Party sets course in document

Socialism with Chinese characteristics, 'one country, two systems' mapped out

A political document that was recently approved in a Party meeting maps out the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and includes the principle of "one country, two systems" as a major part of China's system of governance and an institutional advantage.

The 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China approved a decision on major issues concerning how to uphold and improve socialism with Chinese characteristics and to advance the modernization of China's system and capacity for governance at its fourth plenary session in Beijing last month.

The "one country, two systems" principle, the document said, is an important means for the Party to lead the people in realizing the peaceful reunification of the country, and it is a great initiative of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

"It is the 'one country, two systems' principle seen in a new light as one of the significant advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, which shows its importance in the system of Chinese socialism and the governance system," said Li Zhenguang, a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies at Beijing Union University.

"One country, two systems" means there is only one China under which the mainland adheres to the socialist system while Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan may retain their capitalist systems. The State policy was a design by the CPC that has been applied in Hong Kong and Macao since China resumed exercising sovereignty over the two special administrative regions, respectively in 1997 and 1999.

Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, recently said in an explanatory article that the facts have shown that the principle is the best systemic arrangement for Hong Kong and Macao to maintain long-term prosperity and stability, and, like any new thing, it needs to be examined in practice and constantly improved.

Zhang said the powers of the central government, as stipulated in the law, include the interpretation of the Basic Law and the right to declare the SARs as being in a state of war or emergency, and the exercise of these powers must be institutionalized, standardized and procedural.

Meanwhile, the document said, the legal system and enforcement mechanism of the SARs for safeguarding national security should be established and improved, indicating it has not been fully worked out.

Safeguarding national security is the core requirement for implementing the principle and the constitutional responsibility of the SARs, Zhang said, "It is natural, and there are also practical needs."

As violence continues to increase in Hong Kong, with anti-government protests entering a sixth month, the city saw radicals openly advocating "Hong Kong independence" and actively engaging with foreign political forces.

Zhang said the absence of local legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law and related executive bodies in Hong Kong has given rise to the emergence of local radical separatist forces, which have become more active in recent years.

Under Article 23, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region must enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition and subversion against the government of the People's Republic of China.

The Macao Special Administrative Region enacted legislation under Article 23 in 2009 and set up a local commission to safeguard national security last year.

Zhang said there is a "pressing need" for the HKSAR to safeguard national security through local legislation and law enforcement.

The requirements of the document to establish a sound legal system and enforcement mechanism indicated that the central leadership has been concerned about the HKSAR's recent unrest in which the acts of some radicals have already jeopardized national security, said Gu Minkang, a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, China's leading Hong Kong affairs think tank.

There is a legal vacuum on national security in Hong Kong, and the HKSAR government and people of Hong Kong have the responsibility to continue to push forward the legislation, he said.

Lawrence Ma Yan-kwok, chairman of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, said to establish a sound legal system and enforcement mechanism requires legal experts to do more research on how the city can enact the law and how to enforce the law after the legislation.

Based on the experience gained through the practice of "one country, two systems", the document designed guidelines on how to further improve and promote the practice.

"The document is unprecedented in the history of the Party, which shows the central leadership's resolution in adhering to the principle and its confidence in better governing the two SARs," Zhang said in his article. "How to run Hong Kong and Macao, which adopt the capitalist system under the principle, has been and will be a major task for the CPC in its governance for a long time."

China will improve mechanisms for integrating Hong Kong and Macao into the overall national development, realizing complementary advantages, according to the document.

"Integration is needed for the country's reform and opening-up, and also an inevitable choice if Hong Kong and Macao are to develop themselves," Zhang said.

Hong Kong's development encountered some difficulties, including a shortage of housing and land supply, and a wide gap between the rich and the poor. Macao also saw problems in developing a more diversified economy, which it cannot solve on its own, he said.

"People in Hong Kong and Macao should actively integrate into the overall development of the country, and the central leadership will also further improve the mechanism for them," he added.

Li, the Taiwan studies professor, said upholding and improving the "one country, two systems" principle will also be a key to deal with the Taiwan issue, which will help to steadily advance the peaceful reunification of the country.

Institutional arrangements for peaceful development will be reached with Taiwan. After the peaceful reunification, the island's social system and lifestyle of the people will be maintained, the document said.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said the mainland will consider the actual needs of people at the grassroots level on the island and continue to deepen the integration of the two sides and develop institutional arrangements and policy measures to ensure the well-being of Taiwan compatriots.

The mainland will continue to treat Taiwan residents who live on the mainland the same as it does to local people and will share the mainland's development opportunities with them, he said.

Kathy Zhang in Hong Kong contributed to this story.