One Country, Two System Rule in Hong Kong On July

On July 1, 2003, approximately 500,000 residents took to the streets of Hong Kong to protest proposed ôanti-subversionö legislation that would have increased criminal penalties for acts considered to be treason against the Chinese state (Brown). The protests resulted in the resignation of both Hong KongÆs Financial Secretary Antony Leung and Security Secretary Regina Ip. Hong Kong residents also called for the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, whom many felt had lost the publicÆs trust and, therefore, his ability to govern effectively. Tung refused to resign. But following the protests, he agreed to delay legislative review of the bill and left Hong Kong to consult with the leadership of the PeopleÆs Republic of China (PRC or China).

The consequences of the massive protests demonstrated two aspects of ChinaÆs rule of Hong Kong. First, Hong Kong residents, long used to greater respect for civil liberties than that demonstrated in the PRC, were able to express freely and publicly their disagreement with the PRC-backed legislation. Second, TungÆs flight to consult with PRC leadership proves clearly that the PRC is the governing authority of Hong Kong despite the civil and domestic freedoms and autonomy outlined in PRC-drafted but Hong-Kong-and-British-influenced Basic Law (ôBasic Lawö or ôthe Lawö)of Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR or ôthe Regionö).

The fact that Hong KongÆs political leaders

. . .
ongÆs Chief Executive as well as all principal executive officials for Hong Kong. The PRC also retains the right to veto legislation passed by the HKSAR that is deemed to violate the PRC Constitution. Article 159 of the Basic Law grants the National PeopleÆs Congress the power to amend the Basic Law. Any amendments to the Law proposed by the HKSAR must be submitted to the PeopleÆs Congress. Moreover, the PeopleÆs Congress will allow no amendment to the Basic Law that ôcontravene[s] the established basic policies of the PeopleÆs Republic of China regarding Hong Kongö (Basic Law of HKSAR, Arts. 15-17). Xiaoyang argues that the unitary relationship between China and Hong Kong means that Chinese central authorities retain full sovereignty over the HKSAR. However, the PRC took into account the ways in which Hong KongÆs history differed from that of the PRC to draft a Basic Law that would facilitate the social stability and economic development of Hong Kong. The resulting Law, therefore, authorizes the HKSAR to exercise a high degree of autonomy in certain domestic areas. In particular, Article 12 of the Basic Law provides that ô[t]he Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall be a local administrative region of the PeopleÆs
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Basic Law, Hong Kong, PRC HKSAR, HKSAR Art, hong kong, basic law, Republic China, Hong KongÆs, PRC Constitution, PeopleÆs Congress, Specifically Article, Tung Chee-hwa, republic china, peopleÆs republic china, peopleÆs republic, basic law hksar, central authorities, peopleÆs congress, law hksar, special administrative, jul 2003, kong special, hong kong special, accessed 21 jul, hong kong residents,
Approximate Word count = 1547
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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