Tam Yiu-chung, the vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies and secretary-general of the Hong Kong Coalition, wrote a commentary titled "HKSAR a vital contributor to national development" in China Daily. The full content is as follows:
What China has achieved in the past 75 years is nothing short of a miracle in the history of human civilization, thanks to the invincible leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The Chinese people proved time and again they will prevail over whatever adversities are thrown at them and come out on top.
Thanks to decades of reform and opening-up, China has finally put an end to the abject poverty that had plagued the country for centuries, achieving one of the greatest feats in history. The nation of 1.4 billion people is now set to achieve Chinese-style modernization along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Another historic feat in the past 75 years has to be the adoption of the “one country, two systems” principle, which has proved crucial in the return of Hong Kong and Macao to the motherland and their prosperity and stability thereafter. Speaking of Hong Kong, its bond with the motherland has never been broken, even under more than one-and-a-half centuries of British rule. With that in mind, Hong Kong compatriots will adhere to the “one country, two systems” principle and play their role in the nation’s development.
China’s institutional advantages
Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China 75 years ago, the Chinese nation experienced “a century of humiliation” under widespread extreme poverty as well as the ravages of semi-feudal, semi-colonial rule. Since then, New China has not only established itself on the world stage but has also grown stronger against all odds; the Chinese people now stand tall in front of the global community. In the process, the CPC has been exploring the best ways for China to modernize and thrive, with the National People’s Congress (NPC) system forming the basis of people’s democracy above all.
This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the NPC. As a member of the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC, I thoroughly understand and appreciate the NPC system as the nation’s legislative assurance for mobilizing the Chinese people to collectively build socialism with Chinese characteristics and Chinese-style modernization. The feature of whole-process people’s democracy is a vivid manifestation of Chinese-style democracy that ensures Chinese people are the masters of its future.
Whole-process people’s democracy is an all-round and all-encompassing form of democracy that is different from its Western counterpart. First, in the election process, people exercise their voting rights to elect their desired NPC deputies. The NPC has increased the representativeness of its members in recent years. Among the deputies to the 14th NPC, there are 442 deputies from the 55 ethnic minorities in the country; there are 790 women deputies, accounting for 26.54 percent of the total number and an increase of 1.64 percent compared with the previous-term NPC; there are 497 deputies representing front-line workers and farmers, accounting for 16.69 percent of the total and an increase of 1 percent. Second, in the consultation process, full consultations are conducted with the people to ensure the greatest possible consensus is reached on major issues and polices. Third, in the decision-making process, people take part through a variety of means, such as seminars, consultation sessions, and public opinion surveys. Fourth, in monitoring governance, a set of well-coordinated monitoring mechanisms are put in place to ensure power conferred by the people will ultimately serve their interests.
The first 75 years of New China saw an ancient civilization carrying a country in its tireless pursuit of uninterrupted advancement toward national rejuvenation and reunification. From here on out, Hong Kong will thrive only when the motherland does; and Hong Kong will be strong only when the motherland is. Hong Kong will continue to prosper by integrating its own development into the national development strategy toward Chinese-style modernization
A strong and stable system makes a country strong and stable. The NPC system is exactly such a political foundation and an anchor for our country’s governance system and governance capabilities. That is why we must maintain the NPC system to the best of our abilities as China embarks on a new chapter of modernization.
HK’s greater role in reform drive
In the past 75 years, our country has undergone reforms at different stages of development as deemed necessary to sustain the vitality of the nation. In 1978, a nationwide discussion about the standard of truth opened people’s minds to the upcoming reform and opening-up drive. What happened since then gave the world a socialist economy with Chinese characteristics that is both unique and robust.
Today, the reform and opening-up not only continues, but will also become deeper and more sophisticated than ever, as the CPC adopted at the third plenary session of its 20th Central Committee the resolution on advancing Chinese-style modernization by comprehensively deepening the ongoing reform and opening-up. Hong Kong, as a special administrative region of the country, will no doubt play its unique role in this great cause.
Hong Kong has long been an international financial center in Asia, but its success has not been without challenges and even pitfalls over the years. Its development is hampered by a lack of diversity, a limited market scale, and young people’s difficulty in social upward mobility, to name just a few. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has introduced policy measures to address such issues, but not enough to turn things around for the better, as the world struggles to keep up with drastic changes unseen in a century. It will require the government to look into the city’s strengths to identify its own course of development and reform; civil servants should equip themselves with a reformist mindset to work for the interests of the people. Policies that are lagging behind Hong Kong’s development pace should also be adjusted in the light of modern development needs.
In short, the government will need to create favorable conditions for reform that will allow Hong Kong to give full play to its advantages and pull its weight in promoting national development.
The first 75 years of New China saw an ancient civilization carrying a country in its tireless pursuit of uninterrupted advancement toward national rejuvenation and reunification. From here on out, Hong Kong will thrive only when the motherland does; and Hong Kong will be strong only when the motherland is. Hong Kong will continue to prosper by integrating its own development into the national development strategy toward Chinese-style modernization.
