Hong Kong must enhance education, implementation mechanism for national Constitution, Basic Law: HKSAR chief executive

Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam addresses a symposium to mark China's sixth Constitution Day, in south China's Hong Kong, Dec. 4, 2019. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

HONG KONG, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong must enhance the education and implementation mechanism for the national Constitution and the Basic Law, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive Carrie Lam said here on Wednesday.

At a symposium to mark China's sixth Constitution Day, Lam said that the Constitution and the HKSAR Basic Law together form the constitutional basis of the HKSAR government, and Hong Kong citizens must clearly understand that "one country" is the premise and basis for the implementation of "two systems".

"We must enhance the education about the Constitution and the Basic Law, so as to strengthen the national identity in the whole society, especially among public servants and young people," Lam said.

She pointed out that the HKSAR should improve its system and mechanism for implementing the Constitution and the Basic Law in accordance with the requirement of "one country, two systems".

"At the same time, we should pay close attention to the overall development of our country, safeguard the country's political system, and actively participate in the construction of the country's economic, political, cultural, social and ecological civilizations, so that Hong Kong can play its unique role in the country's development and seize new opportunities to expand new space and inject new impetus into its future development," she added.

The symposium, the third of its kind held in Hong Kong to mark the national Constitution Day, was attended by several hundred people, including over 100 secondary school students.

Wang Zhimin, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR, pointed out at the symposium that to firmly uphold the constitutional order established by the Constitution and the Basic Law is the fundamental requirement for the comprehensive and accurate implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle, as well as the fundamental guarantee for Hong Kong to maintain prosperity and stability and for people here to live and work in peace and contentment.

Han Dayuan, a law professor at the Beijing-based Renmin University of China, also called on Hong Kong to enhance young people's sense of national and constitutional identity as well as confidence in the "one country, two systems" principle.

One of the Constitution's significant contributions to our country's development is that it has provided a strong constitutional guarantee for the smooth return of Hong Kong and Macao to the motherland and for the implementation of the "one country, two systems", he stressed.