Climbdown of the Week

Residents of Hong Kong may not be able to "recall" their top government leader as Californians can. (And that's probably a good thing.) But they were stunned last week to find they had accomplished something previously unheard of in China: making a Mandarin back down because he was afraid of losing upcoming elections.

		LATEST COVER STORY The Saudis: Inside the Kingdom September 15, 2003 Issue Past Covers Dyslexia September 8, 2003 ----------------- U.S. in Iraq September 1, 2003 ----------------- Asian Journey August 18-25, 2003 ----------------- Cool Japan August 11, 2003 ----------------- Gloria Arroyo August 4, 2003 ----------------- Women in China July 28, 2003 ----------------- Asian Longevity July 21, 2003 ----------------- Hong Kong July 14, 2003 ----------------- Southeast Asia July 7, 2003 ----------------- Kim Jong Il June 30, 2003 -----------------   ASIA  Nepal: On the Brink  Interview: Nepal's PM  Bombay: House of Terror?  Essay: Overcoming 9/11 ARTS  Film: Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi  Meet the Beat: Filmography BUSINESS  Essay: No Trade War, Please! NOTEBOOK  Philippines: Arroyo's Woes  Hong Kong: Climbdown  Milestones  Verbatim  Letters TRAVEL  India: Top Spot for High Tea CNN.com: Top Headlines

Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa announced on Friday that he was shelving a proposed set of statutes on subversion, secession and sedition that he had tried railroading through earlier this year—until 500,000 Hong Kongers took to the streets on July 1 to protest. Tung wouldn't say when he might reintroduce the bills, or even whether he expects to pass them before his second term ends in 2007.

Beijing almost certainly gave Tung the nod on his decision: its main concern was that anti-Tung (or anti-Beijing) parties might dominate the September 2004 elections for the Legislative Council, Hong Kong's lawmaking body. Hong Kong has given Beijing an unexpected lesson in Politics 101.