Lessons learned on sovereign power in Hong Kong crucial as Beijing shapes ‘one country two systems’ for Taiwan, expert says
- A new ‘Basic Law’ for Taiwan would have to clearly define Beijing’s sovereign rights and the island’s right to self-governance, associate professor Tian Feilong says
- But Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has already rejected Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plan for reunification
Lessons learned from the implementation of the “one country, two systems” formula in Hong Kong will be of great value to Beijing as it seeks to woo Taiwan into accepting the model for reunification with the mainland, a legal expert said.
Issues such as school textbooks and the right of final adjudication should be clearly defined as matters of sovereign power of the central government if a Basic Law is to be adopted for Taiwan, said Tian Feilong, associate professor of Beijing’s Beihang University and executive director of the university law school’s One Country Two Systems Legal Studies Centre.
Tian was commenting on a speech made by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday in which he urged Taiwan to reunite with the mainland under the one country, two systems model that has been implemented and tested in Hong Kong.
Xi was speaking at a meeting to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the end of military confrontation across the Taiwan Strait.
Tian said that if there was a Basic Law for Taiwan, it should clearly define the sovereign rights of the state and the “self-governance” rights of Taiwan.
“There will have to be a catalogue [to define] what are the sovereign rights of the State [which should include] the right of final adjudication [on legal matters] … as well as the power to lay down the general directions of education policies,” he said.
