No 'residual power' for Hong Kong: paper

BEIJING - The high degree of autonomy of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is subject to the central leadership's authorization, with no such thing called "residual power," according to a white paper issued Tuesday.

China's central government has comprehensive jurisdiction over all local administrative regions, including the HKSAR. The high degree of autonomy of the HKSAR comes solely from the authorization by the central leadership, said the document published by the State Council Information Office under the title "The Practice of the 'One Country, Two Systems' Policy in the Hong Kong Sopecial Administrative Region".

"The high degree of autonomy of the HKSAR is not full autonomy, nor a decentralized power. It is the power to run local affairs as authorized by the central leadership," the document said.

The most important thing to do in upholding the "one country" principle is to maintain China's sovereignty, security and development interests, and respect the country's fundamental system and other systems and principles, the paper stressed.

The "two systems" means that, within the "one country" the main body of the country practices socialism, while Hong Kong and some other regions practice capitalism.

"A socialist system by the mainland is the prerequisite and guarantee for Hong Kong's practicing capitalism and maintaining its stability and prosperity," the white paper said.

It pointed out that some people are confused or lopsided in their understanding of the policy and the Basic Law.

"Many wrong views that are currently rife in Hong Kong concerning its economy, society and development of its political structure are attributable to this," it said.

The principle of "one country" must be combined with respect for the difference of "two systems," maintaining the power of the central government while ensuring the high degree of autonomy of the HKSAR. The mainland should play its role as a strong supporter of the HKSAR with improving the competitive edge of Hong Kong, according to the paper.

"In no circumstance should we do one thing and neglect the other," the document said.