Features of the Political Process in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (1997-2021)

Abstract

The article contains analysis of political transformations in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) in the 1997-2021 aiming to identify its political process’ features within the framework of «one country, two systems» model. A brief description of Hong Kong’s political life events in preceding decades is given, which reflects the key tendencies of Hong Kong’s socio-political development under the British colonial rule. It is stated that establishing of the new political order in the SAR by PRC, intended to form a more accountable administrative model, is realized using the traditional Chinese scheme, which implies establishing China’s unconditional dominance and control over the local administrations’ activity. According to this, institutional transformations were implemented resulting in recentralization of power in the hands of the SAR’s government, also administrative model was changed. The consequences of this shift were series of mass protest actions and reinforcement of political discord in public and government circles. The authors come to the conclusion about conflictive character of Hong Kong’s political process, periodically proceeding on the brink of stability disruption. Currently, prospects of its democratization appear to be unlikely.