Mobilization and conflicts over Hong Kong's democratic reform

Hong Kong, a modern metropolis and an important financial hub for the Asia-Pacific region, has had extraordinary economic accomplishment. In 1987, Hong Kong was classified as a high-income society by the World Bank, with Japan the only other Asian society categorized in the same group. In 1995, Hong Kong's GDP per capita, as measured by parity purchasing power, ranked the third highest in the world (Sing 2004). Hong Kong's political development has, however, lagged far behind its economic one. With Beijing's fear of losing control over Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has made many attempts to block Hong Kong's democratic reforms. Hong Kong's protracted democratization, which began in 1984, has stalled, and even been rolled back by the PRC since Hong Kong's return to China in 1997.