They stand against the “pro-government” or “pro-Beijing” politicians, who regard themselves as patriotic allies of their counterparts in the rest of China.
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Mandy Ng, a Hong Kong school public relations staff member, said she is pessimistic about the pan-democratic candidates winning more seats, as many of their votes may be taken by younger candidates who support Hong Kong independence.
It’s an idea that was, only months ago, dismissed as impossible but it has gained momentum in the city, livening up what would’ve been a humdrum vote and angering giant neighbor China.
Legislators under the “pan-democratic” umbrella now hold 27 seats, compared with 43 in the pro-establishment group.
Mr Leung has become a poster boy for discontent with mainland China’s growing influence on the city, but his group’s sometimes violent protests targeting mainland Chinese traders have brought criticism. He said while the candidates could decide on their electioneering programme, all of them would be bound by the election rules.
Leung however, did sign, and modified the language in his platform to fit the new requirements.
“There’s nothing wrong with asking people to vote for someone who loves the country and loves Hong Kong”, she said.
He is now seeking judicial review of the decision.
According to one poll by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 17% of respondents support independence for the city after 2047. Since 1997, Beijing has ruled the former British colony of 7.3 million people under a “one country, two systems” framework.
She has transformed over the years, becoming a democracy campaigner and founder of Hong Kong 2020, a policy think-tank. “It’s very obvious that our liberty, our rights are being deprived”.
Those massive pro-democracy protests shut down parts of the city for several weeks but failed to secure any meaningful political reforms.
To push their cause, a number of localists have formed political parties and are seeking entry into the political system they disdain in order to promote their cause. “The only way to break away from all this control is independence”.
Leung is now on bail from charges of riot and incitement to riot stemming from those protests.
On the outlook for China, Voggenreiter said Audi expects sales in its largest market to expand five to 10 percent this year, compared with a 1.4 percent decline in 2015.
“I want to prove them wrong”.
Many Hong Kong residents, especially older generations, are tired of constant protests; they fret over the economy, which has suffered as mainland visitors seek out friendlier destinations.
Independence doesn’t need to be feasible to be worth fighting for, he argues.
You can still protest, you can still hold rallies and demonstrations, but you have to ask for a permit from the authorities.
Cultural discrepancies apart, the fading possibility of Beijing allowing full democracy in Hong Kong has served to aggravate the anti-China sentiment.
Someday, he would like to see Hong Kong become a city-state independent of China’s authoritarian government, which has been increasingly assertive in Hong Kong, despite its promise to allow the territory decades of autonomy. California-based security firm FireEye said Friday a China-based group they have been tracking since 2011 attacked at least two Hong Kong government agencies early last month.
Candidates from a new wave of activist groups that emerged in the wake of the student-led “Umbrella” or “Occupy” movement are challenging established pro-Beijing and “pan-democrat” parties for seats in the Legislative Council, or Legco.
Not all voters agree however. Leung refused to speak to leaders of the 79-day Occupy protests and offered no changes to Beijing’s plan for electing his successor next year, which would’ve required a pro-establishment panel of insiders to screen candidates before a citywide vote.
“They have learned very well”, Pepper said of the pro-Beijing parties mastering electoral politics.
Leung isn’t the only one with color revolutions on the mind. His picture is plastered on the sides of minibuses across Hong Kong.
But that was before the so-called Umbrella Movement of 2014.
Thanks to a byzantine electoral system, the national airline of Israel, a Vanuatu-linked organization, and a maker of “chicken biscuits” will vote in the city’s first legislative election since the Umbrella Movement.
Hong Kong is one of Asia’s business hubs.
FireEye linked the Hong Kong spear-phishing attack to a group Mr Watters said his firm has tracked since 2011, over which time it has been blamed for hacking companies in industries from telecommunications to agriculture, in countries including Germany, Italy and the US. (The two are not related.) It is unclear why Baggio Leung and other candidates who have advocated self-determination were allowed to run; Baggio Leung said he was “strategically” avoiding any direct calls for independence until after the election. “Because once you go radical it’s hard to go back”, he said.
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CNN’s Kristie Lu Stout, Pamela Boykoff, Vivian Kam and journalist Christy Leung contributed reporting.
