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Heritage Foundation Index: a Warning to Be Heeded by HK

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Heritage Foundation Index: a Warning to Be Heeded by HK 4 | Monday, April 6, 2020 HONG KONG| EDITIONCHINA DAILY COMMENTHK Xiao Ping Heritage Foundation The original intent of ‘one index: A warning to country, two systems’ Editor’s note: e author is a veteran reunifi cation of the motherland by dead”, admitted more than a decade current a airs commentator. e follow- resolving the questions of Hong Kong, later, “We were wrong.” be heeded by HK ing is the rst of a series focused on the Macao and Taiwan in that order. It has As a new governance format, the “one country, two systems” principle. never been a question of whether or exercise of “one country, two systems” not, but how to achieve that ultimate will inevitably encounter confl icts says unless everything is mission is accomplish- goal with minimum cost acceptable to and challenges. President Xi Jinping Grenville Cross able only if we remain most people. Deng Xiaoping put it very pointed out: “A nation that does not done now to prepare the forces of law and committed to it”. This clearly: “The real question for China know where it came from has no is a simple truth fully is how to solve the question of Hong idea where to go.” Refl ecting upon order for future challenges, we’ll pay a price ‘Aillustrated by the implementation of Kong and Taiwan. There are only two the past helps explain and resolve “one country, two systems” in Hong options — by peaceful means and oth- the questions at hand, including the Kong. The ultimate reason why it has erwise.” He also concluded: “Whether questions of why the central govern- od helps those who help encountered so many confl icts and Hong Kong will remain prosperous ment chose “one country, two sys- themselves”, said Benja- challenges over the years is that the under China’s jurisdiction ultimately tems” over “one country, one system”; min Franklin, the Ameri- understanding of “one country, two depends on policies tailor-made for why the governance of the SAR is led can statesman. systems” has been twisted and cor- Hong Kong.” by the executive branch instead of Under the Basic Law rupted beyond recognition. Therefore, What is a “suitable policy for Hong having a separation of powers among (Article 5), Hong Kong it’s imperative for Hong Kong to recall Kong” then? After careful consider- the executive, legislative and judicial; has been allowed to its original intent. ation, Deng came up with the great why the central government exer- retain its “previous capitalist system and way Back in 1950, the People’s Liberation and innovative concept of “one coun- cises overall jurisdiction over Hong Grenville Cross ‘Gof life”, at least until 2047, when the “50 years The author is a senior counsel, law professor Army had taken control of South China try, two systems”, a brand-new and Kong; whether it’s true that nothing unchanged” proviso expires. Since reunifi ca- and criminal justice analyst, and was previ- and was very close to accomplishing feasible solution for the international has changed after China resumed tion, therefore, full advantage has been taken ously the director of public prosecutions of the epic mission of “liberating the community, as well as China, in resolv- sovereign rule over Hong Kong; and of this dispensation, and Hong Kong’s business Hong Kong. whole country”, but stopped short of ing this kind of inherited problem. whether “one country, two systems” environment has been adjudged one of the best crossing the Shenzhen River into Hong This is a bold experiment in national will prevail beyond 2047. in the world. Indeed, according to the US-based Great dangers are on the Kong. No one was in doubt of the PLA’s governance and a signifi cant contribu- Once these questions are answered, Heritage Foundation (HF), which produces capability to defeat the British colonists tion to human civilization. misunderstandings clarifi ed, and con- an annual Index of Economic Freedom, Hong horizon, and, unless effec- and reclaim the city, but the central “One country, two systems” was fusing misinterpretations debunked, Kong ranked as the world’s freest economy tively contained, they will do authorities decided to take it slow. In originally designed to resolve the people will know what should be from 1995 to 2019, which is a remarkable hindsight, that was no doubt a wise question of Taiwan but ended up maintained, improved, corrected or achievement. lasting damage not only to decision, as evidenced by the crucial being applied to Hong Kong fi rst. The abandoned. Only then will we be However, when the HF, on March 24, released role Hong Kong played throughout the rest is history. More than 22 years able to implement “one country, two its index for 2020, Hong Kong had slipped to Hong Kong’s status as one of formative years of the People’s Republic after China resumed the exercise of systems” consistently and surely with second place, with a score of 89.1, narrowly the safest places in Asia in amid ruthless attempts by Western sovereign rule over Hong Kong, the increasing confi dence and ease for as behind Singapore, on 89.4. In total, 180 di erent powers to strangle the new China in its “one country, two systems” principle long as necessary. places were surveyed, so even coming second is which to live and work, but infancy. Hong Kong remained the only has proved its e ectiveness in sus- The simplest way is usually the no mean feat, particularly as its other neighbors link between China’s mainland and the taining Hong Kong’s prosperity and correct way. The next chapter of this in the top fi ve are Australia, New Zealand and also to its hard-won reputa- outside world for decades, and became stability, and gained recognition from series will discuss and straighten out Switzerland. By comparison, the United States tion as one of the world’s fre- the most important source of overseas the international community. Precise- the concept of “one country, two sys- fell to 17th, with a score of 76.6, down fi ve places investment when the reform and open- ly because it proved workable, doable tems” by recalling its original intent. since 2019, and this was largely attributable to est economies. ing-up drive began in the late 1970s. and popular, the US-based Fortune its protectionist policies, which have seen tari s In fact, the Chinese government is magazine, which declared not long The views do not necessarily refl ect rise sharply and impacted trade. equipment, resources or laws. While the govern- determined to achieve the complete before July 1, 1997 “Hong Kong is those of China Daily. However, despite losing its ascendancy, Hong ment is naturally preoccupied with combating Kong saw its individual scores for judicial the coronavirus, it must also fi nd the time to e ectiveness, government integrity and prop- plan ahead. At some point, the subversives will Editor’s note: China Daily Hong Kong Edition has launched a photo-sharing campaign on Instagram. erty rights all rise, which was an encouraging resume hostilities, and the signs are that the You can share your photos by tagging #hk24hr, and we’ll choose the best ones to publish in the newspaper. development. While recognizing that Hong outrages they have in mind in future will exceed Kong has become increasingly integrated with anything witnessed thus far. Safe distance the Chinese mainland, through trade, tourism In March alone, the police seized huge and fi nancial links, the HF found that risks to amounts of arms and ammunition, explosives economic freedom had also risen. It concluded and bomb-related paraphernalia, but nobody that Hong Kong “remains a dynamic global should be under any illusion. While the police fi nancial center with a high degree of competi- have excellent intelligence, some of the protest tiveness and openness, but the sense of risk is movement’s arsenals are inevitably evading also heightened”. detection. The culprits obviously plan, at some Quite clearly, the HF was concerned over the point, to place the bombs, guns and other violence that engulfed Hong Kong for much of weaponry in the hands of their front-line opera- 2019, and which was unnerving for the business tives, enabling them to commit terrorist attacks community. This, of course, is what many in the throughout Hong Kong. Unless, therefore, protest movement hoped for, as their plan from everything possible is done now to prepare the the outset has been to weaken China by dam- forces of law and order for what lies ahead, aging Hong Kong and its economy. The irony, there will be a heavy price to pay. Great dangers however, is that, while Hong Kong’s status has are on the horizon, and, unless e ectively con- changed by only one place in this year’s index, tained, they will do lasting damage not only to that of the US, which so many of the protesters Hong Kong’s status as one of the safest places glorify, has declined signifi cantly. in Asia in which to live and work, but also to its Anybody who cares for Hong Kong will, of hard-won reputation as one of the world’s freest course, be sad to see its status dented, particu- economies. larly as many had come to take it for granted. As things stand, however, there is still hope. The priority now, therefore, is to arrest the As the HF explained, “despite its recent trou- decline, and hopefully reverse it. So long, how- bles, Hong Kong remains one of Asia’s most ever, as the subversive forces, which have largely important fi nancial and trading centers”.
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