Hong Kong's last governor, Chris Patten, said on Monday (June 20) that Beijing's crackdown on Hong Kong's civil liberties was far more severe than expected. In London, he said it was "heartbreaking" to see such a transformation in Hong Kong. "I thought that China would keep its promise, and it didn't, and I deeply regret that." "I am convinced that Hong Kong is a great city, and hopefully, it will be great again." However, Patten went on to say that he is not particularly optimistic about it. "I believe that things will change. People who have been exiled abroad in the past few years are starting to return to China, to Hong Kong, but at present, such a thing has not happened." After a century and a half of colonial days, Hong Kong's sovereignty was handed over to China on July 1, 1997, under the principle of "one country, two systems." Beijing pledged that Hong Kong's rule of law and civil liberties, including freedom of speech and assembly, would be maintained for 50 years. Change.
After the Umbrella Movement, large-scale protests Photo Restoration Service against extradition broke out in Hong Kong in 2019, in which the violent conflict between the police and the people rose to a new level. Beijing once again strengthened its suppression of Hong Kong. On July 1, 2020, the "Hong Kong National Security Act comes into force . After that, media that opposed the government were shut down, and more than 150 people were arrested under the law on suspicion of secession, subversion, terrorist activities and collusion with foreign countries. Was Hong Kong a British colony? Patten considers it 'ridiculous' Recalling his governorship and subsequent changes, Patten said that, in general, Hong Kong remained the same Hong Kong after the handover of sovereignty until more than a decade before Xi Jinping came to power. "Xi Jinping and his thugs",
shaken by anti-government protests. He said he was deeply shocked and disturbed by Beijing's non-compliance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration. "I'm surprised that Xi Jinping's approach undermines China's medium- and long-term interests, not only in terms of how to deal with economic issues, but also in relation to China's global soft power, which is rapidly disappearing." In response to recent media reports that Hong Kong textbooks will no longer claim to be a British colony , Patten considers the move "ridiculous". He joked that his new book, the governor's diary from 1992 to 1997, proves that "I exist, I am not a fantasy character." "The emperors and dictators of China can burn books and deceive scholars, but cannot bury theirs. history."