This year marks the 25th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong.
With the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law and the new electoral system, Hong Kong society has changed from chaos to governance, from governance to prosperity, and the "one country, two systems" principle has been stable and far-reaching.
At the critical juncture of the 25th anniversary, we should have further thinking about the future of Hong Kong, and this kind of thinking should not be complacent, but should be open-minded, learn the advanced points of the Western political system, and integrate Chinese wisdom to explore and solve the Hong Kong issue. to open up a new chapter of "One Country, Two Systems".
1. Do not forget the original intention: fully understand the uniqueness of Hong Kong in the national strategy
Hong Kong's unique advantage lies in its geography, that is, at the intersection of mainland China and the global maritime world.
Therefore, the central government's strategic positioning of Hong Kong has always focused on global strategies.
Whether we can open up a new chapter of "one country, two systems" depends on how we view the global capitalist system and how we view Hong Kong's position in the national strategy.
The philosophical essence of reform and opening up and "one country, two systems" is to uphold the Chinese wisdom of humility and tolerance, and with the spirit of reform and opening up, humbly learn the cultural knowledge and governance experience of Western civilization, and constantly enrich, develop and improve oneself.
The theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics needs to keep pace with the times and carry out theoretical innovation.
Just as the earth absorbs rainwater and accommodates rivers and even the sea, the great rejuvenation of Chinese civilization also requires constant nourishment from Western civilization and other human civilizations.
Only by understanding the true philosophical meaning behind "One Country, Two Systems" can we understand that the successful experience of "One Country, Two Systems" lies in always being tolerant and humbly learning the beneficial elements of Western civilization.
"One country, two systems" will open up a new chapter in the future. The key lies in "not forgetting the original intention", maintaining strategic focus, and not underestimating Hong Kong. Re-examine Hong Kong's unique advantages in the national strategic landscape.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (centre) and her government are sworn in by President Xi Jinping during an inauguration ceremony in Hong Kong on July 1, 2017.
(Getty Images)
2. Politics and Culture: Hong Kong's New Position in National Strategy
Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the central government’s strategic positioning of Hong Kong has mainly focused on the economy, making full use of Hong Kong as a channel for the mainland and global capitalism to serve the national strategy. After the reform and opening up, “one country, two systems” has been adopted to solve the Hong Kong issue. This is also such a grand strategy part of .
With the continuous economic integration of China into the global capitalist system since the reform and opening up, we have gradually mastered the ability to manage the global capitalist market economy.
Hong Kong's role as a "window" in the national economic strategy has been declining, and Hong Kong is facing its own economic problems and needs to be integrated into the national development strategy.
In this context, it is not only
necessary to adjust Hong Kong's position in the national economic strategy in a timely manner, but also to adjust from the "coming in" strategy of the past to the "going out" strategy to promote China's capital, technology, management, information and even cultural concepts to go out. , and more importantly, the positioning of Hong Kong in the national strategy from economic positioning to political positioning and cultural positioning
.
With further development, China must not only have the ability to control the global capitalist economic system, but also the ability to
control the global capitalist political system and cultural ideology
, so as to effectively carry out the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.
China adopts a socialist system with Chinese characteristics, while most countries in the world outside China adopt a capitalist political system.
U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a video conference with President Xi Jinping at the White House on November 15, 2021.
(Getty Images)
The parliamentary politics of multi-party contested elections, the rule of law with independent judiciary, and free speech in civil society have become the basic logic of the operation of this political system.
To actively participate in global governance and build a community with a shared future for mankind,
it is impossible for China to force its own domestic system to the world like the Soviet Union and the United States did in those days
.
Therefore,
on the premise of ensuring that the socialist system in the mainland remains unchanged, China needs to learn with humility how to control the global liberal and democratic political system and win the right to speak in the global public opinion.
This is undoubtedly a major and urgent task currently facing, just like how to control the global capitalist economic system faced with the difficult problem at the beginning of reform and opening up.
Summarizing China's successful experience in navigating the global capitalist economic system since the reform and opening up, the most important one is to make
good use of Hong Kong's "one country, two systems" and "learn to swim while swimming"
.
From this perspective, Hong Kong's competitive electoral system, judicial independence and judicial review rule of law system, and openness to free speech have actually provided an excellent training for China to fully understand Western civilization and learn how to navigate global capitalist politics field.
As a result, the importance of Hong Kong in the national strategic landscape will gradually shift from the economic strategic positioning since the reform and opening up to the political and cultural strategic positioning.
On June 30, 2017, Xi Jinping visited Hong Kong to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and attended a large-scale cultural program.
(Getty Images)
3. "Building Two Well": Integrating Chinese and Western Wisdom in Global Governance
If "One Country, Two Systems" is to open a new chapter from economic strategy to political and cultural strategy, it must adhere to the "Two Construction" strategy, integrate Chinese and Western wisdom, and
build a socialist mainland as well as a capitalist Hong Kong. Good
.
This means that the capitalism in Hong Kong cannot be governed by the methods of governing socialism in the Mainland, but
the Hong Kong problem must be solved by the rules of the game of Hong Kong capitalism
.
In this new strategic positioning,
the significance of Hong Kong lies in accumulating knowledge, experience and skills for China to manage the global capitalist political system and cultural ideology, and more importantly, cultivating corresponding governance talents
.
Therefore, Hong Kong's national strategic positioning cannot stop at an international financial center, but also actively promotes to become an international arbitration center, an international judicial center, an international NGO activity center, an international cultural and creative center, and an international communication center.
Governing capitalism in Hong Kong well with capitalist methods and promoting the active participation of Hong Kong elites in international organizations and global governance affairs has become an important step for China to actively participate in global governance.
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the United Nations General Assembly on September 28, 2015.
(Getty Images)
As a result,
the strategy of "building the two well" will gradually build a new world system with a socialist system with Chinese characteristics inside and a capitalist system outside
.
This is not only different from the Soviet Union's system of promoting communism around the world, nor the current world imperial system in which the United States promotes the end of history with the American model. Instead, it combines Chinese cosmopolitanism with Western cosmopolitanism and internationalism to promote tianxia. The creative transformation of the system provides Chinese wisdom or Chinese solutions for global governance.
The author of this article is Qiang Shigong, professor of Peking University Law School, deputy director of Peking University’s Department of Social Sciences, director of Peking University’s Law Research Center, and executive deputy director of Peking University’s Hong Kong and Macau Research Center. ).
His research areas are jurisprudence, constitutional law, Hong Kong studies and sociology of law.
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