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Hong Kong businessmen made to join CCP united front|Li Ping

蘋果日報 2020/09/18 10:21


As Hong Kong is drawn into escalating Sino-U.S. tensions, businessmen in the city have also found themselves caught in the crossfire. The U.S. now requires imports from Hong Kong to be labeled as “Made in China”. Although some Hong Kong companies are willing to comply with the new rule, the SAR government claims that Hong Kong’s independent customs territory status is enshrined in the Basic Law. Are Hong Kong businessmen free to accept the U.S. sanction on their own volition? On the other hand, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) now demands Hong Kong businessmen to be politically savvy, join its united front and take part in its mixed ownership reform. The CCP is repeating the mistakes of socialist transformation of the 1950s. Can these Hong Kong businessmen steer clear of it all?
Last month, the U.S. announced that imports from Hong Kong can no longer use the “Made in Hong Kong label”. Yesterday, Edward Yau Tang Wah, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, met with the consul general of the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau and submitted a letter to the U.S. trade representative, asking the U.S. to abolish the new rule. However, the SAR government’s defense can cut no ice. When you fail to abide by the rules of Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong and exercising a high degree of autonomy as enshrined in the Basic Law, you cannot demand the U.S. to respect Hong Kong’s independent customs territory status. Donald Trump makes it clear that he is not “giving face” to the World Trade Organization (WTO). What is more, he does not rule out taking actions against the WTO. How can the SAR government expect the U.S. to give in in case the WTO hands down a ruling on the new labeling rule?
After Washington, D.C. announced the decision to abolish Hong Kong’s special trading status with the U.S. and that Hong Kong imports must be labeled “Made in China”, some pro-Beijing businessmen in Hong Kong vowed to shift their focus to the Chinese market. Nevertheless, the political risk for Hong Kong businessmen going northward has risen sharply because of Sino-U.S. tensions. On Tuesday, the General Office of the CCP Central Committee released a document entitled “Opinions on Strengthening the United Front Work of the Private Economy in the New Era”, which is said to be the first document on the CCP’s united front work targeting private enterprises since China launched the reform and opening up policy. The document takes into account the profound changes at home and abroad or, to be more precise, America’s all-round suppressions on China and the current situation where the whole world is going against China.
After the CCP took power, it held the fourth national united front work meeting in 1953. The theme was about making plans on the socialist transformation of capitalist industries and commerce. On September 7 that year, Mao Zedong invited some democrats to a symposium and delivered a speech entitled “The Transformation of Capitalism into Socialism to Be Accomplished Through State Capitalism”. In the speech, he proposed the principles, steps and methods concerning socialist transformation. According to the Chinese authorities, Mao’s speech pointed to "the firm integration of strategic resolve and policy flexibility and “highlighted the direction for the practical implementation of socialist transformation with Chinese characteristics”.

Another socialist transformation 50 years later

In September 2020, 57 years after that work meeting, the CCP laid down another order on socialist transformation. It demonstrates the same kind of “strategic resolve” and “policy flexibility”, but the targets to be transformed and the wordings are different. “Transformation” is replaced by “reform”, “capitalist industries and commerce” by “private economy”, and “public-private partnership” by “mixed ownership reform”. The man who issued the highest directive this time is Xi. Yesterday, the United Front Work Department of the CCP Central Committee hosted a united front work meeting on the country’s private economy. Xi’s important instructions" were mentioned. Whereas Mao sought to transform enterprises and capitalists' principles, Xi wants to promote the “healthy development” of the non-public economy and of individuals in the non-public economy.
What is especially notable is that for the first time ever, the Central Office’s document includes businessmen in Hong Kong and Macau investing in the mainland as the targets of the CCP’s united front work. In other words, Hong Kong companies investing in the mainland and Hong Kong businessmen based in the mainland are all to be brought to the united front and have to carry out political tasks, including getting involved in Beijing’s innovation-driven development strategy, taking part in “One Belt One Road” projects, and getting involved in the mixed ownership reform. To be sure, as long as Hong Kong businessman are obedient to the CCP and are willing to be united with the party, they will get some rewards, such as becoming a member of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee or member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Standing Committee, and being appointed a special inspector or special ombudsman. They may even get to enjoy the political privilege of joining the CCP, which will come with more perks, such as getting less harassment from local officials when doing business in the mainland and enjoying greater ease when applying for loans. The price of joining the united front, however, is that one has to be brainwashed. When the party needs you, you will have to donate all your wealth to the party, just as the famous red capitalist Rong Yiren did.
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