The securitization of refugees in Hong Kong: government, members of the legislative council and Chinese newspapers (2005 to June 2019)
Social Transformations in Chinese Societies
ISSN: 1871-2673
Article publication date: 31 August 2020
Issue publication date: 4 April 2022
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores how the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSARG) securitizes internal security, cultural identity and welfare system through refugee policy instruments. It also aims to explore the roles of members of the Legislative Council (Legco) and Chinese newspapers in the securitization process.
Design/methodology/approach
The author analyzed 6 landmark verdicts, 342 related documents of the Legco, 2,386 news coverages and 408 editorials/ column articles from 6 selected Chinese newspapers from 2005 to mid-2019. While documents of the Legco were collected from the Legco archives, news reports, editorials and column articles were gathered on Wisenews with the keywords, namely, refugees, asylum seekers, torture claims and non-refoulement claims.
Findings
The author argues that the advanced comprehensive security approach helps to comprehend the securitization process in Hong Kong. The HKSARG, Legco members of the pro-government camp and pro-government Chinese newspapers perform as securitizing actors who regard refugees as an existential threat to the referent objects, i.e. internal security, cultural identity and welfare system.
Research limitations/implications
There are two significant limitations, namely, the coverage of newspapers and the absence of poll data. This paper merely selected six Chinese newspapers, which do not cover English newspapers and some other Chinese newspapers in Hong Kong. It may neglect some important data. Additionally, owing to the absence of longitudinal poll data, the author chose not to examine the related materials.
Originality/value
This paper intends to be the first study to provide a longitudinal examination of the transformations of current refugee policies in Hong Kong.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper has been edited from Wai Ching Choy’s master’s dissertation, entitled The Securitization of Refugee Policies in Contemporary Hong Kong: Border Control, Screening Mechanism and In-kind Assistance (2005–June 2019), at the University of Bristol. The author would like to deliver special thanks to Ms Ann Singleton, who supervised this research item patiently and Dr Oscar Berglund, who provided comments to better this work. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr Flora Pui Yan Lau and Prof Sui-Keung Cheung, who wrote academic references to support my study at the University of Bristol. Last but not least, the author thanks the two anonymous reviewers whose suggestions helped to improve and clarify this paper.
Citation
Choy, W.C. (2022), "The securitization of refugees in Hong Kong: government, members of the legislative council and Chinese newspapers (2005 to June 2019)", Social Transformations in Chinese Societies, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 19-45. https://doi.org/10.1108/STICS-11-2019-0016
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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