MORE than 20 years ago, in the run-up to Hong Kong's handover to China, rumours were rife that the city was finished. Fortune magazine published the infamous "The Death of Hong Kong" article. Books appeared with such titles as The Fall of Hong Kong, The End of Hong Kong and The Last days of Hong Kong.

Fortunately, such predictions turned out to be dismally wrong. In the last 20 years, Hong Kong has done quite well and its residents' rights and freedoms have been largely protected.

To a large extent, this was due to the rule of law, underpinned by an independent judiciary, a legacy of British rule. This differentiates Hong Kong from mainland China, where the Communist Party controls the courts.