This undated file photo shows an aerial view of downtown Hong Kong and Victoria Harbor. (LYU XIAOWEI / XINHUA)
Under “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong is heading toward a high-quality democratic path that truly protects residents’ democratic rights and advances the city’s socio-political development.
Political heavyweights and scholars from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong made the remarks on Tuesday at a high-powered seminar on the democratic development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, held online and offline.
Political heavyweights and scholars from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong made the remarks on Tuesday at a high-powered seminar on the democratic development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, held online and offline
Wang Zhenmin, director of Tsinghua University’s Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies, said in his keynote speech that Hong Kong’s democratic system under the “one country, two systems” principle has proved to be the right path for the city, as it will not only lead to a high-quality democratic development, but will also help solve problems relating to Hong Kong’s economic development and people’s livelihoods.
Wang said he is confident that the city will continue to develop a democracy that conforms to its reality, and establish a new model of high-quality democracy for the rest of the world.
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Also addressing the event was Xu Ze, president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, who said that a good democratic system in Hong Kong depends on whether the system can effectively maintain the constitutional order and consolidate the constitutional foundation of the SAR.
Only by fulfilling the two requirements can the principle of “one country, two systems” be firmly implemented, Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy be maintained, and the rights of Hong Kong people be truly protected, Xu said.
Maria Tam Wai-chu, deputy director of Hong Kong’s Basic Law Committee, said that only after Hong Kong’s return to the motherland in 1997 could the people of Hong Kong truly enjoy democratic rights, including the rights to vote and to be elected, to defend their interests and express their aspirations and demands, and to participate in the policymaking process at the national level.
Hong Kong lawmaker Priscilla Leung Mei-fun said that Hong Kong needs to follow a democratic path with “Hong Kong characteristics” that increases people’s sense of well-being.
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Hong Kong’s democracy has entered a new era of high-quality development with the success of the first Legislative Council election under the new electoral system, Leung said. The city’s new LegCo, formed by competent patriots who were sworn into office on Jan 3, will lay the foundation for good governance in Hong Kong, she said.
Citing the State Council’s white paper on Hong Kong’s democracy, released in December, Grenville Cross, former director of public prosecutions of the special administrative region, said the ultimate goal of the city’s democratic model is to represent the fundamental interests and the common will of residents.
Cross said that Hong Kong’s new electoral system has succeeded in promoting the public good through the selection of the right quality of candidates.
Allan Zeman, chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group, said that the lawmakers elected under the revamped electoral system come from various backgrounds, and he believes that they will help the city better integrate into the nation’s overall development, and remain a “super-connector” between the East and the West.
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