Hong Kong’s justice minister has reassured investors that the city will be governed by the “one country, two systems” principle and keep its common law system indefinitely, as he seeks further legal cooperation with Asean jurisdictions.
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Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok also said on Monday that Hong Kong would host the 15th China-Asean Prosecutors-General Conference in September in a move backed by Beijing.
Speaking at a fireside chat at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference: Southeast Asia 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, the minister said it was natural to ask whether Hong Kong’s current system would continue after 2047, given the city’s capitalist system and way of life were expected to remain unchanged for 50 years under its mini-constitution, the Basic Law.
But Lam cited a speech from Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hong Kong in 2022 as he discussed the continuity of the one country, two systems governing principle.
At the time, Xi said there was “no reason to change such a good system” and “it must be adhered to in the long run”.
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“I think it’s a very clear answer to dispel any possible misgivings that the principle of one country, two systems will change after 2047,” Lam said.
