The devil you know

28 June 2017 By Pete Sweeney Follow @petesweeneypro

The central government is investing heavily overseas and touting itself as a benign benefactor. But in 20 years it has alienated many Hong Kongers. The bad PR is a blot on China’s image. It suggests Beijing has a lot to learn about winning friends and influencing people.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Hong Kong from June 29 to July 1 to mark the 20th anniversary of the handover of the Asian financial hub from British colonial rule to the mainland.

Hong Kong was handed back to China on July 1, 1997, under a "one country, two systems" formula that promised a high degree of autonomy.

Opinion polls conducted by the University of Hong Kong show an increasing proportion of citizens began identifying themselves as "Hong Kongers" - as opposed to "Chinese" - over the last decade, reversing a previous trend. Confidence in Hong Kong's future has been falling, as has confidence in the "one country, two systems" model.

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