Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (
Wen's remark came one day after President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) was quoted in state media as saying the "one country, two systems" formula for Hong Kong, coined by late patriarch Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平), should be reviewed.
"Both [Hu and Wen] have said that [we need] to study once more what Deng Xiaoping said 20 years ago about `one country, two systems,' how it should work," Tung told a briefing yesterday.
"It is very, very helpful to realize the thought process behind what `one country, two systems' is all about, and therefore it will be very helpful for the constitutional development in Hong Kong in the future," he said.
Hu made the reference to the "one country, two systems" formula while meeting Tung on Saturday on the sidelines of the annual full meeting of the 3,000-member National People's Congress (NPC), China's parliament.
"It is necessary to review Deng Xiaoping's theory on `one country, two systems,' which is still playing a significant role in guiding practice," Hu was quoted by the Xinhua news agency as telling Tung.
According to the "one country, two systems" principle, the people of Hong Kong are to be allowed a great deal of autonomy while leaving only foreign policy and defense to the government in Beijing.
The principle has been at the heart of heated arguments in Hong Kong, with many people in the city worried that China wants to impose a greater degree of control.
Xinhua suggested Hu welcomed more debate on what exactly "one country, two systems" should mean for Hong Kong, reporting that he spoke "highly" of the "positive discussion on the principle."
"Both [Hu and Wen] welcome a calm and reasonable discussion of this particular subject," Tung said at the briefing.
Xinhua did not make clear in its report what Hu meant by "reviewing" the "one country, two systems" formula, which was originally phrased in order to find a system that could lure Taiwan to reattach itself to China.
Hu also said the Chinese government would continue to support the Hong Kong government's work in line with the Basic Law, its mini-constitution, and help Hong Kong in its economic recovery.
Even as Hu struck a conciliatory note in his talks with Tung, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (
"Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong," Li told a press conference arranged on the second day of the NPC meeting.
Hong Kong's democrats and mainland China are embroiled in a row over political reform.
Democrats want universal suffrage in the former British colony by 2007, but Beijing is hoping to delay any decision on reform.
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RSS