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Tammy Tam
SCMP Columnist
City Beat
by Tammy Tam
City Beat
by Tammy Tam

Hong Kong has definite role to play in boosting understanding with regional neighbours

This comes as critics say China could do a better job in presenting its case to the world by crafting more sophisticated public relations campaigns

I recently had a chance to meet a diplomat from an Asian country which has disputes with China over both historical and current issues.

Interestingly, he told me that despite all the disagreements between the two countries, his government was looking for ways to promote bilateral people-to-people exchanges. That was why he wanted to talk to us so as to better grasp the subtle differences between Hong Kong and mainland China in terms of public sentiment towards his country.

It would be quite telling to take, as an example, how China defends its sovereignty claims over the South China Sea. The latest international tribunal ruling surely angered both Beijing and many Chinese people. Strong and even emotional reactions were only natural. However, certain critics also pointed out that China could have done a better job in presenting its case to the world by crafting a more sophisticated public relations campaign.

It’s always easier said than done. It can be said that until recent years, terms such as “political PR” and “soft power” were pretty new concepts for mainland China and for the Beijing leadership. Whenever China wants to make a case for itself on the world stage, certain entrenched political, historical and cultural factors with underlying “Chinese characteristics” shape its way of expression, which sometimes may not be totally understood and accepted by others.

Under “one country, two systems”, sometimes public sentiment in mainland China can be different from that in Hong Kong due to various reasons, which was also the case in the recent tribunal ruling.

It led to radical patriotic protests outside KFC outlets on the mainland. On one occasion, protesters surrounded a table of three who were enjoying their food and chanted slogans of “Chinese should boycott KFC”, making the three unfortunate fried chicken fans look like “traitors”. Official media immediately called for cooler heads to prevail after these incidents.

Beijing has realised that Hong Kong and Hongkongers could play a special role in people-oriented diplomacy

Such scenes can be hard to imagine in Hong Kong, although protests of all kinds are common here. In fact, a number of groups in the city also staged protests against the tribunal ruling, but one thing for sure is that KFC customers in Hong Kong would never be harassed in such a way.

That, perhaps, explains why Beijing has realised that Hong Kong and Hongkongers could play a special role in people-oriented diplomacy in many senses.

As the country’s most open city with a good mix of Eastern and Western cultures, Hong Kong, without doubt, can do more in this regard.

Former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa is perhaps the best example of how this can be put into practice. After stepping down from the city’s top job in 2005, he found himself a new role as China’s top non-official lobbyist in the US with his good connections with American political and business heavyweights.

While it may not be possible to clone more Tungs, Hong Kong does have others who can do their bit for non-official diplomacy.

The week before, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre and the Chinese Society of International Law jointly organised an international colloquium on maritime dispute settlement. Legal experts and judges, both local and from abroad, had frank exchanges of views on the sensitive ruling. There was rational discussion.

It‘s not to say there is a lack of international seminars on the mainland, but the question is whether Hong Kong can be a suitable venue for more sensible and free discourse, not just on the South China Sea disputes, but on other issues that China needs to explain more clearly to the world in a manner and language that others can better understand. The subtlety here is, with less populist sentiment, Hong Kong can be a more neutral place for this.

Agree or disagree, enhancing understanding is the key phrase here.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: HK’s role in boosting understanding with regional neighbours
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