Opinion | Hong Kong’s Basic Law may be a child of China’s constitution, but it has come of age

Cliff Buddle says the precise relationship between China’s constitution and Hong Kong’s de facto constitution can be debated in academic circles, but let’s not forget that the Basic Law exists to protect the Hong Kong system

Reading Time:4 minutes

Published: 7:00am, 10 Dec 2018Updated: 7:00am, 10 Dec 2018

Three hundred Hong Kong schoolchildren gathered last week for a law lecture with a difference. The city’s leader also attended the class, along with ministers. The teacher was Shen Chunyao, a senior official from the Chinese government and his topic was the importance of China’s constitution.

The forum was organised to mark National Constitution Day. It was intended to further understanding of the constitution and its relationship with Hong Kong’s own de facto constitution, the Basic Law. Delivering a lecture on the law might not be the best way to win the hearts and minds of young people. But any attempt to educate, inform and to openly discuss important legal issues is welcome.

The forum, however, comes at a time when a long-standing debate about the application of China’s constitution to Hong Kong has been reignited.

Shen, chairman of the Basic Law Committee and the Legislative Affairs Commission of China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, said the authority of China’s constitution extended to Hong Kong, and all Chinese people, including Hongkongers, should ensure its implementation.

Basic Law Committee chairman Shen Chunyao and vice-chairwoman Elsie Leung Oi-sie attend a seminar on the national constitution at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, on December 4. Photo: Robert Ng

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