Communist Party’s 20th congress: Beijing sends top legal expert, economist to brief Hong Kong on President Xi Jinping’s work report
- Work report affirms Xi’s past message that ‘one country, two systems’ is here to stay, but changes must be made to ensure upkeep of governing principle, legal expert says
- Visiting experts hold seminar at city’s Convention and Exhibition Centre, marking first time mainland officials have flown into Hong Kong to deliver Xi’s message in person
Beijing has sent a top legal expert and an economist to Hong Kong in a widely televised visit to brief local officials, politicians and various industry professionals on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s twice-in-a-decade work report released two months ago.
Shen Chunyao, chairman of the legislative affairs commission of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, on Saturday said the report from the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th congress affirmed Xi’s message during a visit to Hong Kong in July that the “one country, two systems” governing principle was here to stay.
“This is the best system safeguarding the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and Macau,” he said, adding that the governing principle should remain an “executive-led” process instead of adopting the separation-of-powers model commonly used in Western democracies.
But the chairman also stressed the importance of making occasional “improvements” to the governance model.
“You cannot expect that all the questions we face now have been set in stone in the law by our predecessors 20 or 30 years ago,” he said. “Without improvements, the system can lose its energy and vibrancy.”
While Shen did not mention any specific changes, his remarks came on the back of an invitation for the committee’s Legal Affairs Commission to help provide an interpretation of whether foreign-registered lawyers could take up cases involving national security concerns.
The legal expert was joined by Xie Fuzhan, vice-chairman of the Committee on Economic Affairs, which is part of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top advisory body.
