Beijing's Liaison Office says it and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office are not bound by Article 22 in exercising the constitutional duty to comment on Hong Kong matters File Photo. “They are not what is referred to in Article 22 of the Basic Law, or what is commonly understood to be ‘departments under the Central People’s Government'”. The two offices derive their authority, it says, both from China’s constitution, and the Basic Law. “How else can these two bodies push forward the implementation of ‘one country, two systems’ in Hong Kong?” the office asked. The Liaison Office again singled out Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok for criticism, accusing him of violating Legco rules and abusing his power in presiding over meetings of the House Committee.

Source: The Standard April 18, 2020 04:18 UTC