Negotiating Autonomy in Greater China: Hong Kong and Its Sovereign Before and After 1997

edited by Ray Yep

Local autonomy is a complex and often contentious issue in many countries, not least because the situation often involves a process of continuous (re)negotiation. Moreover, the actual power relationship is defined not only by legal permissibility but also by such other factors as varying political perceptions, economic interests and previous encounters between the centre and periphery. This volume demonstrates that Hong Kong is a good illustration of the intricacies of the dynamic relationship in a Chinese context. The territory has a long history of pursuing its own path, both in colonial times and since 1997. With essays spanning both periods, the volume offers an understanding of the mind-set and actions of both Beijing and Hong Kong in pursuing their goals. It also provides a nuanced framework for evaluating central - local interaction in general.

"(…) this book is well worth reading for the insights it provides as to what autonomy means in the context of “one country, two systems.” As its editor and chapter writers well realize, Hong Kong-China relations at present represent an extraordinary political experiment, an experiment whose broad historical and comparative context this book ably documents and analyzes." - Gordon Mathews, Pacific Affairs, Vol. 88, Issue 2

Ray Yep is Professor of Politics in and Assistant Head of the Department of Public and Social Administration, City University of Hong Kong. He has published extensively on late colonial Hong Kong and the political economy of marketization in China. His articles have appeared in China Quarterly, Journal of Contemporary China, Pacific Review and Public Administration Review. He is the author/editor of Manager Empowerment in China (2003) and May Days in Hong Kong (2009).

Publication year: 2013
336 pp / 229mm x 152mm
7 figures, 1 map
ISBN: 978-87-7694-120-8, Paperback
ISBN: 978-87-7694-119-2, Hardback

NIAS Press