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It's shaping up to be a contentious summer, with the National People's Congress Standing Committee set to deliver a decision on Hong Kong's constitutional reform at the end of August. For the moment, Democrats are still pressing for the opportunity to talk to Beijing's representatives, who have been talking a lot to their allies. With us in the studio to talk about what's next is veteran democrat Martin Lee. The Hong Kong Book Fair ended on Tuesday, with the organiser the Trade Development Council estimating that over 980,000 people visited. One of the major trends at the show was the movement towards e-books. That may be useful for some of Hong Kong's publishers of political books, at least those who take a critical line. They say that getting their printed books in shops via local distributors is getting more and more difficult.

This week we're focusing on - what else? - political reform. This week, the government took the first step in what it designates a "Five-step Process" towards political reform. Not only has Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying submitted its report to the National People's Congress Standing Committee, the government has also published a report on its interpretation of the five month public consultation on the methods of election to the Legislative Council in 2016 and for the Chief Executive in 201. The consultation exercise gathered around 124,700 written submissions from different groups and individuals. In terms of its content, many noticed that the report was notable for what it left out as much as what it put in. Well, does the government's interpretation of its consultation even begin to reflect genuine Hong Kong public opinion? And, given that the report plays down the need for reforming the 2016 Legco elections, which will in turn affect the composition of any future nomination committee, have the democrats played into the authorities' hands buy placing so much emphasis on 2017 and public nomination and playing down the 2016 elections? With us in the studio are the Civic Party's Ronny Tong, Fernando Cheung of the Labour Party, and Andrew Work of the Harbour Times. We have also been asking the government, repeatedly, for over a week, to send a representative to discuss the report and the government's strategy. They declined, saying anyone who could do so was too busy.

Our topic this week is the events of June 4th in Tiananmen Square 25 years ago and how they are being commemorated, and how, 25 years on, there are attempts to dim or even suppress the memory of these events. First, while Hong Kong has long been seen as a beacon for public remembrance of the June 4th crackdown, there are also those in Taiwan who are determined not to let it be forgotten. We filmed commemoration events there and talked to China specialist Perry Link While writers and historians like Perry Link, and Chinese communities worldwide are determined not to forget what happened in June in Beijing 25 years ago, mainland China of course is the centre of denial. And this year, even in Hong Kong’s streets, the deniers were out. Well, the protests have been going on for 25 years, in all weathers, in all temperatures and in all changing political climates. We end by looking back on this long history of June 4th commemorations.

Hong Kong's political uncertainties, fears of assimilation into the mainland, and annoyance about how things are going on many levels, have led some local residents to consider upping sticks and moving elsewhere. Although this is seldom discussed in public it turns out that for some, Taiwan is the destination of choice for a number of Hong Kongers. Over the past few weeks, the simmering resentment over the behaviour of some mainland tourists and their children has risen to a new level of hostility. Meanwhile mainland media and websites have been arguing that it's Hong Kongers who are in the wrong for being so offended. But look at some of the videos on the internet and it's clear that people in some of the mainland's own cities are just as offended by inappropriate behaviour. With us in the studio to discuss the clash of values is sociologist Cheris Chan from the University of Hong Kong. Deacons law firm has donated a treasure trove of archival material to the University of Hong Kong. Much of it dates back to Hong Kong's old opium dealing days, and is likely to prove invaluable to future writers and historians.

Hong Kong's HK$67 billion express rail link between Hong Kong and Guangzhou was already said to be the most expensive ever built in per kilometer terms. Well, now it looks as if it's going to be even more expensive. And if you're considering a journey on the new railway, plan to wait longer. Suspicions that completion of the express rail link would be delayed surfaced as early as last year. The project was initially planned to be completed in 2015, but it was not until last week that the government admitted there'd be a delay of at least two years. On Wednesday this week, Tomas Brunegrd, the president of the World Association of Newspapers, told an international conference in Hong Kong that he was concerned about the decline of press freedom in the city. In February, Reporters Without Borders ranked Hong Kong 61st for press freedom worldwide, a long way below its 18th place in 2002. And this week, the Hong Kong Journalists' Association announced a new Hong Kong Press Freedom Index, and the news was not reassuring. With us in the studio is the HKJA's Mak Yin-ting. Last week, we reported on what's been called China's largest ghost town, the Kangbashi New Area development, which is part of Ordos City in Inner Mongolia. There was a property bubble. It burst. But the cost is more than empty buildings and abandoned construction projects. Some 90% of the residents of Ordo.

Last weekend's Shanghai trip by Hong Kong legislators was progress of a kind. At least senior Communist Party officials held talks with some of Hong Kong's pan-democrats. But was it a substantive step, or just an exercise in appearances? With us in the studio to discuss it are the Civic Party's Alan Leong (who didn't go) and the Democratic Party's Sin Chung-kai (who did). Hong Kong is overcrowded, and doesn't have enough living accommodation. No big surprises in either of those statements. It also has high property prices, which the government says are coming under some semblance of control. Meanwhile, parts of the mainland have very much the opposite problem. Take the example of the Kangbashi New Area development, part of the city of Ordos in Inner Mongolia, which is a ghost town.

The proposal was bold and straightforward: "Hong Kong Property for Hong Kong People". Well, it's been shelved already, amid claims that it never did have that much bite in the first place. The two Kai Tak sites bought by mainland developers under the scheme still haven't passed Legco's legislative procedures, which means that there could be no criminal liability for violating the previous rules or restrictions. The government says demand from overseas buyers has already dropped to a very low level. There've been dark mutterings in some circles, particularly in mainland China, that Taiwan's Sunflower Student Movement is the beginning of a pro-independence movement in Taiwan. Others say the students have limited aims, and that their departure from Taiwan's legislative yuan this week shows that they may have already achieved just what they set out to do ... There are about 34,000 special needs students in integrated or "inclusive" local Cantonese-speaking schools, apart from 8,000 in individual schools catering exclusively to such children. For non-Cantonese speakers things can be even tougher, as affordable places are very hard to come by in international schools too.

Legislative Council president Tsang Yok-sing is to lead a delegation to visit Shanghai next weekend. Legislators are to have a half day meeting with Wang Guangya, the Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the state council, Li Fei, the Chairman of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Basic Law Committee and Zhang Xiaoming, the Director of the Liaison Office The topic they want to discuss is Hong Kong's political development. Democrats are split on whether or not to take part. On Wednesday this week, Bill Majcher, a former covert operative for the Canadian government, gave a speech at the Foreign Correspondents' Club on how and why public safety has been compromised by allegedly reckless disclosures by digital anarchists masquerading as whistleblowers. That is contentious stuff. Well, Bill Majcher is in the studio with us now. Last week, mainland Chinese dissident Tan Zuoren was released from prison after a five year jail term. Tan was arrested on March 28, 2009 on charges of "inciting subversion of state power" because of essays he'd published criticizing the government verdict on the crackdown against the 1989 Tiananmen protests. But his supporters however believe he was targeted because of his investigations into the collapse of school buildings during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

There's been shock, horror, and consternation in some pro-Beijing circles in Hong Kong about what's been happening in Taiwan this week. Pro-democrat protests in Hong Kong have been spectacularly well behaved in the past, but there are those who are determined to worry that they might become so in the future. Ironically, even in Taiwan, most of the physical violence against individuals seems to have come from the authorities. Last Tuesday, the government of President Ma Ying-jeou passed a trade pact with mainland China in less than a minute. The trade deal would open up more than 100 service sectors, ranging from banks and telecommunications to travel agencies and hospitals. Many viewed the ruling party as having steamrolled the political system, by going back on a promise to allow a thorough review and debate of the terms of the deal, before passing it and sending it straight to the Kuomintang controlled parliament for a vote. The police have been given new guidelines on how to handle abuse from members of the public. But given that it seems to be part of the police force's job to deal with people in tense situations, some observers say this seems either overkill, or a potential infringement of human rights. With us in the studio are Law Yuk-kai of Human Rights Monitor, and Ricky Chu of the Independent Police Complaints Council This week there was an election for members of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong. But with many members holding two votes, while others have none, that election doesn't exactly look like a democratic process. This is the first proper contested election, even if only for the vice president posts. Of the nine candidates running, only eight could win. But the one outsider, Ho Kim-fai was not seen as a serious threat. Out of 75 sports association members, only 31 can vote, and each of them holds two votes. Only six of the existing officers have voting rights. It's unclear what qualifies a member to vote.

This week, former governor Chris Patten in his only television interview during his current visit to Hong Kong, spoke to The Pulse. Among other things, he's here to open an exhibition at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum called "Mapping Ming China's Maritime World - The Selden Map and Other Treasures from the University of Oxford". He also gave his views on the progress of "One Country Two Systems". On 6th March, a district council meeting ended in a wave of arguments as Central and Western district councillor Ted Hui was carried out of a meeting by police. He had invited reporters and an assistant to film. Chairman Lee Chi-hang told reporters, whose details he had already demanded, that this was a closed door meeting.The reporters were asked to leave after most voted against their stay. The district council's standing orders do not contain guidelines on whether such meetings should be open to the public. Even if they involve allocation of public money.