The British gave Hong Kong‘s sovereignty to the Mainland China in the year 1997. The public administrators in the mainland China expected Hong Kong to commit to the agreements made. The diversity between the two places contributed to the emergence of conflicts, for instance, Hong Kong financial system was transparent while the Mainland’s system was corrupt. The Hong Kong citizens argue that the Mainland China has abused their civil rights; this has led to the establishment of political movements to fight for people’s rights. It is imperative to assess whether neo-conservatism, liberalism, or Marxism aspects are applicable in the context.
The economic and social integration that occurred between Hong Kong and the mainland China was perceived as an appropriate measure to unite the political culture. Neo-conservatism has been evident in the region; it refers to the adoption of traditional measures as opposed to the liberal and emerging trends in the modern world. The liberated Hong Kong has been hesitant on the Mainland’s attempts to erode its culture, which has led to the development of conflicts between the two regions. The initiative of ‘one country two systems’ has proved to be unsuccessful due to the diverse views among people in the two regions. The Mainland China was under a socialist rule while Hong Kong was under the British colonial rule. The disparity between the two governance systems has led to contradicting political views regarding the appropriate measures to adopt. The Hong Kong citizens believe that their system is the most efficient, and are unwilling to adopt the Mainland’s political culture. It, however, is imperative to note that the diverse and conflicting perceptions have contributed to the development of appropriate leadership strategies in the region.
Neo-conservatism tends to hinder democracy on one side (Vaisse 5). Hong Kong citizens felt that the governance system was abusing their civil rights, which contributed to the eruption of conflicts. The Hong Kong citizens have embraced the western culture and democratic values, which has led to the development of individualism concept. The Mainland China citizens, on the other hand, have adopted the communism aspects. The political agenda among the Mainlanders was to unite the region’s resources top enable the citizens achieve a common economic goal. According to Marxism, communism plays a significant role in uniting the country’s citizens. The Mainland China aimed at controlling all the resources, including the foreign investments in Hong Kong. The political leaders focused on initiating the nationalism and universalism aspects in the two regions, which had diverse political, economic, and social cultures. The neo-conservatism initiative raised a major issue of concern among the foreign investors in Hong Kong. People felt that their freedom would be eroded by the new system of governance, which would tamper with their investments’ performance.
The foreign intervention in the Hong Kong’s operations affected the citizen’s attitude towards the neo-collectivism issue. The Hong Kong citizens adopted the British political, social, and economic culture, which made it difficult to fit into the nationalism context of the Mainland China. The British government gave the Mainland China the control over Hong Kong in 1997 (Lin 34). The colonial power, however, had a major influence on the decisions made by the leaders regarding the region. The existence of British investments in Hong Kong has increased the desire to protect the area’s culture by the foreigners. The two political systems introduced by Deng Xiao-Ping have been ineffective due to the conflicting interests among the citizens; the foreign intervention in the crucial decision-making has derailed the implementation of political and economic strategies in Hong Kong and Mainland China.
The existence of British consulate in Hong Kong has played a significant role in enhancing the foreign political culture in the region. The Mainland China lacks full control over Hong Kong, as the consulate represents the British nationalities in the region. The British consulate is termed as the largest in the world; it seeks to retain ties between Hong Kong and Britain. It is difficult to embrace communism aspect in the mainland China, as there is the existence of political and economic agreements between Britain and Hong Kong. The existence of the United Sates’ consulate in Hong Kong has encouraged the development of foreign ties in the region. The citizens in Hong Kong have more economic ties with the international community than with people in the Mainland China. Culture plays a major role in developing individuals’ identity.
The alleged espionage in Hong Kong has raised a major issue of concern among the public administrators in the Mainland China. Reports indicate that the British government has deployed spies in Hong Kong to monitor the political and economic performance of the area. The espionage issue has contributed to the development of tension among the citizens. The British Intelligence agents are arguably surveying the Chinese media, chambers of commerce, and judicial matters. The instability in civilization aspect denies the government the opportunity to embrace nationalism, as it creates tension among the people (Huntington 23). The public administrators may feel threatened by the Hong Kong former colony’s intervention, which may affect their performance in representing the citizens’ interests. According to recent reports, the British government’s activities have increased in Hong Kong after handing over the colony to the Mainland China (Overbeek, Henk, and Bastiaan 57). The British administration still produces a report on the economic development in Hong Kong after every six months. The Chinese government has counteracted the British strategies by removing its flag from the local advertisements; this measure has been successful in minimizing the tension among the citizens. The central government seeks to ensure that British operations in Hong Kong are minimal; this measure is useful in allowing the policymakers in the region make independent decisions.
Religion is an integral part of Hong Kong’s culture. The Christianity civilization has been rampantly growing in the region due to the western cultural practices. Mahayana Buddhism is the main religion in the area. The colonialists established laws to protect the freedom of worship, which allowed the development of Christianity development. The influence of the Christianity religion in the political issues has contributed to the civilization conflicts among the Chinese people (Davis, Mike, and Daniel 93). The Christianity religion, however, has not gained popularity among the Hong Kong citizens. The fault lines of Hong Kong have played a considerable role in the advancement of civilization conflicts in the area. The people in the Mainland China belong to a different civilization from the citizens in Hong Kong. The conflicts that arose from eating in the subway, for instance, have contributed to the perceptions’ clashes among people in the region. The Sinic civilization has contributed to the diverse attitudes among people in the modern China. People in Hong Kong have embraced the western culture, which is prevalent in the region. The globalization aspect has facilitated the diversification of cultures, which has weakened the Sinic civilization of China. The attempt to retain the Sinic culture among citizens raises civilization conflicts.
The economic regionalism has contributed to the civilization disputes among people in the Mainland China and Hong Kong. Neighboring countries, such as Japan, have adopted diverse cultural traits; this measure has fostered the widespread of multiple cultural traits, making it difficult for China to retain its nationalism aspects. Japanese civilization as one of the leading nations in the world has facilitated western investments in Asia. China seeks to retain its relevance in the global market, which has forced it to abandon some communism and socialism aspects to adopt the regionalism measures. The exchange of political, economical, and social ideas have encouraged people to adopt diverse civilization aspects (Lin 46). It is essential to formulate comprehensive strategies to deal with the prevailing civilization conflicts between Hong Kong and the Mainland China.
Civilization conflicts have raised a major issue of concern among the public and policy makers in China. Various issues have contributed to the diversity in attitudes, for instance, the British intervention in the economic and political issues of Hong Kong. The initiation of ‘two systems in one country’ has been ineffective due to the diverse civilization aspects in the region. The development of Christianity civilization due to the widespread of western culture has led to the emergence of conflicts among people, especially in Hong Kong. The fault line of Hong Kong has created disparities among the citizens in the Mainland China and Hong Kong; the two regions have different levels of civilizations and beliefs, which makes it difficult to achieve a common political, social, and economic goal.
Works Cited
Davis, Mike, and Daniel B. Monk. Evil Paradises: Dreamworlds of Neoliberalism. New York: New Press, the, 2011. Print.
Huntington, Samuel P. The Clash of Civilizations? Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies, 1993. Print.
Lin, Bih-jaw. Contemporary China and the Changing International Community. Tai-pei, Taiwan, Republic of China: Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University, 1993. Print.
Overbeek, Henk, and Bastiaan. Apeldoorn. Neoliberalism in Crisis. Chichester: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print.
Vaïsse, Justin. Neoconservatism: The Biography of a Movement. Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2010. Print.
