Must keep an eye on collusion of ‘independence’

A certain event recently caught the attention of Hongkongers — some members of the city's opposition camp visited Taiwan on Oct 19, and discussed the Special Administrative Region's constitutional development with Shih Ming-teh, the well-known "Taiwan independence" movement leader and former Democratic Progressive Party chairman.迷你倉 They discussed how "Taiwan independence" forces could support the "Occupy Central" campaign in Hong Kong. At a press conference after the meeting, Shih said the "Occupy" movement aimed to rid Hong Kong of "China's colonial control". So, this event serves as a symbol of collusion between two pro-independence forces across the Taiwan Straits.However, some Hongkongers argued that the opposition camp wasn't really pro-independence. Indeed, not all opposition political groups are advocates of an independence movement here in Hong Kong. As far as nature, scale, formation, manifestation and behavior are concerned, the so-called independence movement in Hong Kong is visibly different from that in Taiwan. In the city, it is covert, limited, symbolized by no more than rallying in streets and petitioning via Internet. On the island across the Straits, it had become the hallmark of mainstream politics when a pro-independence party had seized power.To comprehend the differences between the two independence movements, it is necessary to analyze the differences between respective political transitions in Taiwan and Hong Kong.Taiwan's political transition is representative of democratization of the political system by revamping the outdated Kuomintang (KMT) structure. Partly because Chiang Kai-shek's rule had fuelled unrest between people coming from the Chinese mainland and local residents, and partly because Lee Teng-hui had betrayed KMT's "One China" policy, the island's democratization had transformed itself into a pro-independence movement.Hong Kong started its political transition with two remits — aligning itself with the motherland and democratizing a colonial regime. Britain wasn't too happy about returning Hong Kong to China. London circumspectly kicked off the territory's democratic reform merely two months before the Sino-British Joint Declaration was inked, and 10 Downing Street categorically declared that such democratization was aimed at returning governing powers of the territory to those loyal to Britain. Thus, Hong Kong's political transition from the very beginning had demonstrated a divergence between the path of reumini storageification with the nation and that of democracy; currently, such a divergence has degenerated into a sustained battle between the patriotic and opposition camps.So far, pro-independence sentiments in Hong Kong have mainly been expressed in two ways: first, by trying to resume British governance and second, by trying to reprise the Western political system. Compared with its robustness in Taiwan, the so-called pro-independence movement in Hong Kong is by and large covert. Nevertheless, an independence campaign has recently begun to assert itself. Between 2003 and 2011, the colonial Blue Ensign flags were rarely seen at the annual July 1 demonstrations. But, for the past two years, the Dragon and Lion flag has been waved on the streets along with the Blue Ensign flag. Meanwhile, a "movement for independence" has taken shape in Hong Kong, actively seeking "Hong Kong independence" mainly via Internet.The so-called independence movement in Hong Kong SAR hasn't yet become part of the mainstream opposition; and in Taiwan, the purpose of the independence movement from the very beginning has been to seek sovereign recognition from the international community. However, after more than 10 years of Chen Shui-bian's rule, most Taiwanese people have been made aware that independence is a blind alley. What is alarming is that while the island's independence movement has shrunk, in Hong Kong, it is gathering force.On Oct 31, Shih Ming-teh said in an interview with a Hong Kong newspaper that Hong Kong's opposition camp had taken the initiative to contact him. If that is indeed the case, evidently, the opposition in the city has begun to strive for support from the Taiwanese independence camp.An objective assessment makes it clear that the city's pro-independence force is unlikely to acquire significant political clout. The central authorities definitely won't allow the opposition to veer towards the pro-independence group in Taiwan and the majority in Hong Kong won't take the risk of political extremism of the kind proposed by "Occupy". Even then, it will not do to underestimate the "Occupy" movement as also the evolving collusion of Hong Kong's opposition with the pro-independence forces in Taiwan.The author is a veteran current affairs commentator.The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily. Readers' comments are welcome. Please send your e-mail toopinion@chinadailyhk.com. China Daily reserves the right to edit all letters.儲存