Hong Kong's Democrats Stumble

Since the protest rally on July 1, 2003, the demand for democracy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) had been growing. The pro-democracy movement planned to exert pressure on the Tung administration and the Chinese authorities through the Legislative Council elections in September 2004. The result obviously shows that people still want democracy and universal suffrage in 2007 and 2008. The events in 2003 and 2004 have presented a severe challenge to the Chinese leadership and the "one country, two systems" model. It seems that when the Chinese leadership believes that it is challenged, intervention will be stepped up to ensure that Hong Kong will not get out of control.