SINGAPORE -- After Hong Kongers somberly commemorated the 15th anniversary of Tiananmen on June 5, they jolted China's central government by organizing, like last year, another massive July 1 demonstration, setting the stage for another big political standoff with Beijing ahead of the September Legislative Council (Legco) elections.
The July 1, 2003, demonstration -- when some 500,000 people marched through the streets of Hong Kong -- had centered on the debate over constitutional change, namely direct universal suffrage for electing the chief executive in 2007 and Legco members in 2008.
More than half a million Hong Kongers marched through the streets again two weeks ago. In early February, China, alarmed by the advance of democratic forces in Hong Kong and their vocal advocacy for direct polls, had issued its "three principles and seven conditions for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region," declaring that only "patriots" could stand for future SAR elections.