You are here: Home > Opinion > Editor's Pick

Adjust font size:

Photo taken on June 27, 2017 shows celebration posters near Tamar Park in Hong Kong, south China. July 1, 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. [Photo/Xinhua]

July 1 marks the 20th anniversary of the British return of Hong Kong to China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). To mark this important milestone, a wide range of activities will be held.

The HKSAR government reportedly is spending HK$640 million to celebrate under a theme of "Together, Progress, Opportunity." Undoubtedly, it is a celebration of national glory, a celebration of the values of "one country, two systems" which is the foundation on which Hong Kong will continue to prosper as one of the world's great cities.

On July 1, 1997, after 137 years of British colonial rule, Hong Kong was officially handed back to China and became a special administrative region under a promise of no change in its political system and way of life within the following 50 years.

On that day, then Chinese President Jiang Zemin declared: "The return of Hong Kong to the motherland after going through a century of vicissitudes indicates that, from now on, Hong Kong compatriots have become true masters of this Chinese land and Hong Kong has now entered a new era of development."

Over the past 20 years, Hong Kong citizens have been enjoying their democratic rights without losing any of their unique identity or autonomy, thanks to the precise implementation of the principle of "one country, two systems" and the Basic Law. With the staunch support of the central government, Hong Kong has thus been able to maintain its overall prosperity and stability.

There is no doubt that the practice of the Hong Kong SAR Basic Law and the "one country, two systems" principle first developed by the late Deng Xiaoping, has been a success. Indeed, President Xi Jinping described it as a "great success" while meeting with Hong Kong's Chief Executive-elect Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor last April 11.

However, in recent years, some separatist groups have sought to hurt Hong Kong's prosperity and stability by advocating "self-determination" and even "Hong Kong independence." Yet, the great majority of Hong Kong people know neither is possible, and that the city's fate is firmly tied to the motherland. Hong Kong citizens need to better understand the full nature of the "one country, two systems" and the Basic Law.

It's really unfortunate that some local Hong Kong media, along with Western mainstream media, are deliberately fueling the activities of extreme opposition forces in Hong Kong. In the name of protecting freedom of speech and publication, a few Hong Kong booksellers, for example, are engaged in publishing and selling books that attack China's political system.

It is ridiculous that some Hong Kong legislators, including Nathan Law Kwun-Chung, and student leaders of the Hong Kong Occupy protest, Joshua Wong, poster boy for the so-called "democracy," have been idolized in the Western media. It is a fact that, in the 20 years since reunification, people from all walks of life in Hong Kong are experiencing extensive rights and freedoms.

In an editorial in the People's Daily on January 17, 2017, China condemned separatist forces: "What so-called Taiwan independence and so-called Hong Kong independence have in common is that they are hell-bent on destroying the country and bringing disaster to its people, under the banner of [so-called] freedom and democracy."

On March 26, the Hong Kong electoral committee of nearly 1,200 people chose Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor as the fifth chief executive of the HKSAR. This is an example of "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong." She will take command as its first female chief executive on July 1.

Beijing and Hong Kong have both benefited economically from the 1997 handover. Today, Hong Kong's economy is doing better than most other free market economies in the world as far as statistics are concerned. Hong Kong's gross domestic product expanded almost 50 percent to $309 billion between 1997 and 2015.

Mainland bankers and Chinese companies are boosting their presence in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has become a stop on the tourist circuit for millions of mainland Chinese. It is the top destination for mainland real estate investment, reaching over HK$40 billion last year. The Chinese central government has pledged to boost Hong Kong's role in China's economic development with the Belt and Road Initiative.

Today, relations between Hong Kong and the mainland have warmed as the 79-day Occupy Central movement of 2014, commonly known as the Umbrella Movement, and the Mong Kok riots last year have faded away.

It is necessary for the 7.3 million people of Hong Kong to uphold the "one country, two systems" principle for the city's economic success. There can be nothing but praise for the "one country, two systems" that strengthens closer contact between Hong Kong and the mainland in win-win cooperation.

Rabi Sankar Bosu, Secretary of New Horizon Radio Listeners' Club, West Bengal, India

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

Print E-mail

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

Add your comments...

• User Name Required
• Your Comment
• Enter the words you see:   
  Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.