Beijing should return to Deng's 'one country, two systems'

TWENTY years ago, on July 1, 1997, Britain turned Hong Kong over to China under the Sino-British Joint Declaration which provided that the territory would be largely autonomous under the "one country, two systems" formula devised by then paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.

By and large, for the last two decades, rule of law has been upheld in the former British colony, and rights and freedoms protected. And yet, as the 20th anniversary of the handover nears, there is a general feeling of unease that the situation is deteriorating and may get worse.

This is because, for the last few years, there has been a perceptible shift in China's attitude. Instead of emphasising "two systems", the focus now is on "one country". Since 2014, Beijing has asserted repeatedly its "comprehensive jurisdiction" over Hong Kong.