“For this, I offer my most sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong,” she said. There is a structural problem inherent in the “one country, two systems” framework, according to Jean-Pierre Cabestan, professor of political science at Hong Kong Baptist University. The chief executive is “both responsible to Beijing, and accountable to the Hong Kong people”, he said. Under the “one country, two systems” arrangement, China pledged that Hong Kong could maintain a high degree of autonomy for 50 years until 2047, but Beijing increasingly sees the Hong Kong system as intent on undermining its “one country”. “And this is a non-starter for most Hong Kong people,” he said.

Source: The Irish Times June 18, 2019 18:00 UTC