On or shortly after June 16, the Hong Kong authorities are expected to submit a package of electoral reforms to the special administrative region’s representative body, the Legislative Council (LegCo), that includes a proposal for implementing universal suffrage in the former colony for the first time. Despite the obvious attraction this should present to democratic activists in LegCo, it appears headed for defeat because of the restrictive terms and conditions imposed on the process by Hong Kong’s sovereign, the People’s Republic of China. A seemingly irresistible force, the expectation of democratic representation, has met an immovable object: China’s determination to put limits on the process.

Read more at: http://carnegieendowment.org/2015/06/11/why-hong-kong-s-challenges-matter/i9qq