Hong Kong Votes, Beijing Fumes: Analysis

A global finance capital is in turmoil over how to organize an election set for 2017. Beijing plans for universal suffrage in Hong Kong with a slate of candidates approved by a 1,200-member pro-China committee, explains Dylan Loh Ming Hui, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, in Eurasian Review. Occupy Central wants the nominating process to be open. China blasted an unofficial referendum on the topic, which drew more than 800,000, not a majority of registered voters. Thousands marched on the anniversary of Hong Kong’s transfer to China; police arrested more than 500. China can anticipate unrest over civil rights as opinions in wealthy, educated in Hong Kong spread to the mainland. “Beijing cannot foreseeably quell the movement in Hong Kong with the sort of heavy handedness that it could if it were in the mainland,” Hui concludes. “Doing so would most definitely galvanize the pro-democracy movement even further and draw international criticism.” A handful of businesses ran advertisements suggesting protests could deter foreign investment, Reuters reports. Other analysts contend an independent legal system is essential for business. – YaleGlobal