To the majority of Hong Kong people, it is beyond doubt 2020 has been the worst year since the Handover. Hardly has one trouble brought about by the coronavirus epidemic subsided when another rises. Besides, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress laid down a national security law for Hong Kong on June 30 in order to gain total control over the SAR.

Hong Kong people’s worry about the outlook for Hong Kong for the time being is way direr than in 1997 when the Handover took place. Since the state’s rudimentary guiding principles and policies towards the SAR are unequivocally stated in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, and then a set-up embodying “one country, two systems”, “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong” and high autonomy is unambiguously drawn up in the Basic Law pursuant to the Joint Declaration, including the mainland not allowed to interfere in Hong Kong affairs and a democracy to be established, Hong Kong people believed that the way of life they had used to have could be preserved after the Handover, and the core values such as rule of law, human rights, freedom and probity would remain unchanged for 50 years.

Besides, we were aware back then that the city really meant something and was of valuable help to the nation’s long-term development.

On December 19, 1984, the Joint Declaration was signed by both China and the UK, before which Margaret Thatcher met Deng Xiaoping. The Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government released the key points of the conversation held at the meeting as follows,

Deng Xiaoping pointed out that the only solution to the issue of Hong Kong that was acceptable to China, Britain and Hong Kong was “one country, two systems”. He also purported that apart from proving to Britain, we also “have to tell the entire world that China is as good as its word.”

Deng Xiaoping elaborated on the notion of “remain unchanged for 50 years”. “It stemmed from the reality of China. … It takes 30 to 50 years for China to become decently developed, almost close to but not outdoing the developed countries. If we need to carry out an opening up policy by the end of this century, we can’t stay away from this policy in order to make China close to the level of the developed countries in the first 50 years of next century… Maintaining the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong tallies with China’s immediate interests. So, we don’t talk about “remain unchanged for 50 years” casually and impulsively, but take into consideration the reality and need for development of China. By the same token, by the end of this century and in the first 50 years of next century, a stable Taiwan will be needed. Since Taiwan is part of China, China can implement two systems on the premise of one country… If this point is understood, …one would believe that we would not change our mind. …if the opening up policy is not to change in the first 50 years of next century, 50 years on, our economic dealings with the world will be more frequent, and the economies more interdependent and inseparable, hence the opening up policy being unchangeable.” From here we see that Deng Xiaoping sincerely wanted Hong Kong to be the locomotive of national development by navigating the mainland to getting connected with the world. Thus, the Chinese Communist Party(CCP) was bound to deliver on the promise of “one country, two systems” for its immediate interests and promoting peaceful cross-Straits reunification.

However, since the Handover, the implementation of democracy has been in the distant future yet, so the core values of the SAR have been worn down one step at a time. With what happened this year, currently the “two systems” in “one country, two systems” seem to be the fact that on the one hand, Hong Kong is carrying out capitalism; on the other hand, the mainland is carrying out socialism with Chinese Characteristics. The CCP has shown to the world clearly it attempts to replace the “one country, two systems” engineered by Deng Xiaoping with the novel “one country, two systems” put forward in the White Paper. Not until even half of the way to “remain unchanged for 50 years” promised, “one country, two systems” has been totally out of shape.

Nevertheless, the Sino-British Joint Declaration is still an international agreement kept on record in the United Nations that is binding on both parties in the international community. Furthermore, “ensuring the resolute, full and faithful implementation of the policy of One Country, Two Systems under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy” and “this Law is enacted in accordance with the Basic Law” are stipulated in Article 1 of the National Security Law, which in other words, acknowledges the SAR still puts in practice Deng Xiaoping’s “one country, two systems” after the implementation of the National Security Law. To this end, how can we accept the novel “one country, two systems” proposed in the White Paper and let the CCP exercise its overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong?

Stepping into 2021, I do wish the vaccines would be able to contain the coronavirus pandemic, and the society get back on its feet. But if Hong Kong aspires to really get out of darkness, the people at the helm have to be conscious of the fact the novel “one country, two systems” doesn’t work at all, not to mention the fact it gets in the way of peaceful cross-Straits reunification. They’d better bring order out of chaos as quickly as possible. Yours truly is sure this is one of the New Year wishes of the majority of Hong Kong people!

Happy New Year！

(Martin Lee is a barrister and founder of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party.)

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