Queen Elizabeth’s Death Marks Hong Kong’s Final Farewell to Autonomy

When Queen Elizabeth II passed on September 8, her death sent a ripple effect across the globe. As a  monarch whose reign transcended decades of global transformation, her passing posed an opportunity of reflection for nations of the Commonwealth, as well as the former British-ruled regions that had been subject to the United Kingdom’s legacy of colonialism. One such region is Hong Kong. 

Ever since Hong Kong was ceded back to China from Britain in 1997, the city has faced a decline in both national and individual autonomy due to the passing of the National Security Law (NSL) in 2020, which essentially criminalizes any political dissent against the Chinese government. This is not to say that Britain’s control over Hong Kong was acquired righteously, nor was its rule all straightforward. Yet, China’s unwavering efforts to suppress political dissent since 2019 in Hong Kong continues to grow stronger everyday. On September 10, 2022 five speech therapists were sentenced to 19 months in prison due to publishing “seditious” children’s books, only checking another box for China in asserting totalitarian control.

Queen Elizabeth was a nexus between the two sides of Hong Kong: one that practiced personal and national autonomy, and one that is becoming increasingly subject to a totalitarian regime. With the death of the Queen came the final end to Hong Kong’s past – a past in which citizens possessed the right to practice free speech and expression. Her Majesty was a living association with this recent memory of political freedom and individual rights.

Although European colonialism led to the unquestionable rise of racial injustice and discrimination in Hong Kong, it also led to an unintended tangent of economic prosperity with the establishment of a capitalist economy and laissez-faire markets. British rule also enabled Hong Kong citizens to practice the right to free speech, assembly and religion. This sociopolitical prescription, though familiar in the West, is becoming increasingly out of the question for Hong Kong due to the establishment of the NSL.

To pay their respects, swarms of Hong Kong citizens gathered outside the British Consulate, leaving the streets brimming with bouquets of flowers and cards. However, what seemed like an innocent tribute to the royal family can also be viewed as a silent form of political dissent against Beijing. Despite the “one country, two systems” political framework that was supposed to separate the Hong Kong government from the PRC, the Hong Kong NSL trumps this system. In other words, free speech and assembly are banned.

Hong Kong’s citizens were not the only individuals from China to pay their respects. While President Xi Jinping’s motive of offering sympathies was simply for upkeeping friendly relations, he sent his condolences to King Charles III and the royal family and expressed his hope to develop positive relations between the two countries.

Nonetheless, it will be challenging for two countries with such different political frameworks to truly, as Jinping wishes, “promote the sound and stable development of bilateral relations.” A country like China, with such an illiberal agenda and a desire to influence systems outside of its governmental sphere, may find it difficult to establish an intimate relationship with a liberal country like the United Kingdom. While King Charles III is now occupying the throne, his say on political matters is little to none; rather, it is Liz Truss that Jinping must win over. Truss, who deems China as a threat to international order, is calling for stronger cooperation across the Commonwealth to establish a “network of liberty” to combat states like China that jeopardize this liberty. Truss represents the democratic agenda of the United Kingdom, with the country holding unofficial diplomatic relations with Taiwan, as well as British MPs declaring the Uygher crisis as Xinjiang as a genocide. If the United Kingdom wishes to keep its democratic integrity, it cannot be in Parliament’s best interest to succumb to Xi Jinping’s wishes of further collaboration and friendship.

While the legacy of the Queen lives on, Hong Kong’s affiliation to a Western power weakens. The diverging political agendas of the United Kingdom and China makes it strenuous for a true partnership to form, only heightening hostility between the East and the West.

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