Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Central People's Government's Liaison Office in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, gave a systematic assessment of how well the "one country, two systems" principle has been implemented in a recent interview with national media. He offered authoritative opinions in five aspects that are eye-opening and inspirational:

Firstly Hong Kong has no doubt experienced some problems and challenges since its return to China but those were mostly expected and eventually overcome; the "one country, two systems" principle has been successfully implemented in Hong Kong so far.

Secondly the fact that so many problems we experienced while exercising "one country, two systems" were properly resolved one way or another is evidence that the central government has what it takes to handle any issue no matter how complicated it could be and how resilient the "one country, two systems" principle is.

Thirdly questions or controversy that popped up over the past 20 years cannot negate the enormous effort and great contribution made by the SAR government and Hong Kong society as a whole.

Fourthly, Hong Kong could have done even better in all-round development had it not been hampered by indiscriminate politicization of anything and everything.

Last but not least, Hong Kong has a bright future with a great deal to look forward to if it seizes all the opportunities arising from the national development strategy.

"One country, two systems" is an innovative and trailblazing undertaking, with no precedent to copy or prior experience to draw on. That means its implementation is a process of trial and error to begin with, and any strange situation, problem, challenge or even conflict it runs into is to be expected. We need to tackle all the issues and challenges head on without forgetting the great achievements we have made.

President Xi Jinping said at a meeting with Chief Executive-designate Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in Beijing in April: "In the past 20 years the 'one country, two systems' principle has been a great success in Hong Kong. The special administrative region system as stipulated by the nation's Constitution and Basic Law is functioning effectively, while Hong Kong's prosperity and stability is maintained, all of which has won acclaim from the international community." That is the highest assessment of the exercise of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong by the central authorities.

Zhang maintained that the successful exercise of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong can be seen from six angles. Hong Kong has been integrated smoothly into the country's jurisdictional system; prosperity and stability are sustained; Hong Kong compatriots have in reality become masters of their own home town; the city's capitalist system and Western ideology have not been changed; exchange and cooperation with the mainland are growing in scale and depth with the trend of mutual benefit and win-win results becoming more evident every day and finally Hong Kong's charm as a cosmopolitan city is strong as ever, demonstrated by increased exchanges with overseas entities. Next to those significant achievements the various issues Hong Kong has run into since 1997 are merely distractions and not reasons for people to be afraid of acknowledging the great success, or even to deny it.

The fact is implementation of "one country, two systems" is bound to experience problems every now and then; how we solve them is more crucial than everything else in the process.

In the exercise of "one country, two systems" the central government had always been at the steering wheel, Zhang pointed out, especially since the 18th National Committee of the Communist Party of China, when the central leadership with General Secretary and President Xi Jinping as the core made a series of strategic decisions in response to the changing situation faced by "one country, two systems" and handled the difficult twists and turns properly, with many new breakthroughs, progress and achievements to boot. The central leadership ensures implementation of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong will proceed safely and smoothly despite any difficulty in its way.

Apart from the central government's brilliant steering that has made "one country, two systems" such a great success we must also keep in mind the overwhelming support by Hong Kong society, including the SAR government and people from all walks of life. As Zhang also noted in the interview, the SAR government and members of the public have proved time and again they can step up and face any challenge head on.

Regarding the emergence of "Hong Kong independence" advocates in recent years Zhang reiterated the central government's standing over the issue of principle, which is that separatist advocacies violate the Basic Law and relevant Hong Kong law and pose a serious threat to national security. That is why they must not be tolerated in Hong Kong.

(HK Edition 06/27/2017 page10)