The mainland has bigger ambitions than Hong Kong when it comes to raising the fortunes of its residents, but for both, the task is made more onerous by high home prices
Article 39 of the Hong Kong Basic Law stipulates that the people of the SAR have right to self-determination under the two international human rights conventions. The people of Hong Kong cannot take their rights for granted. In Switzerland the threshold for petitioning a referendum is only 50,000 signatures, and with that citizens can express their opinion through the ballot box instead of taking to the streets. The people have the right to hold referendums on any public issue. For more, see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.