2000s in Hong Kong

2000s in Hong Kong began a new millennium under the People's Republic of China (PRC). The attitude of the citizens can be summarized as pessimistic at the turn of the century due to the handover, and gradually improving over time.

Background

After the transfer of sovereignty, Hong Kong faced a series of problems, both political and economical. The government carried out a series of reforms to adopt a more modern ideology and democracy, but faced many difficulties. Despite a transfer of power to China, the citizens participate in how their government is run, and the region maintains some degree of autonomy. Media in Hong Kong has not come under state control, though many citizens believe the media practices self-censorship. The economy would also began the period with a rise in unemployment rate from 2.2% in 1997 to 4.4% in 2000, and 7.9% in 2003.

Politics

Article 23

In 2003 the government proposed an anti-subversion law titled Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law. Many people feared that the proposal would erode freedom of press, religion and association. The unpopularity of Chief Executive Tung Chee-Hwa and his administration, combined with the dissatisfaction about economy recession and the pandemic control, prompted an estimated 1,000,000 people to march on July 1, 2003, making it the largest since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. The proposal fell after the several pro-government lawmakers withdrew their support to pass the bill. The resignation of Liberal Party chief James Tien from the Executive Council on July 6, 2003 caused the eventual withdrawal of the legislation and the break-up of the "ruling alliance" of the Chief Executive. The security secretary, Regina Ip who was heavily criticised for her arrogant and condescending handling of the proposed law was forced to resign.

Chief Executive

Many calls were made for the resignation of Tung Chee-hwa, a leader who was blessed by the Communist Party of China, Jiang Zemin. Tung remained in the office until March 10, 2005, 20 months after the march against Article 23. The shuffle is widely associated with the change of leadership within the China Communist Party, where Hu Jin Tao assumed the Chairmanship of the Central Military Commission of People's Republic of China, becoming the supreme commander of the Central Military Commission in September, 2004. Hong Kong's Basic Law permitted Tung to serve another 3 years, many suspected Beijing forced him to resign due to widespread public disapproval and his perceived lacklustre leadership. His position was filled after a by-election with only one qualified candidate, Donald Tsang. Who was the No. 2 ranking official, Chief Secretary and career civil servant during British colonial rule.

One of the notable impacts from Tung Chee-Hwa's government, however, is that it raised the concern on Hong Kong's political reform and petition for universal suffrage to avoid an unpopular leader taking the office. The territory's political reform is still a focus, but economic bounce-back and new leadership have apparently eased criticism of the government.

Internet censorship in Hong Kong

*On January 27th, 2008, the Hong Kong Police Force arrested suspects who were accused of uploading pornographic images after a multi-billion entertainment company complained these photos from the Internet were fabricated. The offenders may be charged for defamation. [http://article23.net/] [http://evchk.wikia.com/wiki/%E6%87%B7%E7%96%91%E8%97%9D%E4%BA%BA%E5%BA%8A%E7%85%A7%E6%B5%81%E5%87%BA%E4%BA%8B%E4%BB%B6]

Demographics

Population

In 2000 the population of Hong Kong was 6,900,000 [Chan, Shun-hing. Leung, Beatrice. [2003] (2003). Changing Church and State Relations in Hong Kong, 1950-2000. Hong Kong: HK university press. Page 24. ISBN 962-2096123] . The population in the summer of 2006 was 6,994,500, though the majority of population increase is mostly contributed via immigration from mainland citizens. Also in 2006 the birth rate of 7.29 is ranked lowest among the list of countries surveyed by the CIA [CIA gov. " [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2054rank.html CIA] ." "BirthRate." Retrieved on 2007-03-06.] .

Culture

Entertainment

The passing of idol legends like Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui rocked the cantopop industry. Their untimely death in the early 2000s further sank the people's morale.

Hong Kong Disneyland

On September 12, 2005, Hong Kong Disneyland finally opened to the public on Lantau Island with jubilant fanfare after six years of planning and construction. Many believed the park would attract tourism dollars to Hong Kong that had recently increased, and cement the city's status as a world class metropolis. However, many criticised the government's decision to subsidize part of the $3.5 billion construction price tag. The park also experienced a lower-than-expected attendance, along with poor park management.

Economy

Health

Bird Flu Pandemics

Health officials made the Bird Flu crisis a top priority beginning in 1997. To control the spread of the virus, millions of chicken were slaughtered in an extreme measure to prevent the global spread of the H5N1 virus. The crisis would lead to a series of panic that continue well into the 2000s. The volume consumption of poultry was significantly reduced for a period. Beginning in 1997, over 1 million birds were slaughtered, followed by 860,000 in 2002. Another batch of 300,000 and 200,000 chickens in 5 farms in Kam Tin New Territories were also included in the quarantine process [News BBC. " [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1825604.stm News BBC] ." "Bird Flu Sparks Hong Kong Slaughter." Retrieved on 2007-03-06.] . China have also had series of outbreaks, and the pandemic have left both regions strained in trade relationships [Msnbc. " [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9773678/ Msnbc] ." "Bird Flu Sparks Hong Kong Slaughter." Retrieved on 2007-03-06.] . Controversies of the handling of the crisis has been criticized by radio programs, TVs and newspapers. Both Hong Kong and China were the center of international attention during the early 2000s. Specifically the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau were constantly bombarded with questions about the effectiveness in the decision to slaughter in large numbers. Wild dogs, rats and cats preying on bags of uncollected dead poultry also made the whole procedure a public relations disaster for the government [WPost. " [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/china/stories/kong010498.htm Washington Post] ." "Hong Kong faulted on handling of Bird Flu Crisis." Retrieved on 2007-03-06.] Hong Kong officials gave kindergarten and primary school children, on March 12 2008, an early break for the Easter holiday in the midst of a deadly flu outbreak. [CNN. " [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/hk.flu.ap/index.html CNN] ." "Flu closes Hong Kong schools" Retrieved on 2008-03-13.]

ARS outbreak

Amid the economic recession, the first suspected case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was recorded in February, 2003. Hong Kong remained on the World Health Organization's list of affected areas until June 23, 2003. The city was gripped by fear of contagion and panic through out the epidemic. Children stayed home, while schools were halted. Economic activities were greatly disrupted. Restaurants were empty, and tourism ground to a halt. The epidemic infected more than 1,700 people and claimed 299 lives [People's Daily. " [http://english.people.com.cn/200401/16/eng20040116_132721.shtml People's Daily] ." "Links between SARS human genes." Retrieved on 2007-03-06.] .

Finance

The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis caused a deflationary period that spanned 6 years into July 2004 [ [http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200503/16/03160166.htm 2005-06 Budget Speech by the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong] , 2005-03-16.] .

International

WTO

The World Trade Organization Conference of 2005 was held in Wan Chai. With 148 nations participating at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, it was one of the largest international event ever held in the area. A series of protests broke out in the designated protest zones and Hong Kong Police were resorted to using tear gas and pepper spray for crowd control. Numerous sources proclaimed the conference as the "Siege of Wan Chai" as the world class city became the hosting site of the event. [ [http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/archives/2005/12/19/the_siege_of_wan_chai.html Siege of Wan Chai] ]

March

For the first time in Hong Kong's history, on July 1, 2006 the People's Liberation Army marched through the city. The display was one of power and symbolism staged by 19 pro-Beijing groups. The march was part of a celebration demonstration that began in Victoria Park. [HK Standard. " [http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=21858&sid=8631997&con_type=1 HK Standard] ." "PLA in show of force on big day." Retrieved on 2007-03-06.]

References