Beijing’s 2007 political reform plan and prospects for Hong Kong's democratization
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Democratization
Publication Date
1-1-2010
Volume
17
Issue
3
First Page
442
Last Page
464
Publisher
Routledge
Keywords
Hong Kong, democracy, democratization, political reforms, Beijing
Abstract
In the September 2008 Legislative Council election, Hong Kong's democrats managed to retain their veto position in the political reform process. Now, the democrats face the dilemma of what to do with Beijing's 2007 plan for Hong Kong's democratization. According to the plan, the people of Hong Kong could see the direct election of the chief executive and the entire legislature in 2017 and 2020, respectively. Although the plan is not perfect, Hong Kong's pan-democratic camp may need to adopt a negotiated approach, given the current political reality and the balance of power between local democrats and Beijing. It is suggested here that there is room for negotiation in the latter's reform plan. If some moderate democrats are willing to pursue a negotiated strategy, Beijing's political reform plan for Hong Kong stands a significant chance of being approved. Recent developments in Hong Kong indicate that such a prospect could indeed materialize.
DOI
10.1080/13510341003700261
Print ISSN
13510347
E-ISSN
1743890X
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2010 Taylor & Francis
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Zhang, B. (2010). Beijing's 2007 political reform plan and prospects for Hong Kong's democratization. Demoncratization, 17(3), 442-464. doi: 10.1080/13510341003700261