Beijing wants to increase Hong Kong's legal role on China's Basic Law interpretation

Beijing is now looking for different ways to include Hong Kong's legal community in interpreting the Basic law. Hong Kong has always felt inferior over the mainland's overall control of the country.

One of China's top lawyer, Wang Zhenmin said in a speaking engagement that Beijing has always wanted to fully implement the Basic Law. Zhenmin added that people have been complaining over the past years on why the Basic Law has not been fully implemented, both in Hong Kong and the mainland as per South China Morning Post.

Zhenmin said they are now doing studies on how to address these issues. They also want to increase the participatory role of Hong Kong's legal community when the National People's Congress Standing Committee will interpret the Basic Law.

The NPCSC consists of 12 equal members from Hong Kong and the mainland. Its role is to interpret the Basic Law once the Court of Final Appeal deems its help during particular cases.

But during the few years of Hong Kong handover, Beijing did not ask the help of the NPCSC in some particular cases which overturns its right of abode judgment and raises questions of its judicial independence. The mainland has been more reserved in interpreting Hong Kong's mini-constitution.

According to the Asian Review, the Article 23 of the Basic Law says that Hong Kong authorities shall enact laws in order to prohibit acts of treason, secession, sedition or subversion against the Central People's Government. But the attempted legislation of this law in 2003 resulted in a mass protest forcing the government to withdraw the bill.

As reported by the New York Times, there has been only a number of Hong Kong activist that calls for the land's independence and separation of its politics from the mainland. This activist represents a splinter group in Hong Kong's democracy movement.

Despite these movements, Zhenmin is still considering the idea of making the mainland the legal market accessible for Hong Kong's legal professionals. He also wants to broaden the human rights protection in Hong Kong as well as Beijing.

Tags

China, Beijing, Hong Kong, China's Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini constitution, China's control over Hong Kong, Hong Kong independence, Wang Zhenmin, Hong Kong's legal domain

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