EDITORIAL
Beijing manipulates Hong Kong decisions

"One country, two systems" was a formula originally contemplated in Beijing for the eventual reunification of Taiwan with China, the motherland.

Soon after, however, the British Thatcher government approached Beijing about the possibility of extending Britain's lease on the New Territories in Hong Kong. Not bloody likely, said Deng Xiao- ping, and the eventual result was the handover of the former colony to China in 1997.

The British did get the Chinese to promise that Hong Kong would enjoy "substantial autonomy" for the next 50 years. Amid a great deal of fanfare, the Hong Kong formula of "one country, two systems" was offered up as an example of reunification that Taiwan would wish to emulate.

But the recent resignation of Hong Kong's chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, makes it clear that the strings are being pulled all the way from Beijing.

In a huge loss of face back in December, Tung received a public dressing down from Chinese President Hu Jintao that few doubted would be career ending.

When Tung finally announced last week that he had tendered his resignation only an hour earlier to the State Council in Beijing, the story of his looming departure had been front-page news in Hong Kong for 10 days. In other words, the cadres in China knew that Tung would encounter insurmountable health problems days before Tung knew it.

Perhaps these are details that don't affect the average Hong Kong resident's daily quality of life.

But as a system of autonomous governance, it's not likely to be attractive to anyone in Taiwan.