Carrie Lam says Hong Kong capitalism can only survive beyond 2047 if ‘one country, two systems’ is fully respected
- Chief executive warns Hongkongers of the consequences of attacking the way city is governed
- Lawmakers thrown out of chamber after Lam is heckled during her first Legislative Council question and answer session of the year
Hong Kong capitalism can only continue beyond 2047 if city residents, especially the younger generation, uphold “one country, two systems”, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor warned on Thursday.
The chief executive said attacking Beijing’s governing principle, which gives the city a high degree of autonomy, put its liberal economic model at risk in the long run.
The agreement between Britain and China for the 1997 handover guaranteed the retention of Hong Kong’s legal, financial and political systems for 50 years.
In her first question and answer session of the year at the Legislative Council, Lam said: “I want to tell the young people, who were mostly born after the handover, to treasure one country, two systems … instead of bringing damage to this important system due to misunderstanding.
“Otherwise, they will be creating the situation that they are in fact worried about today.”