Congressional-executive Commission on China

Prospects for Democracy and Press Freedom in Hong Kong Congressional-executive Commission on China

Under China's "one country, two systems" policy, Hong Kong residents enjoy greater freedom and autonomy than people in mainland China, including freedoms of speech, press, and religion. China has stated it intends to allow Hong Kong residents to elect their Chief Executive by universal suffrage for the first time in 2017 and to elect Hong Kong's Legislative Council by universal suffrage in 2020. As Hong Kong's government contemplates electoral reform in the run-up to the 2017 election, concerns are growing that China's central government will attempt to control the election by allowing only pro-Beijing candidates to run for Chief Executive. Concerns over press freedom have also grown in the wake of several incidents in which journalists have been violently attacked or fired.