Hong Kong government rejects ‘one country, one and a half systems’ warning in British parliamentary report
- Authorities insist the principle of ‘Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong’ remains in place, hitting out at report that raised concerns over city’s autonomy and rule of law
- ‘One country, two systems’ is the formula under which Hong Kong is part of China but enjoys certain freedoms
Hong Kong’s government on Saturday rejected warnings that its autonomy and rule of law were at risk after a British parliamentary report concluded the city was moving towards “one country, one and a half systems”.
A spokesman for the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said the policy of “Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong” was intact and “in strict accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law”, the city’s mini-constitution.
The latest report on “China and the Rules-Based International System” by the foreign affairs committee at Britain’s House of Commons has called on British officials to include the city in the agenda for every ministerial meeting with China.
“The Chinese government, the UK government and witnesses to this inquiry have reaffirmed the importance of ‘one country, two systems’,” read the report, referring to the principle under which Hong Kong is part of China but afforded certain freedoms.
“But we fear that Hong Kong is in reality moving towards ‘one country, one and a half systems’. We also believe the Chinese government’s approach to Hong Kong is moving closer to ‘one country, one system’ than it is to maintaining its treaty commitments under the joint declaration.”
The Sino-British Joint Declaration, signed in 1984 between the British and Chinese governments, set out the terms of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty 13 years later.
The United States late last month raised similar worries about the city. The Department of State noted “accelerating negative trends” in connection with what it saw as increased intervention by Beijing in the running of Hong Kong.