A Question of Patriotism

This report is based on more than twenty interviews with politicians, journalists, NGO activists, and Hong Kong government officials. It also is based on an extensive review of the documentary record of the past fourteen months in Hong Kong, including domestic and international press reports and government documents. Because of the closed-door nature of the decision-making process in Beijing, it is impossible to describe in detail the rationale behind key decisions taken by the central government. However, the statements of senior central government officials do give some indication of Beijing's motivations. Also, the timing of certain decisions reveals some of the political factors that influenced the central government's calculations.