British Prime Minister Tony Blair said during his visit to Beijing Monday that it was gratifying to see the successful implementation of the "One Country, Two Systems" policy in Hong Kong over the past six years. He said London appreciates the way Beijing has handled recent political episodes in the SAR.

Premier Wen Jiabao and visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair join in a toast after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing July 21, 2003.

The Office of the Chief Executive was pleased with Blair's remarks and pointed out that facts have proven the central government's sincerity in honoring the principles of "One Country, Two Systems" and "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong ", something which has also received international recognition.

When meeting with Blair Monday, Premier Wen Jiabao observed that in spite of the grave challenges of the Asian Financial crisis, global economic slowdown and the SARS epidemic, Hong Kong has still been able to maintain economic stability and development. He said the fact that Hong Kong people's civic rights and freedoms guaranteed by law had received full protection bore testimony to the success of "One Country, Two Systems" in Hong Kong, and such accomplishment had been acclaimed by the international community.

Blair's comments indicate that the latest events in Hong Kong have not affected the world's praise for the success of "One Country, Two Systems". Blair's saying that the British side appreciated Beijing's handling of the latest happenings in the SAR also showed London's confidence over the Chinese Government's practice of "One Country, Two Systems" in the territory.

Blair also said that the UK was willing to contribute to the maintenance of stability in Hong Kong. This shows that Hong Kong's stability and prosperity is not only the wish of the central government and the mainland people and the common interest of the Hong Kong people, it is also the common goal of the international community.

That the "One Country, Two Systems" policy has such strong vitality is because this grand blueprint is aimed not only at the unification of China and the emergence of the Chinese nation; it has also taken into account the interest of both Hong Kong people and the international community.

In the six years after reunification, Hong Kong has suffered from problems arising from the economic bubble and institutional inflexibility, and the SARS epidemic has taken a further toll on the local economy. In spite of all these historical and economic twists and turns, the advantage of "One Country, Two Systems" has enabled Hong Kong to avoid an even more serious recession and maintain overall social and economic stability.

Whenever the SAR has the need, the Central government has always been ready to render the necessary help and support, including during the Asian financial crisis, global economic slowdown and restructuring of the local economy, and the war on SARS. Beijing's helping hand has ensured hat the SAR's ideal business environment can be continued and its status as a world financial, trading and shipping center will be further entrenched.

That Hong Kong has been named the freest economy in the world for the seventh consecutive year and that more investors have come to Hong Kong after 1997 have testified that the world community has cast a vote of confidence in "One Country, Two Systems".

The vitality of "One Country, Two Systems" also comes from the perseverance of the SAR government and the Hong Kong community to improve themselves. The Secretary for the Civil Service Joseph Wong wrote to the entire civil service Monday, praising them for their stabilizing effect during the events that had happened over the last few weeks and their continued efforts to provide quality service to the public.

This shows that, under whatever difficulties, the Tung-led SAR government is dedicated to maintaining social stability and serving the people without reservation. Its performances in the battle against SARS as well as the tragic traffic accident on Tuen Mun Road were simply outstanding.

Certainly, since "One Country, Two Systems" is an undertaking that has never been seen in history, there is no past experience that it can learn from. That, plus the economic downturn that has been caused by various reasons, has resulted in imperfections in the government's rule.

The community should accord the Tung administration more understanding, trust, encouragement and support, and help it enhance its governance and pay more attention to measures on the economy and people's livelihoods.

If only members of the public and the SAR government could work hand in hand to promote "One Country, Two Systems", the policy will be able to see even greater success in future.

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