ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the evolution of Hong Kong's political system and investigates the understandings and interpretations of the Basic Law on the part of the Chinese regime and democracy activists in Hong Kong. It also reviews the movements towards democratization that took place since the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Some of the measures were contested by the People's Republic of China (PRC) government, which argued that constitutional reforms in Hong Kong during the transition period must "converge" with the model of the HKSAR political system prescribed by the Basic Law. The chapter considers developments since early 2013, when the "Occupy Central" campaign was launched to struggle for the realization of "genuine universal suffrage" in the election of the Chief Executive (CE) of the HKSAR. It focuses on the contradictions and tensions inherent in the project of "One Country, Two Systems" that were revealed by the failure of the "Occupy" Movement in realizing its democratic aspirations.
