| 01.10.2005 The Washington Post Critics See China Behind Hong Kong's Snub of Taipei Mayor The By K.C. Ng and Philip P. Pan, Washington Post Foreign Service, Tuesday, January 11, 2005; Page A11 HONG KONG, Jan. 10 -- When Ma Ying-jeou, the popular mayor of Taipei, visited Hong Kong three years ago, crowds greeted him as if he were a film star and the territory's leaders hosted a red-carpet reception for him. Even the government in Beijing seemed to bless the visit, sending representatives to an event at which he delivered the keynote address. So it was a surprise -- and a sign of the changing relations among mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan -- when the former British colony abruptly refused to grant Ma a visa last week for an unofficial, three-day visit to attend cultural and academic events here. The snub, widely seen as retribution for Ma's criticism of China's plans to enact an anti-secession law targeting Taiwan, has prompted fresh worries about the erosion of the high degree of autonomy promised Hong Kong by the Chinese government. It also has sparked a new round of attacks on the territory's chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, an appointee of the Beijing government. The controversy has generated headlines in Taiwan, where the cancellation of the trip by the capital's mayor was seen by many as further proof that the "one country, two systems" model used for Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule in 1997 is broken and should never be used to unite Taiwan with the mainland. Jasper Tsang, a pro-Beijing lawmaker and a member of Tung's advisory executive council, said the government handled Ma's visa application properly. "Mr. Ma would inevitably be asked to comment about the anti-secession law while he was in Hong Kong. This would have only stirred up another series of political rows here, and that is good for no one," he said. But Hong Kong's opposition Democratic Party has castigated Tung's government and urged it to reverse the ruling. Emily Lau, leader of another pro-democracy party, The Frontier, described the visa denial as "a preemptive strike against free speech" that "has needlessly undermined Hong Kong's reputation as a city that is open to the outside world." Even some of Tung's allies have protested. James Tien, chairman of the pro-business Liberal Party, said the government had squandered an opportunity to promote Taiwan's return to the mainland. It would have been a good showcase of the one-country, two-systems concept if Ma had been allowed to visit, he said. Lu Ping, director of Taiwan's de facto embassy in Hong Kong, described the denial of the visa as "an unfriendly gesture to the Taiwan people." Susan N. Stevenson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong, also expressed concern, describing the decision as "not a constructive one." Tung and his government have remained largely silent throughout the controversy. But one minister, Stephen Lam, the secretary for constitutional affairs, said the denial was consistent with the guidelines set by China to govern Hong Kong-Taiwan relations, thus suggesting that officials in Beijing had approved the move. Asked whether the decision was related to Ma's criticism of China's proposed anti-secession law, Lam said, "It is not our policy to comment on individual immigration visa applications." But he denied that Ma had been blacklisted by the territory. The visa denial is particularly puzzling because Ma is a rising star in Taiwan's opposition Nationalist Party, which supports closer relations with the mainland and is favored by Beijing over the island's pro-independence parties. Ma is also a sharp critic of Taiwan's pro-independence president, Chen Shui-bian, whom the Chinese leadership detests, and is widely seen as a contender to replace him. But like many Taiwanese politicians, Ma has denounced China's plans to enact anti-secession legislation during the March session of its national congress. Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and has threatened to attack the self-governing island if it formally declares independence. The legislation could put that threat into law. Speaking to reporters in Taiwan, Ma said "two groups of people from Hong Kong" had traveled to see him in recent weeks and urged him to cancel his trip and withdraw his visa application before it was denied. He identified the visitors only as mutual friends of his and the Hong Kong government. Some of them, he said, had cited his criticism of the anti-secession legislation as the cause of the problem. Ma said the visitors suggested that he explain the cancellation by referring to his busy schedule. He refused, he said. The visit was to be Ma's third to Hong Kong since he was elected mayor of Taipei in 1998. Ma, who was born in Hong Kong, was an infant when his family, supporters of the Nationalist Party, joined the millions who fled to Taiwan after the Communist victory in the Chinese civil war in 1949. Pan reported from Beijing. |
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