Hong Kong Descends Into Order

Last week in Hong Kong, mourning continues following the towering inferno in the Tai Po district. Organisers of events held in the immediate aftermath have been instructed by the Legislative Council (LegCo) to begin proceedings with a minute’s silence and delegates at conference are requested to wear dark clothes.

The LegCo is investigating the fire, promising prosecutions of those found responsible. Already there has been evidence that workmen in the apartment block deactivated fire alarms which were being set off repeatedly by their cigarette smoke.

A major contributor to the fire seems to have been the cladding that is wrapped around buildings, attached to the famous bamboo scaffolding which is almost unique to Hong Kong and some parts of southern China. The cladding is meant to be fire retardant and is inspected during building work.

However, an informal conversation with a senior academic colleague here said that it is common knowledge (unconfirmed) that construction companies are aware which areas of the cladding will be inspected; those parts easiest to access, and that while they use fire-retardant cladding there, they use non-fire-retardant cladding elsewhere. This has some face validity given that it was the upper floors of the building that caught fire. Some of the stories regarding the fire are too horrific to repeat.

The bamboo scaffolding itself came in for criticism as a possible reason for the rapid spread of the fire and Associate Professor Xinyan Huang, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, raised this in an interview. But, as Hong Kong could not survive without the use of bamboo scaffolding and many vested interests are involved in its use, he had to issue an apology on the university website. Apparently, bamboo is not especially flammable.

While the LegCo seem determined to get to the root of the fire and find someone to blame and punish, they are also clamping down on anyone else who expresses concerns. A group of people who raised a petition demanding answers were duly arrested and, following a mural at the Baptist University of Hong Kong declaring that the people of Hong Kong were Hong Kongers (i.e., not mainland Chinese), the student union was suspended. Free speech is dead in Hong Kong.

The Cost of Democracy

Free speech may be dead, but the Hong Kong version of democracy is not. Elections continue to be held for the LegCo and, as I reported in these pages previously, participation in the democratic process is dwindling. When voting for the LegCo was first introduced, turnout was over 70%. Now they are hovering around 20% and dropping. The reason is that the people of Hong Kong are only allowed to vote for Beijing-approved candidates. Potential candidates are screened by the Chinese Communist Party. Even once approved, if they prove to be even the slightest thorn in Beijing’s side, they are replaced.

In an effort to avoid the embarrassment of a low turnout, Hong Kong residents are being offered all kinds of incentives and inducements to vote. Everyone who votes will receive a special card thanking them for their participation and for all Hong Kong residents, entry to venues such as museums and swimming pools was free over the weekend of December 6th and 7th. Colleagues also report being offered financial inducements such as discount cards. There is no suggestion that people are being told for which specific candidates they must vote. But, as all the candidates must sing from the same little red book, this is only a semblance of democracy.

Meanwhile in the South China Sea

British pupils may now be taught that Taiwan is a part of China, but nobody is yet teaching that in Taiwan. In the face of a mounting threat from mainland China, Taiwan has increased its defence spending by $40 billion. This has upset Beijing who have responded by sending more than 100 vessels out into Asian waters this week. While this is the time of year traditionally reserved for sabre-rattling against Taiwan, this is a larger than usual presence.

As I reported in these pages earlier this year, time is running out for Taiwan. Senior academic colleagues here are resigned to the possibility that the invasion of Taiwan by mainland China will take place next year. Like the Second Coming, this may prove to be apocalyptic angst. Time will tell. But this most recent mobilisation has caused the Australian military to go on high alert. Australian maritime patrol craft are monitoring the Chinese flotilla.

Hong Kong’s rulers may tighten control, silence dissent and bribe the public back to the ballot box with handouts and tokens. But a city where speech must be managed, turnout must be manufactured and criticism must be apologised for is not a city at ease with itself. From Tai Po to the South China Sea, Hong Kong feels less like a thriving global hub and more like a place bracing for whatever the mainland decides next.

John MacNab teaches at a university in Hong Kong.