HK should 'give up confrontation and seek co-operation'

Hong Kong

THE 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover should not just be an occasion for China to reassert its authority over the city, or for local activists to intensify their protests against Beijing's rule under the magnified glare of international media.

It should, instead, be an opportunity for both sides to re-assess the other side's concerns and reflect on how best to mend their worsening relationship.

It is, after all, in the best interest of both Beijing and Hong Kong to resolve the issues gnawing away at their mutual trust, and what better occasion for restarting much-needed dialogue on political reform than in the bouyant mood brought by this year's handover milestone.

"Right now, the pro-establishment camp sees the problem as the opposition trying to launch movements like Occupy Central to try and break the 'one country, two systems' set-up. But the opposition's view is that it is Beijing that first broke its promise for universal suffrage in Hong Kong," says activist Au Nok Hin, the convener of the Civil Human Rights Front which organises the annual pro-democracy …