The white paper issued by the Chinese government on Hong Kong's democratic progress comes at an opportune time and has great significance and far-reaching impact, said experts.
A press conference was held Monday on the white paper titled "Hong Kong: Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems," released by China's State Council Information Office on Dec. 20.
Han Dayuan, a law school professor at the Renmin University of China, said at the press conference that the policy of "one country, two systems" is the prerequisite and fundamental guarantee for Hong Kong's democratic development.
Han said that the implementation of "one country" is the prerequisite and basis of the "two systems", which is subordinate to and derives from "one country" and is united within "one country."
In accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law, the central authorities have the final say in steering the development of democracy in the HKSAR, Han said.
He added that only under guidance from the central authorities can Hong Kong expect its democracy to make steady and sustainable progress.
Democratic development in Hong Kong should neither cross the line of the Constitution and the Basic Law, nor threaten national security. Without national security, democracy is out of the question, he noted.
Wang Zhenmin, deputy head of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies and director of the Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies at Tsinghua University, slammed foreign interference in the development of democracy in Hong Kong, saying no one knows this better than China's central authorities and Hong Kong people.
Noting some Western politicians believe their system is the only model for democracy in the world, Wang said those wanting to impose Western democracy on others are against the principle of democracy.
The recent elections of the Hong Kong Election Committee and Legislative Council have proved the effectiveness of the new electoral system, Wang said, adding that practices will continue to prove that it is a successful electoral system.
Experts believe that as Hong Kong moves to implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and the new electoral system, the prospects are bright for democracy in the region.
Zhi Zhenfeng, a researcher with the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted that the white paper said the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government designed, created, safeguarded and advanced democracy in Hong Kong.
There was no democracy in Hong Kong under British colonial rule. During more than a century of colonial rule, Britain's role in Hong Kong was always as an obstacle, destroyer and spoiler of democracy, he said.
The central government has always upheld the policy of "one country, two systems" and the Basic Law, and supported the orderly development of democracy in the HKSAR in accordance with the law, stressed Zhi.
Wang said that Hong Kong's improved, democratic electoral system has not come easily and should be cherished and consolidated.
A spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council slammed some politicians and media comments from the United States and other Western countries for their biased and narrow views on Hong Kong-related issues.
The white paper presents a comprehensive review of the birth and development of democracy in Hong Kong with detailed facts and data, and expounds on the principle and stance of the central government, said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson called on certain U.S. and Western politicians and media outlets to speak with facts.
