Strasbourg, 26/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - During the debate on the Cushnahan report on the subject of the European Commission reports concerning the special administrative region of Hong Kong (see summary in EUROPE of 25 October, p.13), Commissioner Chris Patten reassured MEPs by saying that problems do exist but Hong Kong remains a free society, perhaps the most free in Asia, as he could see last week. The media remains "vigorous", said the Commissioner (who was the last British Governor of Hong Kong) in response to Graham Watson, Scottish Liberal Democrat, who expressed concern about the freedom of the press. Furthermore, he pointed out that initiatives are being taken on a problem that has existed for quite some time, that of intellectual piracy, evoked by Belgian Liberal Willy De Clercq. "All is not well" in Hong Kong, regretted John Cushnahan (Irish, Fine Gael). Mr Patten replied that the economy is "bouncing back" among other things thanks to a "superb" public service and the very special combination of a Chinese spirit of enterprise and the existence of a society based on the rule of law. Regarding the concerns expressed by certain Member States about the possible visa obligation for entering Hong Kong, such concerns are "misplaced", says Mr Patten.
Parliament calls for reform of Hong Kong institutions
The Parliament widely approved John Cushnahan's resolution by calling in particular on the Commission to reassure the European Parliament over civil rights, trade union rights and child labour in Hong Kong, and to boost, as promised, the resources of the EU Delegation in the field. By adopting an amendment from the rapporteur himself, the Parliament deplores the fact that only 43% of the electorate took part in the election of the Legislative Council last 10 September, and attributes this low turnout to the "disillusionment of the electorate in the face of this body's true lack of power" and to the hardly democratic nature of the election method for the Legislative Council: the Parliament thus calls for, the implementation, in the Special administrative region, of a reform of the political institutions, by introducing universal suffrage, "as soon as possible", both for the election of the Legislative Council as for the Chief executive.