“We will continue to fully and faithfully the principles of ‘one country, two systems’ … and maintain long-term prosperity and stability,” Li Keqiang said.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang gave a speech on Thursday pledging to uphold the “one country, two systems” policy that grants Hong Kong its own freedoms separate from China, even as the mainland has been restricting those rights. “We will continue to fully and faithfully the principles of ‘one country, two systems’ … and maintain long-term prosperity and stability,” Li said, referring to the policy which was put into place in 1997 when Hong Kong was handed over to China from British rule. Despite the policy and its pledge to allow the city to continue its “capitalist system and way of life” and grant it “a high degree of autonomy,” China has imposed restrictions on Hong Kong, including the highly controversial national security law passed in 2020. The national security law allows China’s government to use a broad definition for crimes such as terrorism and secession and has been used to crack down on pro-democracy publications such as Hong Kong’s Daily Apple newspaper, which was shut down earlier this year. China has also implemented a “patriots only” policy for choosing leaders of Hong Kong that are supportive of the mainland, and arresting pro-democracy figures. For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
