Hong Kong's 25 year slide from democracy
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 30 June 2022
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week marks 25 years since the UK handover of Hong Kong to China, with the promise of ‘one country, two systems’. Then, the former British colony was told its freedom would endure, but has a security crackdown turned it into just another Chinese city?
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Guest: Stephen Vines, broadcaster and Sunday Times contributor.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Clips from BBC, Sky News, Information Services Department, HKSARG, CNN, NBC News, France 24, AFP, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Free Press, ABC News, Channel 4 News.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Imagine you, you in a nice comfy seat with your hands behind your head, |
| 0:07.6 | taking in the views instead of taking on the road, maybe even taking a nap. |
| 0:13.6 | That's the bliss of getting where you need to go without worrying about driving. |
| 0:19.2 | Hook your train journey by at avantewescoast.co.uk and we'll take you there. |
| 0:24.4 | Avantewescoast, feel good travel. |
| 0:31.5 | This week marks 25 years since Britain handed Hong Kong over to China. |
| 0:54.2 | Unprecedented though this moment in history may be, we have the utmost confidence in the abilities |
| 1:00.7 | and resilience of the Hong Kong people. While the former colony was supposed to be governed by China |
| 1:07.3 | under a one nation, two systems agreement, things have changed in recent years. |
| 1:14.0 | Another massive street protest this in northern Hong Kong, thousands upon thousands turned out |
| 1:19.2 | to continue a weekend of demonstrations against the government here. What started as a protest |
| 1:24.6 | against an extradition treaty with China has morphed into something far more serious. |
| 1:31.1 | So what happened to the former British colonies hopes for the future? |
| 1:36.1 | You're listening to stories of our times from the times and the Sunday times. |
| 1:40.5 | I'm Manvin Rana. Today Hong Kong, a 25 year slide away from democracy. |
| 1:55.2 | My name is Stephen Vines. I lived in Hong Kong up till last year. |
| 2:02.7 | I'd been a presenter of a television current affairs programme on the public broadcaster. |
| 2:07.6 | I'd been a columnist for Apple Daily. Last weekend, Stephen wrote for the Sunday Times |
| 2:13.8 | about the changes the city has seen since June 30, 1997. The last day of British rule in Hong Kong, |
| 2:23.1 | a moment that he witnessed first hand. Well, I remember most, the rain. |
| 2:29.4 | It was an extraordinary day, the entire day. These rain-drenched ceremonies, there was one with Prince |
| 2:35.2 | Charles. Britain is part of Hong Kong's history and Hong Kong is part of Britain's history. |
... |
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