- China has expressed renewed warnings to the United States
to stay out of Hong Kong affairs, telling Washington the affairs of the
territory were none of its business.
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- The warnings came on the eve of an address to a US Senate
hearing on the issue of democracy in the former British colony by Hong
Kong Legislator Martin Lee, the former leader of the Democratic Party,
and party colleague James To.
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- "We, the Chinese government, resolutely oppose any
attempts to interfere in its internal affairs," said foreign ministry
spokesman Liu Jianchao.
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- "Hong Kong's democratic issue is China's internal
affairs, and the Basic Law has earnestly safeguarded the democracy of Hong
Kong and its people's democratic rights.
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- "The Chinese people are wise enough to handle Hong
Kong affairs according to the law, and any random comments from external
forces are not necessary," he said.
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- In recent months, the United States has renewed calls
for electoral reform and universal suffrage in Hong Kong.
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- Lee has said he will tell the East Asian and Pacific
Affairs Sub-Committee hearing that Hong Kong people want to see democracy
introduced.
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- Democratic stirrings in Hong Kong have alarmed communist
China, which fears it will inspire similar aspirations in mainland cities,
where economic reforms have created a powerful new elite and growing middle
class.
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- The problem is made all the more complex for the Chinese
leadership because of the intense international scrutiny of Hong Kong,
severely limiting its scope of action.
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- China took control of the territory from Britain in 1997,
and it has been a special administrative region, ruled by its own largely
autonomous government.
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- Beijing, though has made it clear they believe Hong Kong's
political structure must develop in a gradual and orderly manner under
the Basic Law, its mini-constitution, which allows for the first directly
elected chief executive in 2007.
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- Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa has admitted
that political reform will only come following approval by China's top
leaders.
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- http://sg.news.yahoo.com/040304/1/3ii5m.html
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