MOSCOW, September 30 (RIA Novosti) - Tens of thousands of protesters continue to block key streets of Hong Kong demanding universal suffrage and greater democracy in an unprecedented civil disobedience campaign in China.
Large-scale protests were sparked after China announced that it would be vetting those who want to run for the position of Hong Kong’s chief executive, with the next election slated for 2017. The poll will mark the first time the head of the local government will be chosen directly by the people and not appointed by the 1,200-strong election committee.
So far Beijing has refused to reconsider its decision to screen candidates. However, some experts say that the government is debating the possibility behind closed doors. “Xi Jinping may actually want to settle. But I am sure there are some hardliners in the administration that don’t want him to yield thinking that this might inflame the situation more,” Ann Lee, an adjunct professor of economics and finance at the New York University, told Radio VR.
Demonstrators hold up their cellphones during an #OccupyCentral protest in #HongKong http://t.co/Cf0N9eZCvs pic.twitter.com/opTKLKqwfI
— Khaldoon Hadidi (@Khaldoon91) 30 сентября 2014
The expert in China’s economic relations stressed that the Chinese government doesn’t want to yield to the demands of protesters out of concern that that would destabilize the country, especially restive regions like Xinjiang. “They don’t want the country to spiral out of control. … So it’s a very delicate balancing act that they are trying to pull off here.”
“I don’t see Beijing backing down and amending its plan to keep control over the nomination of the chief executive,” Cabestan Jean-Pierre, professor of political science at Hong Kong Baptist University, said in an interview with Radio VR. He added that Beijing is facing a dilemma because it cannot settle the dispute by force and, at the same time, it cannot be too lenient.
Although hardliners on both sides are deadlocked, Beijing should opt for dividing protesters. The government should isolate the radicals and negotiate with moderate forces, Jean-Pierre stressed. However, he pointed out that mobilization remains strong despite the fact that protesters are more likely to eventually give in.
“The current situation is not optimistic for Hong Kong,” Sonny Lo, head of the department of social sciences, co-director of Centre for Governance and Citizenship at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, told Radio VR. There is a tension between Westernization and Sinitization of Hong Kong, he explained. Protesters demand direct election of the chief executive through universal suffrage to make local government more accountable. “Beijing and the Hong Kong government believe that a Chinese style of election is a more acceptable option, which protects Beijing’s national security interests.”
Meanwhile, stock markets have reacted negatively to the ongoing standoff in Hong Kong. “If the stock market continues to drop, the Hong Kong government will be in deep trouble and its popularity will be at stake,” Sonny Lo, head of the Department of Social Sciences, co-director of Centre for Governance and Citizenship at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, told Radio VR.
In the latest development, the Occupy Central, a pro-democracy movement spearheading the protests, announced that Leung Chun-ying, who is currently holding the top office in the global financial hub, has to meet their demands and resign by Wednesday, October 1, AP reported. That day the country celebrates the National Day of the People's Republic of China. It is expected that record number of people will take to the streets. For their part, protesters worry that police may try to disperse them ahead of the holiday.
Blockades of sorts used by protestors on top of the usual ice cream cones, metal & water barricades #OccupyCentral pic.twitter.com/kXiJhuU7dq
— Jasmine Siu (@jasmine_siu) 30 сентября 2014
