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| One country, two systems | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Sign in Xiamen reading "一国两制统一中国" (Yīguó liǎngzhì tǒngyī Zhōngguó, transl. One country, two systems unites China) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 一国两制 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 一國兩制 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portuguese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portuguese | Um país, dois sistemas[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| History of the People's Republic of China |
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"One country, two systems" is a constitutional principle of the People's Republic of China (PRC) describing the governance of the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
Deng Xiaoping developed the one country, two systems concept. This constitutional principle was formulated in the early 1980s during negotiations over Hong Kong between China and the United Kingdom. It provided that there would be only one China, but that these regions could retain their own economic and administrative systems, while the rest of mainland China uses the socialism with Chinese characteristics system. Under the principle, each of the two regions could continue to have its own governmental system, legal, economic and financial affairs, including trade relations with foreign countries, all of which are independent from those of the mainland. The PRC has also proposed to apply the principle in the unification it aims for with Taiwan.
However, since 2020, as a result of the passage of the National Security Law by Hong Kong on 30 June of the same year, the United States and United Kingdom condemned the Chinese government of seriously breaching the principle.[2][3][4]
Background
Deng Xiaoping developed the principle of one country, two systems in relation to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.[5]: 176 Hong Kong and Macau had been colonized by European powers and Taiwan remained under Kuomintang Control at the end of the Chinese Civil War.[5]: 176
In the context of Hong Kong
Hong Kong was a colony of the United Kingdom, ruled by a governor appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom, for 156 years from 1841 (except for four years of Japanese occupation during WWII) until 1997, when it was handed over to the Chinese government.
In discussing Hong Kong's future, Deng described the risk of possible instability which might be caused by what he termed as destructive forces both inside and outside Hong Kong.[5]: 177 In Deng's view, these destructive forces might create instability both prior to, and as well as after, Hong Kong's return to China.[5]: 177 Deng repeatedly stressed that the central government would need to intervene in Hong Kong affairs from time-to-time.[5]: 177–178 Among other occasions, Deng told Hong Kong delegates to Beijing in 1984 that certain interventions would be necessary, that when turmoil in occurs in Hong Kong the central government should intervene, and that it would be necessary to see if interventions would be in the interests of Hong Kongers and Hong Kong's stability and prosperity.[5]: 178 In 1988, Deng stated that Hong Kong's political system was neither the British nor American systems and Hong Kong should not import Western political systems in the future.[5]: 179
As part of Hong Kong's return to China, China agreed to accept some conditions, as stipulated in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, such as the drafting and adoption of Hong Kong's "mini-constitution" Basic Law before its return. The Hong Kong Basic Law ensured that Hong Kong will retain its capitalist economic system and own currency (the Hong Kong Dollar), legal system, legislative system, and same human rights and freedoms, as a special administrative region (SAR) of China for 50 years. Set to expire in 2047, the current arrangement has permitted Hong Kong to function as its own entity under the name "Hong Kong, China" in many international settings (e.g. the WTO and the Olympics).[6][7][8]
During the drafting of the Basic Law, Deng stated that universal suffrage and Western political systems were not appropriate for Hong Kong.[5]: 178–179 Deng also stated that if Hong Kong became a base for anti-mainland China sentiment under the guise of democracy then China's central government should intervene.[5]: 179
The Chinese renminbi is not legal tender in Hong Kong. Likewise, the Hong Kong dollar is not accepted in stores in mainland China. With this arrangement, a permit or special visa (Chinese: 簽注) is required when passing between the borders of Hong Kong and mainland China, and people in Hong Kong hold Hong Kong SAR passports rather than Chinese passports. The official languages are a major factor besides the history of the former colony that has made Hong Kong and mainland China distinct from each other, as Cantonese and English are the most widely used languages in Hong Kong, while Mandarin is the official language of mainland China. The central government in Beijing maintains control over Hong Kong's foreign affairs as well as the legal interpretation of the Basic Law. The latter has led democracy advocates and some Hong Kong residents to argue that the territory has yet to achieve universal suffrage as promised by the Basic Law, leading to mass demonstrations in 2014.[6][7][8]
In the context of Macau
A colony of Portugal for 442 years from 1557, Macau was returned to the Chinese government in 1999. In the Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau, the drafting and adoption of Macau's mini-constitution before its return was foreseen. Like Hong Kong, a basic law would ensure that Macau retained its economic system, currency (the pataca), legal system (which is based on Portuguese civil law), legislative system, and people's rights and freedom for 50 years, as a special administrative region (SAR) of China. Set to expire in 2049, the agreement has permitted Macau to function as its own entity in many international settings (e.g. WTO) rather than as a part of China.
As Macau has its own currency, the Chinese renminbi is not legal tender in Macau; the pataca is also not accepted in stores in China. With this agreement, a permit or visa is required when crossing between the borders of Macau and China, and people in Macau generally hold Macau SAR passports rather than mainland Chinese passports. Like Hong Kong, the official languages are a major factor that has made Macau and China distinct from each other besides the history of the former colony, as Cantonese and Portuguese are the official languages in Macau, while Mandarin is the official language of China. The central government in Beijing also maintains control over Macau's foreign affairs as well as the legal interpretation of the Basic Law.
In the context of Taiwan
In addition to the Hong Kong and Macau contexts, Deng proposed the principle's applicability to reunification with Taiwan,[5]: 176 but the government of Taiwan has consistently rejected the proposal as recently as December 2023[update].[9]
Application to Hong Kong and Macau
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