Closer cooperation needed for ‘one country, two systems’
“One country, two systems” and the Basic Law have ensured Hong Kong’s robust growth over the past 20 years, but more research and cooperation with the Chinese mainland are needed to tackle challenges in the process of their implementation, law experts and scholars told a seminar in Shenzhen on Sunday.
Hong Kong stands at a new historical point, playing an increasingly important role in the country’s economic development and opening up, said Xu Hong, directorgeneral of the Department of Treaty and Law at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The advantage of ‘ one country, two systems’ has been given full play in Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong, and a high degree of autonomy has also been fully implemented in the SAR. Hong Kong’s development space is becoming wider too,” Xu told the law seminar, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Shenzhen University to commemorate the 20 th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the country.
He said ties between Hong Kong and the mainland have been deepening, with growing exchanges being made, but challenges have also arisen.
For example, regarding the applicable range of territories of a certain bilateral treaty signed by the central government, some foreign courts have still made false adjudication after the Chinese government confirmed through a diplomatic note that the treaty is not applicable to Hong Kong.
That demonstrates a lack of, or an inaccurate understanding of the practice and applicability in the Hong Kong SAR of treaties signed by the central government, Xu said.
“More research and studies (on such legal issues) are needed to cope with the challenges,” he said.
He added that more support from those working in diplomacy will be provided to Hong Kong to help the city carry out external exchanges and cooperation, develop itself into a regional legal services and dispute settlement center and consolidate its position as an international financial, trading and shipping hub.
Wang Zhenmin, legal chief for the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said the Basic Law has provided space for Hong Kong to enjoy unique advantages from the “two systems” aspect.
“That the Hong Kong SAR maintains its particularity in international status is an effective way for the country to expand its international influence,” Wang said.
But he stressed that the particularity should be based on “one country” and should not break through the realm of Chinese sovereignty.
Elsie Leung Oi-sie, deputy director of the Hong Kong Basic Law Committee under the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), said that, over the past two decades, some obligations prescribed in the Basic Law have not been fulfilled, for example, how to exercise the NPC’s supervision rights over the implementation of the Basic Law in Hong Kong.
“With the development of ‘one country, two systems’ and deepening implementation of the Basic Law, new problems are emerging. That
With the development of ‘one country, two systems’ and deepening implementation of the Basic Law, new problems are emerging. That requires us to develop a sound theoretical system that could lead and guide us to solve the problems.” Elsie Leung Oi-sie, deputy director of the Hong Kong Basic Law Committee under the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress
requires us to develop a sound theoretical system that could lead and guide us to solve the problems,” she said.
She urged Hong Kong and the mainland to work together to strengthen research on the theoretical system and the practice of the implementation of the Basic Law.