Exclusive | Outgoing Hong Kong Legco chief warns 'one country, two systems' will fall apart if Beijing keeps on interfering

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Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing said reviewing the implementation of the guiding principle 'one country, two systems' was a task which brooked no delay. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 6:00pm, 30 Aug 2015Updated: 4:55pm, 31 Aug 2015

Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing has called for an urgent review of Beijing’s implementation of the “one country, two systems” policy for Hong Kong, at the same time warning of its demise if the central government interferes more frequently in the running of the city.

In a hard-hitting interview with the South China Morning Post, Tsang suggested the winner of the 2017 chief executive election should set up a platform comprising representatives from various sectors to discuss the future of the governance formula and how to restart the political reform process.

The veteran Beijing loyalist, who has been uncharacteristically critical of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying since his brother Tsang Tak-sing was removed from the post of home affairs minister, said he was surprised and disappointed that the central government had not conducted a thorough review of the implementation of "one country, two systems" in the past 18 years, particularly in regard to serious setbacks like the failed electoral reform.

“The documents of the central government and state leaders’ speeches on Hong Kong only emphasised the achievements of 'one country, two systems,'” he said. “But there are many problems exposed in the implementation of the concept in the past 18 years. Why did they happen? How should we resolve them?”

In a belated but surprisingly critical response to the controversial white paper issued by the State Council in June last year, Tsang said it had not reviewed the implementation of "one country, two systems" but only stressed the central government’s “comprehensive jurisdiction” over Hong Kong.

The document has sparked fears in the city that the high degree of autonomy Hong Kong enjoys will be undermined.