Memo #153
By Sonny Lo – sonny [at] ied.edu.hk
Hong Kong was returned to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on July 1, 1997. The island maintained rule of law and civil liberties. Socially, economically, and politically, there has been some degree of convergence under the “one country, two systems” system. Hong Kong has become more open to mainland tourists and students, and in the process taught them the importance of liberal values, such as freedom of speech, protest, and assembly. On the other hand, mainland China has converged with Hong Kong as its economy and society have become far more open than ever before.
Taiwan should follow Hong Kong in becoming more open to mainland tourists and students. Rather than viewing the bilateral relationship in “hard power” terms including the military balance between the two sides, Taiwan can wield the “soft power” of liberal values. These values will eventually subvert the PRC’s authoritarian system, making it converge socially, economically, and politically with Taiwan and Hong Kong.
In order to achieve this, Taiwan should accelerate interactions with mainland China. For example, Taiwan can allow more mainland Chinese students to study in its universities. Students will return to the mainland with a better understanding of democratic institutions and practices.
Second, Taiwan should build deeper economic interactions with the PRC, including an economic union. This will bind the economies of mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao together. It will also encourage accelerated political transformations in the PRC.
Third, Taiwan could adopt a much bolder attitude in political negotiations with the PRC. In the past, Taiwan’s elites have adopted a conservative approach, arguing that the PRC must first change politically to allow negotiations to take place. But the time is ripe to push mainland Chinese elites to adopt more political tolerance of political dissent and freedom of speech and assembly.
If “soft power” can be a tool for Taiwan to change mainland China, it is time for Taiwanese to maximize interactions with their mainland counterparts.
About the Author:
Sonny Lo – Head of Department of Social Sciences, Associate Dean (Research and Postgraduate Studies) of Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Associate Director of Centre for Governance and Citizenship, The Hong Kong Institute of Education.
Links:
- The Dynamics of Beijing-Hong Kong Relations: A Model for Taiwan? April 2008. (Book by Sonny Lo)
- Lo, Sonny, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan: Prospects for a Greater China, World Politics Review, April 2012.