Today the SCMP Debate begins a weekly series as part of our build-up to the 15th anniversary, on July 1, of the establishment of the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong. In our first instalment leading public figures who took part in the handover - the transition from colonialism to Chinese sovereignty - have been asked to share their views on the challenges that this city has met since then, and those that it has yet to overcome.
Q1. Fifteen years after the handover, has 'one country' overshadowed 'two systems'? Has Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy been undermined?
Q2. Has Hong Kong become too reliant on the mainland in the light of cross-border economic integration? How can Hong Kong develop its economic ties with the mainland in a mutually beneficial way?
Q3. What is it that makes Hong Kong unique? Is there a danger it will become just another Chinese city?
David Akers-Jones
President of the Business and Professionals Federation of Hong Kong and former chief secretary
A1 It is now 15 years since the handover, when we became once more an integral part of the China. Before 1997 we had had 15 years to prepare for the return - in all a total of 30 years. As the day of return approached for some there was increasing anxiety. Some left Hong Kong, imagining the tramp of soldiers' feet and the loss of freedom. Those who knew better continued with their investment in our economy, and the moving of our industry into the Pearl River Delta and beyond.