Religion's future in Hong Kong

Christian Century, June 4, 1997

For Tso Man-King, general secretary of the Hong Kong Christian Council, the impending July 1 return of the British colony to Chinese sovereignty will be the "birth of a new era" when colonialism dies and territory residents can finally "create our own history. " But for Kwok Nai-wang, one of Tso's predecessors at the HKCC, July 1 looms as a day of trepidation, when democratic advances, only recently granted, will be scaled back and Hong Kong may just be exchanging one colonial ruler for another.

At midnight on June 30, Great Britain's 99-year colonial lease on Hong Kong expires, and the territory will become a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. As the deadline nears, there is intense speculation in all sectors of society about the implications of the changeover. Within Hong Kong's religious community, some of the sharpest philosophical divisions are not between liberal and conservative churches but within the mainline Protestant movement.

One of the most enthusiastic voices about Hong Kong's future is Tso, leader of the HKCC, whose members include 20 mostly mainline Protestant denominations and eight parachurch organizations, such as the Hong Kong Bible Society, the Chinese Christian Literature Council and the YMCA. Conversely, one of the most outspoken voices of concern is Kwok, who was general secretary of the HKCC from 1978 to 1988. Today Kwok is director of the Hong Kong Christian Institute, an advocacy-oriented think tank that he and 120 other Christians founded in 1988 to contribute to "the social betterment of Hong Kong, especially during the crucial transitional period."

Though both are prominent mainline Protestant leaders, Kwok and Tso approach Hong Kong's future with dramatically different outlooks. From is ninth floor office in the HKCC headquarters in Hong Kong's congested Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district, Tso exudes confidence about life after July 1. "At the Hong Kong Christian Council, we try to present a positive image toward 1997," said Tso. "Many try to present an image that July 1 is the doomsday of Hong Kong, but I live here day in and day out, and I don't feel it." China has promised not to interfere in Hong Kong's way of life, except for matters of foreign affairs and defense, for at least 50 years under a policy of "one country, two systems." In recent weeks, however, C. H. Tung, slated by Beijing to become Hong Kong's new chief executive, has signaled that new restrictions on civil rights will follow the July 1 handover.

Tso pins high hopes on the Basic Law, China's mini-constitution for Hong Kong. Article 141 of the Basic Law contains explicit provisions guaranteeing freedom of religious beliefs and activities. "If that is implemented, then I don't see that there should be much problem in the future in Hong Kong," Tso said. Part of his optimism stems from his view of China. Tso admits that the Tiananmen Square massacre of June 4, 1989, when Chinese troops fired on pro-democracy demonstrators, left an indelible imprint on the minds of Hong Kong citizens. "The shock can never be forgotten," he said. "But China today is not China of five or six years ago. China actually is not a communist country any more. They are having private ownership. How can a communist country allow private ownership?"

With that in mind, Tso said he hopes China and Hong Kong can work together "to develop a new [political] system using the best of the two systems and screening out the worst of both. " Added Tso: "It's a very positive challenge."

But Kwok of the Hong Kong Christian Institute is much concerned about the challenges ahead. Active in the pro-democracy movement, Kwok fears that China already has been inappropriately influencing Hong Kong by pushing the future government to step back from democratic reforms adopted in the past few years. "If China continues to interfere in Hong Kong affairs at its whim, Hong Kong will become just another Chinese city," Kwok predicted in an interview in his Mong Kok office in another of Hong Kong's bustling commercial districts. Kwok is especially concerned about new regulations announced in early April that will pare down the territory's civil and political liberties.

"Because of these new laws, it will be more difficult to fight for more political freedom, so I'm not very optimistic about religious freedom after the handover," Kwok said. "If you just want to shirt the church building and confine your activities to inside the church building, then there may not be any problem. But once you want to put your faith into practice, then you might have a few problems."

Kwok is not fully reassured by the guarantees of the Basic Law. He noted that China's 1983 constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. But, he said, six years after those guarantees were adopted, Chinese students attempting to exercise those rights "were met with machine guns and tanks" in Tiananmen Square. "That proves my point," he asserted with emotion. "Without a government [that] has the will to respect and implement the Basic Law, it's just something on paper."