AP, HONG KONGThe “one country, two systems” framework under which Hong Kong enjoys freedoms unknown in China could continue after a 2047 deadline if loyalty to Beijing is upheld, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) said yesterday. Hong Kong has been wracked by often violent anti-government protests since June last year, although they have diminished considerably in scale following a landslide win by opposition candidates in elections for district councilors late last year. Hong Kong was handed over from British to Chinese rule in 1997 with a promise that it would maintain its own capitalist economy and Western-style institutions for 50 years. Beijing routinely accuses political opponents in Hong Kong of seeking to split the territory from China with the backing of foreign forces. “I would be very surprised if Lam’s warning would be heeded in Hong Kong,” Tsang said.
