Eight Hong Kong people who are active in the social movement and now live overseas launched the “2021 Hong Kong Charter” on Sunday (14).
The initiators of the “2021 Hong Kong Charter” include Law Kwun Chung, Cheung Kun Yeung, Hui Chi Fung, Leung Kit Ping, Kwong Chung Ching, Wong Tai Yeung and Leung Chung Hang. The Charter begins with a review of the history of the democratic movement in Hong Kong, saying that since the 1980s, Hong Kong people have been fighting for a democratic system, but the one-party dictatorship of the Chinese Communist Party remains unchanged, the Sino-British Joint Declaration has been repeatedly broken, and one country, two systems now exists in name only. The initiators point out that the Charter aims to unite the international front of Hong Kong people and to unite the overseas Hong Kong community in preparation for the struggle.
The 2021 Hong Kong Charter has four parts. The first part establishes the “Beliefs of the Disengaged Hong Kong People”, suggesting that the disengaged Hong Kong people should continue to think about the well-being of Hong Kong people as a whole; it also calls for the protest movement to unite more Hong Kong people to avoid factionalism and the bubbling of overseas movements. The second part, “Hong Kong”, reaffirms that Hong Kong people should maintain their unique identity and that they should have the right to decide on the future and affairs of Hong Kong. The Charter also mentions that the Hong Kong Bill of Rights should be repealed immediately as it infringes on the freedom of Hong Kong people.
The third part of the 2021 Charter, entitled “China”, states that the one-party dictatorship in China must be ended before the values of democracy and freedom can be realized. The Charter emphasizes that the democratic movement in Hong Kong is directed against the Chinese Communist Party, not Chinese nationals. The Charter also opposes the CCP’s cultural cleansing and genocide of ethnic minorities in Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang, and demands that the CCP cease its military intimidation of Taiwan and respect the right of the Taiwanese people to democratic self-determination and autonomy.
In the final section, “International”, the initiators of the 2021 Hong Kong Charter call for international initiatives that transcend partisan beliefs; they also list platforms such as climate justice and racial equality, and reiterate the need to unite communities fighting for social justice, so that more democratic governments can unite to support the democratic movement in Hong Kong.
Another initiator, Mr. Law Kwun Chung, pointed out that if other overseas Hong Kong people agree with the values of the Charter, they can also sign it. However, the signatories are mainly people outside Hong Kong, because although the Charter signing system is encrypted, Hong Kong people living in Hong Kong may face certain risks when signing.
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