Hong Kong: the politics of the Daya Bay nuclear plant debate

Abstract

Since the signing in 1984 of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong, the colony has become the centre of attention for observers of the Chinese political scene. Observers are particularly enchanted by Deng Xiaoping's vow not to change Hong Kong's present political and economic system for fifty years after its return to China in 1997.1 Deng has promised that the concept of 'one country, two systems' will be practised in Hong Kong after 1997 and in Macao after 1999. Few would question the vital economic contribution of Hong Kong to China's drive for modernization. Moreover, it is apparent that Beijing means to use Hong Kong as a model for the eventual reunification of Taiwan with the mainland. Many believe Beijing to be sincere in its assurance that Hong Kong's political stability and economic prosperity will be maintained. Yet most Hong Kong residents-more than half of them left China and came to the colony after 1949-have little, if any, confidence in the communist regime in Beijing. The so-called 'confidence crisis' is generally regarded as the chief obstacle to Hong Kong's future stability. The Beijing government was given a 13-year transitional period to restore the local residents' confidence in communist rule, and the changing China-Hong Kong relations prior to 1997 are, and will continue to be, closely watched by political analysts. Will Beijing succeed in changing its past image of a closed, lawless and totalitarian society-especially during the decade of the Cultural Revolution-to a more open, lawful and democratic one? Beijing had an excellent opportunity to improve its image in the eyes of the Hong Kong people during the Daya Bay nuclear power plant debate which took place in the pages of the local press in the summer of 1986-but threw the opportunity away. The local residents were greatly disappointed by the Chinese government's attitude throughout the debate. Drawing from the newspaper coverage of the issue, this article interprets Beijing's behaviour during the Daya Bay debate and its implications for future China-Hong Kong relations.