Week in Review
The Basic Law that has served as a de facto constitution for Hong Kong since its transfer from British to Chinese rule in July 1997 established a quasi-liberal political order, an arrangement endorsed by the Chinese legislature in 1990 and overtly acknowledged by Beijing through Hong Kong’s designation as a special administrative region (SAR) of China under the so-called “one country, two systems” model. However, encroachment by the Communist Party regime in Beijing has undermined the “special” characteristics differentiating Hong Kong from the mainland—adherence to the rule of law, protect…
