Tsang Yok-sing on the rift between China and Hong Kong
When Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997 after more that 150 years of colonial rule, there were hopes that the financial hub would eventually expand its freedoms, autonomy and prosperity under the formula of “one country, two systems”, and even inspire reform across mainland China.
But now, 20 years on, there’s deepening concern about Bejing’s tightening grip on some of the city’s cherished freedoms.
Since the “Occupy” street protests in 2014, the ongoing battle for democracy and autonomy has increasingly polarised society and divided the city. Protests and clashes between pro-democracy and pro-Beijing camps have become commonplace, and tensions between mainland China and the former British colony are rising.
Jasper Tsang Yok-sing is the founder of the city’s biggest pro-Beijing party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, and is a former president of the legislative assembly, Hong Kong’s parliament.
Al Jazeera spoke to him about the handover and the rift between Hong Kong and mainland China.
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