I wasn't born then and never experienced the event, there's no stopping me from reminding others like me of this and carrying on the collective memory," said 18-year-old student Donald Chung.

Students later observed a minute of silence in remembrance of the crackdown's victims before scrubbing the pillar clean in an annual ritual.

Recent years have witnessed a generational divide about how best to memorialize the crackdown, and since 2015, Hong Kong university students have arranged their own commemorations separate from the main candlelight vigil.

"People who attend the vigil consider themselves Chinese. We disagree with this identity," said Jordan Pang, acting chair of the Hong Kong University Students' Union's current affairs committee.

"I think the young generation and most students consider themselves Hong Kongers. If we need to commemorate, we do not want to use (the vigil) to commemorate," Pang said.

Despite its pro-democracy theme, young Hong Kongers see the vigil as promoting Chinese nationalism, said Samson Yuen, a professor of political science at Hong Kong's Lingnan University.

"They argue that Hong Kong needs to determine its own future. Hong Kong may need to seek independence from China and they believe that June 4 is a battleground," Yuen said.

Thirty years ago, the Tiananmen protesters gained widespread support and sympathy from residents of Hong Kong, whose return to Chinese rule had been agreed upon just years earlier. Hong Kong supporters helped sustain the protests with donated funds and equipment and, following the crackdown, mobilized to smuggle wanted student leaders out of the country, sometimes with the assistance of organized crime groups known as triads.

The spirit of political activism has now passed to a younger generation, crystalizing in the 2014 Occupy protests, also known as the Umbrella Movement, which laid siege to Hong Kong government headquarters and paralyzed the city's financial district for 79 days.

The movement fizzled with no concessions from the Hong Kong government for free elections, and the authorities have since cracked down hard on its leaders, sentencing nine in April on public nuisance and other charges.

More recently, activists, as well as business and legal associations, have protested amendments making it easier to send criminal suspects in Hong Kong to mainland China, where they could face vague national security charges and unfair trials.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has been seen as extending his crackdown on civil liberties to Hong Kong, threatening the territory's promised semi-autonomy.

A march against the amendments is scheduled for Sunday ahead of the government's expected push for passage on June 12.

The extradition law amendments have put China's chosen Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on the defensive. On Monday, she announced further changes aimed at placating critics.

Asked Tuesday whether she agreed with China's justifications for the army crackdown in 1989, Lam did not answer directly, but said Hong Kong was a "very free society" that upholds the rights and freedoms of individuals.

"So today, if there are public gatherings to express their views and feelings on a particular historic incident, we fully respect those views," Lam said.

Meanwhile in Taiwan, the self-governing island's president, Tsai Ing-wen, took to Facebook to highlight the contrast between her democratically elected government and China's authoritarian communist system.

Tsai said China had shown that it not only had no intention of reflecting on "that year's mistake" but also planned to continue covering up the truth about the 1989 crackdown.

She cited comments Sunday by China's defense minister at a forum in Singapore defending the army's bloody assault on protesters and Beijing citizens, as well as Hong Kong's refusal to allow entry to former student leader Feng Congde.

"Please rest easy, Taiwan will absolutely adhere to democracy, adhere to freedom, regardless of threats or infiltration. As long as I am president for just one day, there is no way Taiwan will yield to pressure," Tsai wrote.

China considers Taiwan its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary. Beijing has proposed ruling Taiwan under the same "one country, two systems" formula applied to Hong Kong, something the islands voters have overwhelmingly rejected.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> BEIJING (AP) — China said Friday that the U.S. should not allow an ongoing visit by Taiwan’s president to New York and that it would impose sanctions on American companies that sell arms to the self-governing island as part of an expected $2.2 billion deal.

President Tsai Ing-wen is in New York on a two-night “transit” stop en route to an official visit to four Caribbean nations. She was scheduled to deliver a speech to a U.S.-Taiwan business summit and attend a dinner with members of the Taiwanese-American community.

“We urge the U.S. to abide by the ‘one China’ principle and … not allow Tsai Ing-wen’s stopover, cease official exchanges with Taiwan and refrain from providing any platform for separatist Taiwan independence forces,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily briefing.

In a separate statement on the foreign ministry’s website, Geng announced sanctions on companies involved in the arms deal, which he said “undermines China’s sovereignty and national security.” The four-sentence statement did not provide any details about the sanctions.

The Trump administration said Tuesday that it is proposing a $2.2 billion sale that would include 108 Abrams tanks and 250 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. The tanks represent a significant upgrade to Taiwan’s aging fleet.

Taiwan split from China during a civil war in 1949, and Tsai has resisted Chinese pressure for reunification under the “one country, two systems” framework that governs Hong Kong.

The United States recognizes Beijing as the government of China, but provides military and other support to Taiwan. China objects to such support as an interference in what it considers its internal affairs.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on a visit to Hungary, said his country has grave concern about Tsai’s U.S. visits. She is scheduled to make another two-night stop on her way home.

She is visiting Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia on a 12-day trip. The island nations are among the few countries that recognize Taiwan instead of China.

Before departing, Tsai said Thursday that she wants to share the values of democracy and perseverance with Taiwan’s friends.

“Our democracy has not come easily and now is facing the threat and technological penetration of foreign forces,” she said, in a veiled reference to China.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> Zhang Baohui is Professor of Political Science and Director of Centre for Asian Pacific Studies at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. He is the author of China's Assertive Nuclear Posture: State Security in an Anarchic International Order (Routledge 2015). The opinions expressed here are solely his.

Hong Kong (CNN) US President-elect Donald Trump shocked many by his admission on Twitter that he had talked to Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen.

The telephone exchange between the two breaks a long-standing tradition that had governed US-Taiwan relations for many decades and raised legitimate speculation about its implications for the future of China-US and Taiwan-US relations.

This phone call may not necessarily imply significant changes in the above relations under a Trump presidency.

According to Trump's Twitter message, it was Tsai who initiated the phone call. In fact, his message highlighted the fact by capitalizing Tsai "CALLED ME" to offer her congratulations.

Trump could be signaling to the world that people should not read too much into this telephone call. The audience of his message could include Beijing.

The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!

Based on the initial reaction by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, it seems that Beijing has opted for a low-key response. Wang instead criticized Taiwan for playing "dirty tricks" to manipulate Taipei-Washington relations.

Nonetheless, this phone call may offer important clues about how Trump may handle foreign policy decisions.

It seems to vindicate the widespread expectations that he will not be able to handle sensitive issues with diplomatic savvy.

Both cases imply that the world may need to get used to a less disciplined US president who is not bounded, or doesn't want to be bounded, by traditional diplomatic rules and norms that would have constrained another US president.

Indeed, less than one hour after his initial Twitter message, Trump sent another message showing his objection to the established rules and norms: "Interesting how the US sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call."

The conclusion here is that Trump's phone call with Tsai Ing-wen may not foretell major shifts in US relations with China and Taiwan.

It was more likely a reflection of Trump's personality and suggests that his presidency may be fraught with unintended diplomatic consequences triggered by his impulsive actions and words.

This scenario does not bode well for US-China relations, which have seen rising tension in the recent years.

Indeed, lack of strategic mistrust between them is driving their relationship in the direction of a new Cold War.

In this context, the worst thing that may happen involve actions or words by either party that further amplify their mutual strategic mistrust.

Trump therefore needs to learn to become a more disciplined and diplomatic savvy president when it comes to the highly sensitive trilateral relations between Beijing, Taipei and Washington.

The Taiwan Strait remains one of the most dangerous flashpoints in East Asia.

The revisionist inclination of a DPP government poses threat to the stability of both Beijing-Taipei relations and Beijing Washington relations.

In this context, the Trump administration should avoid sending the wrong signals to Tsai's government as that would only embolden her to pursue more revisionist policies, which will in turn heighten the prospect of direct military conflict between China and the United States.

War in the western Pacific is the last thing that Beijing and Washington wants to see.

It is therefore in the interest of the United States to continue to restrain Taiwan's revisionist tendency while simultaneously deterring Beijing from unilaterally changing the status quo by force. </s> President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan responded vigorously to a speech this week by Chinese Communist Party chief Xi Jinping announcing that China would no longer tolerate Taiwan’s sovereignty, urging Xi to “bravely move towards democracy” and “face the reality of the existence of the Republic of China.”

In his speech on Tuesday, Xi called Taiwanese independence a “dead end” and warned that, in 2019, China would no longer accept the status quo.

“We make no promise to abandon the use of force, and retain the option of taking all necessary measures,” he warned.

Tsai, speaking on Wednesday, responded by lamenting that China has consistently rejected the democratic values that, according to her, define the national identity of Taiwan and condemned China for spending much of 2018 attempting to bribe Taiwan’s allies away from recognizing the nation’s sovereignty.

“Democratic values are the values and way of life that Taiwanese cherish, and we call upon China to bravely move towards democracy,” Tsai declared. “This is the only way they can truly understand Taiwanese people’s ideas and commitments.”

Tsai called on China to “face the reality of the existence of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and not deny the democratic system that the people of Taiwan have established together.” She insisted that Taiwan “absolutely will not accept ‘one country, two systems,'” the policy in place for Hong Kong, which nominally allows Hong Kong to remain democratic but technically deprives it of sovereignty. Xi’s regime has increasingly crippled Hong Kong’s ability to govern itself under “one country, two systems” by banning political candidates anathema to the Communist Party’s interest from running for office.

Tsai also implied that China’s behavior towards Taiwan, particularly since she took over as president in 2016, had brought it international embarrassment. “I want to remind the Beijing authorities that a superpower must act with the demeanor and take the responsibility of a superpower,” she noted, “and international society is watching China to see if it can make changes and become a trustworthy partner.”

“Pressuring international corporations to change their designation for Taiwan won’t bring about a spiritual union, nor will buying off Taiwan’s diplomatic allies or circling Taiwan with military aircraft and naval vessels,” Tsai concluded.

The latter remark referred to China’s policy of using “sharp power,” or economic intimidation, to force international corporations to accept its worldview. Throughout 2018, companies such as Ikea, American Airlines, and Marriott faced the brunt of “sharp power,” forced to choose between identifying Taiwan as a country in their legal papers, websites, and drop-down menus or losing access to the massive Chinese market. Three major airlines in the United States ultimately changed their fight booking options to stop identifying Taiwan as a country even as the U.S. government dismissed China’s bullying as “nonsense” and urged them not to do so. Marriott, in one notable instance, fired a social media manager for “liking” a Twitter post by a group called “Friends of Tibet,” which opposes communism.

China has also used its “Belt and Road” initiative (BRI, or One Belt, One Road) to offer high-interest loans to nations that maintain friendly relations with Taiwan, notably in Latin America. Nations like the Dominican Republic and El Salvador announced last year they no longer recognized Taiwan’s sovereignty after lucrative business meetings with Beijing’s representatives. An enraged Tsai warned the world in August that China’s “increasingly out of control” behavior was “not only a threat to cross-strait peace … [but] caused high levels of global instability.”

Tsai’s speech on Wednesday followed new year’s remarks from Xi Jinping warning that 2019 would be the last year China would tolerate Taiwan’s existence.

“Reunification is a historical trend and it is the right path. Taiwan independence is an adverse current of history and is a dead end,” Xi announced. “The issue of Taiwan is part of China’s domestic politics. It is a core interest of China, and the … feelings of the Chinese people, and foreign interference is intolerable.”

He added that Chinese officials “make no promise to abandon the use of force” to end Taiwan’s independence.

Asked about the aggressive remarks on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang claimed to reporters that Xi was not speaking for China, but for the world.

Xi “made it very clear in his speech that adherence to the one-China principle is a consensus shared by the international community,” Lu said. “The international community generally understands and supports the just cause of the Chinese people in opposing ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities and realizing national reunification.”

“We make no promise to renounce the use of force. This does not target compatriots in Taiwan, but the interference of external forces and the very small number of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists and their activities,” he added, likely alluding to the United States as an “external force” against Beijing’s interests on the matter.

The threat of use of force is not new for Xi’s regime. In October, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said during remarks to the press that “if someone tries to separate out Taiwan, China’s military will take the necessary actions at any cost.” Two months later, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly deployed a significantly larger fleet of naval vessels to the Taiwan Strait, presumably to surround Taiwan’s military and intimidate U.S. ships in the area. The Chinese Foreign Ministry argued this was necessary because a U.S. Navy ship had traveled through the sovereign Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea, which China has illegally claimed for itself. </s> They swore while taking oaths of office, used an old slur for China, pledged allegiance to a “Hong Kong nation,” and tore up ballots in a vote for president of the city’s Legislative Council.

Two years ago, the Umbrella Movement brought downtown Hong Kong to a standstill with a 79-day protest. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets, but failed to achieve any political change.

Now, the movement has arrived in the Legislative Council as a new, if small, political force that promises similar tactics to upset the city’s democratic civility. This week, six new young “localist” candidates incited legislative havoc as they mixed oaths with loud protest against China.

What happened this week “may give us a taste of what will happen in the following four years,” said Eddie Chu, dubbed “king of votes” by local media for winning more ballots than any other openly elected legislator. Hong Kong newspapers have warned of looming “war” in the city’s legislature that will create “unprecedented paralysis.”

The new era of emboldened political dissent is not confined to Hong Kong. In Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen this week called on Beijing “to face up to the reality that the Republic of China exists.” It was a provocative challenge to the so-called 1992 consensus that there is only one China.

The new willingness to bluntly question Beijing’s pre-eminence presents one of the most serious affronts to Chinese dominance in recent history, a blowback that has expanded amid efforts by President Xi Jinping to exert a stronger grasp over the territories China considers its own.

“The people who live in Hong Kong and Taiwan enjoy the freedom they have had, and they don’t want to lose it. And Beijing is a very clear and imminent threat to that freedom,” said Wu’er Kaixi, a student leader during 1989 Tiananmen protests in China who now lives in Taiwan, where he has run for office.

China has responded with anger and confusion. “The mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China whose sovereignty and territorial integrity brook no division,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said this week.

Hong Kong “is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China,” he added. “This is crystal clear, without any doubt and subject to no change.”

Even advocates for the city’s autonomy would, for now, agree that change is not imminent.

They recognize that their numbers are too small to achieve much in policy, much less attempt to change the Basic Law, the constitution set in place by China. Instead, they intend to wield and gain influence by obstruction.

“The best we can do is to put things on hold,” said Mr. Chu, who wants to “be more pro-active in every battle of the policy struggle.” Success could be defined, he suggests, by halting approval of the city’s budget.

A journalist and an activist, Mr. Chu is personally emblematic of the disruption his election poses to the system. For a month, he and his family have lived under 24-hour police protection after he received death threats and reported cars tailing him.

“That’s saying something about the current situation in Hong Kong,” he said, faulting powerful business interests allied with Beijing.

The election of Mr. Chu and the others constitutes a “transitional period” for Hong Kong, said Chan Kin-man, an associate professor of sociology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

When China said in 2014 that it would continue to preselect who would be on the ballot for Hong Kong’s chief executive, the country’s top political position, it did not just spark the Umbrella street protests, Prof. Chan said.

When they failed, he himself began to feel that “if the government doesn’t fulfill its responsibility of giving people democracy, then people have no obligation to be loyal to the country.”

It has bred “new tactics of resistance,” he said. “These New Turks believe there is no use in being so gentleman-like and statesman-like. They only take as a platform to sow their resistance to Beijing.”

It’s an idea that resonates with the young people who sat for days on Hong Kong streets in 2014, surrounded by umbrellas.

“The new legislators can make it harder for the government and pro-establishment to quietly do whatever they want,” said Joey Chan, who was a law student during the protests. Devoted to the cause, young and passionate, they “can make big changes,” he said.

That is not to say their strategy is without risk. Filibuster the budget and they can raise their credibility in some quarters. They may also provoke wrath.

“The public will become very angry if some of these very basic things are not done,” said Albert Ho, a former legislator with the city’s Democratic Party.

He said it was “quite unfortunate” that the city’s young new legislators had resorted to swearing and theatrics “to express their strong dissatisfaction with the system.”

A feeling that the time has come to fight back “is the political and social reality we have to face,” Mr. Ho said.

Chinese observers see things very differently. The Communist Party-run tabloid Global Times said in an editorial this week that it hoped the ripples in Hong Kong would calm before they “become a damaging force worthy of creating worry for the country.”

The one-country two-systems formulation that governed the handover of Hong Kong to China remains in place, the paper noted. Plus, pro-Beijing forces inside the city’s legislature – only part of which is voted in by the general public – remain in the majority.

“The power of the country is very strong, and the positive power of Hong Kong society is also still very strong,” the paper wrote.

It added: “No matter how eye-catching the turmoil, it cannot prevail over the restrictions under a formula well-proven by history.”

Those who want more freedom from China must confront numerous challenges.

Many in Hong Kong have strong personal connections to China, and a heavy economic dependence on the mainland.

The new young legislators have important policy differences among themselves, too, and even greater disagreement with other, older, pro-democracy legislators. To be effective, they need to find ways to work together, which may not be easy as they clash over ideology and tactics, in hopes of growing their numbers in 2020, in the next set of elections.

“It is a very critical four years for us,” Mr. Chu acknowledged. “If we one day can get the majority, that will be the time when Beijing will finally sit down with the democracy camp and talk about their system design.” </s> Hong Kong has been rocked by protests as hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated at the weekend against legal changes that would make it easier to extradite people to China from the semi-autonomous city. This is what the amended extradition law would do, and why it is so controversial.

What is the proposed extradition law?

Hong Kong’s amended extradition law would allow the extradition of suspects to mainland China for the first time. Supporters say the amendments are key to ensuring the city does not become a criminal refuge, but critics worry Beijing will use the law to extradite political opponents and others to China where their legal protections cannot be guaranteed.

Authorities say the push to change the law, which would also apply to Taiwan and Macau, stems from the killing last year of a Hong Kong woman while she was in Taiwan with her boyfriend. Authorities in Taiwan suspect the woman’s boyfriend, who remains in Hong Kong, but cannot try him because no extradition agreement is in place.

Under the amended law, those accused of offences punishable by seven years or more in prison could be extradited. The new legislation would give Hong Kong’s leader, known as the chief executive, authority to approve extradition requests, after review by the courts. Hong Kong’s legislature, the legislative council, would not have any oversight over the extradition process.

Why are Hong Kongers so angry about the bill?

Many Hong Kongers fear the proposed extradition law will be used by authorities to target political enemies. They worry the new legislation spells the end of the “one country, two systems” policy, eroding the civil rights enjoyed by Hong Kong residents since the handover of sovereignty from the UK to China in 1997.

Many attending the protests on Sunday said they could not trust China as it had often used non-political crimes to target government critics, and said they also feared Hong Kong officials would not be able to reject Beijing’s requests.

Legal professionals have also expressed concern over the rights of those sent across the border to be tried. The conviction rate in Chinese courts is as high as 99%. Arbitrary detentions, torture and denial of legal representation of one’s choosing are also common.

What do the bill’s supporters say?

Supporters say the legislation is necessary to plug a “loophole” in the current law and protect Hong Kong from becoming a “haven for international fugitives”. Officials have promised to safeguard against abuses, pledging that no one at risk of political or religious persecution will be sent to the mainland and stressing the role of local judges as “gatekeepers” for extradition requests. Suspects who could face the death penalty would not be extradited.

How much is Beijing pushing for it?

Hong Kong officials have repeatedly said the bill has not come from the central government in Beijing. However, Beijing has voiced its backing for the changes. China’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday that it “firmly supports” the Hong Kong government in passing the law.

In an editorial on Monday, the state-owned China Daily said: “Any fair-minded person would deem the amendment bill a legitimate, sensible and reasonable piece of legislation that would strengthen Hong Kong’s rule of law and deliver justice.”

What are the wider fears about Beijing’s influence on Hong Kong?

Many in the protests on Sunday said they felt overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness in the face of mainland China’s increasing political, economic and cultural influence in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s top political leader is not elected by ordinary voters but by a 1,200-strong election committee accountable to Beijing. Half of its legislature are chosen through indirect electoral systems that favour pro-Beijing figures.

Many Hong Kongers also cited the jailing of leaders and activists from the 2014 Occupy Central movement– a 79-day mass civil disobedience movement – as well as the disqualification of young localist lawmakers as signs of the erosion of civil freedoms.

Resentment towards China has been intensified by soaring property prices – with increasing numbers of mainland Chinese buying properties in the city – as well as the government’s “patriotic education” drive, and the large numbers of mainland tourists who flock to Hong Kong.

Many Hong Kongers are also concerned about China’s growing control over the city’s news media, as they increasingly self-censor and follow Beijing’s tacit orders.

What happens next?

The chief executive, Carrie Lam, said on Monday she was determined to pass the extradition bill. She promised to further improve it, but members of the public appear unconvinced.

Activist groups are calling for strikes, a boycott of classes and protests on Wednesday, when the bill’s second reading will resume.
China condemns Taiwan after President Tsai Ing-wen offered support and asylum to Hong Kong protesters facing prosecution in Hong Kong courts.