The world's deadliest residential fire in more than four decades was still burning up a block of Hong Kong apartment buildings when pundits settled on a culprit: bamboo. Surely, the bamboo scaffolding that had surrounded the Wang Fuk Court towers explained how the flames tore through the complex so quickly. 'There can be only one outcome,' the Independent declared. 'The bamboo has to go.' But the disaster, which killed at least 160 people, reflects problems much more profound than the choice of scaffolding. These problems first took root as China prepared to assume control of Hong Kong from Britain, in 1997. Concerned that the transition would scare off foreign investors, Chinese leaders tried to woo real-estate tycoons and other business elites by giving them key roles overseeing the city's future governance. Beijing then propped up this new ruling class as a bulwark against efforts to further democratize the territory. The nexus between Hong Kong's government and Big Business gave...
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