HONG KONG - To solve new issues arising during the implementation of the “one country, two systems”, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) must correctly recognize its new constitutional basis, which is jointly formed by the nation’s Constitution and the HKSAR’s Basic Law, the head of the central government’s liaison office in the city said on Friday.

Only with the guarantee of both the Constitution and the SAR’s Basic Law, can Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy be implemented, the rule of law upheld, and its prosperity and stability can be maintained, said Luo Huining, director of the liaison office 

Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, made the remarks in an online seminar on the nation’s Constitution Day.

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The past political and legal disputes showed that some Hong Kong people only recognized the preservation of Hong Kong’s original legal system, but ignored the fundamental change of the SAR’s constitutional basis, which is formed jointly by the Constitution and the HKSAR Basic Law with the return of the SAR in 1997.

This is the root of Hong Kong’s recent turmoil, Luo said. He was referring to the prolonged street violence last year since June that had rocked the city.

All of Hong Kong society should realize that only by respecting the facts of the SAR’s new constitutional basis can Hong Kong solve the new problems emerging in the implementation of the “one country, two systems”, Luo said.

Only with the guarantee of both the Constitution and the SAR’s Basic Law, can Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy be implemented, the rule of law upheld, and its prosperity and stability can be maintained, he said.

Luo also noted that with the implementation of the National Security Law, Hong Kong’s constitutional order has gradually been restored.

Yet he emphasized that to further strengthen the SAR’s ability to safeguard national security, many provisions of the security law should be transformed into systems and mechanisms for law enforcement and judicial organs to implement, and also codes of conduct for the general public to abide by. 

A key function of the Constitution is to safeguard national security, which the SAR is duty-bound to protect, Luo said

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He urged the city’s public officers to take the lead to promote education of the Constitution and Basic Law, especially among youngsters.

A key function of the Constitution is to safeguard national security, which the SAR is duty-bound to protect, Luo said.

The fundamental purpose of “one country, two systems” is to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, as well as ensuring Hong Kong’s long-term stability and prosperity, he continued.

Without proper safeguards for national security, there is no “one country, two systems” to begin with and hence no stability and prosperity for Hong Kong, he concluded.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, also speaking at the seminar, underlined that safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests is the bottom line of “one country, two systems”, and Hong Kong has a clear duty to safeguard national security.