Effective since China's resumption of sovereignty on 1 July 1997, the Hong Kong Basic Law lays down the general policies and system of government for Hong Kong under the "one country, two systems" formula. It guarantees Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy, enshrines the rights and freedoms of residents, and preserves a separate common law system with an independent judiciary. This introduction traces the origins of the Hong Kong Basic Law and the concepts and legal issues that surround it. Drawing on the experience of the first 15 years, it then analyses the content of the Hong Kong Basic Law, especially in relation to Hong Kong's political system, the judiciary, and human rights. Intended especially for students at all levels in law, politics, and other disciplines, this book—the only introductory guide of its kind to the subject—will also appeal to the general reader interested in Hong Kong's experience under "one country, two systems". "Danny Gittings's Introduction to the Hong Kong Basic Law makes a significant contribution to an important subject. It is expressed in reader-friendly terms. The insights that it provides are of value not only to lawyers but also to the general public." —The Hon. Mr. Justice Kemal Bokhary, Permanent Judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (1997–2012), Non-Permanent Judge (2012– ). "This well-researched and very readable introduction explains the history, practices and future of the Basic Law—Hong Kong's key constitutional document. It also explores how far the Basic Law is able to address the many political and legal issues now facing Hong Kong. The book is suitable for a wide range of readers. Students of Hong Kong law at all levels will find it essential reading. General readers with an interest in Hong Kong's governance will find in it a lucid and accurate guide—and a timely one as the debate about implementing democracy intensifies." —Professor Fu Hualing, Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong. "Many of us approach law books with trepidation. But Gittings, a legal academic, used to be a journalist and this shows in his ability to make the book accessible to the general reader. [...] The Basic Law will continue to be central to issues facing the city for years to come. This book enables the reader to quickly acquire a much better understanding of them." — South China Morning Post "As Professor Gittings points out in his book, which includes a chapter on what might happen after Hong Kong’s 50-year autonomy ends, readability was a key aim. Acronyms are kept to a minimum and details set up neatly and comprehensively in footnotes so that the main text is kept as clean as possible." — Hong Kong Lawyer

This is the first systematic analysis of the constitutional, legal, economic, social and political systems of Hong Kong as a special administrative region of China. It examines the Basic Law against its historical and socio-economic contexts, including its international and domestic foundations, and the loss and the resumption of sovereignty by China. The author offers a conceptualization of the Basic Law and locates it within China's constitutional, political and legal systems. The book explores the balance as well as the tensions between the autonomy of Hong Kong and the sovereignty of China, which are aggravated by the necessity to accommodate contrasting economic and political systems. It also identifies key legal and political problems that are likely to arise in implementing the Basic Law and suggests an approach to its interpretation. The Basic Law provides a fascinating example of the interaction of widely different traditions of law, politics and economy, and a novel system of autonomy. Its study is therefore of great interest to scholars of comparative law and politics. This new edition covers significant political, constitutional and legal developments since the transfer of sovereignty in July 1997.

On July 1, 2007, Hong Kong celebrated its tenth anniversary as a special administrative region of China. It also marked the first decade of its unique constitutional order in which Hong Kong courts continue to apply and develop the common law but the power of final interpretation of the constitution lies with the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. This book is a collection of chapters by leading constitutional law experts in Hong Kong who examine the interpretive issues and conflicts which have arisen since 1997. Intervention by China in constitutional interpretation has been restrained but each intervention has had significant political and jurisprudential impact. The authors give varied assessments of the struggle for interpretive coherence in the coming decade.

An examination of China's accommodation of Western constitutional values, in the light of the pending return of British Hong Kong to China. The Joint Declaration which governs the return guarantees a continuance of these values, and this study looks at the resulting tensions between East and West.

There has been intense interest in the proposals to implement Article 23, both in Hong Kong and abroad. This book will be valuable to anyone who has followed or participated in that debate or has an interest in the delicate balance between civil liberties and national security. The book will be particularly useful for legislators, policy-makers, lawyers, journalists, historians, teachers, and students, especially in the fields of law and the social sciences. The statutory Appendix will assist teachers and students to draw comparisons between existing law and the government's proposals. In 2003 more than 500,000 people marched in Hong Kong against the National Security (Legislative Provisions) Bill, which would have prohibited treason, sedition, secession, and subversion against the national government of China and included new mechanisms for proscribing political organisations. This edited collection analyses that legislation, particularly the implications for civil liberties and the one country two systems model. Although the massive protest compelled the Hong Kong government to withdraw the Bill from the legislature in 2003, it will likely propose similar legislation in the future because Hong Kong has a constitutional obligation to implement Article 23 of the Basic Law. The book provides detailed and balanced commentary on the Bill, explains why certain proposals proved so controversial, and offers concrete recommendations on how to improve the proposals before the next legislative exercise. Fu Hualing is an Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Comparative and Public Law, Faculty of Law, of the University of Hong Kong. His research interests include social legal studies, human rights and criminology. He has an LLB from Southwestern University of Law and Politics (China), an MA from the University of Toronto (Canada) and a doctorial degree from Osgoode Hall Law School (Canada). Carole J. Petersen is an Associate Professor and a former Director of the Centre for Comparative and Public Law, Faculty of Law, of the University of Hong Kong. She has been teaching law in Hong Kong since 1989, specializing in constitutional law, human rights, and anti-discrimination law. She has a BA from the University of Chicago, a JD from Harvard Law School, and a Post-graduate Diploma in the Law of the People’s Republic of China from the University of Hong Kong. Simon N. M. Young is an Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the Centre for Comparative and Public Law, Faculty of Law, of the University of Hong Kong. He teaches criminal law, evidence and legal aspects of white collar crime. Previously, he was Counsel in the Crown Law Office-Criminal, Ministry of the Attorney General for Ontario, in Toronto, Canada. He obtained his LLB from the University of Toronto and his LLM from Cambridge University. “This collection of essays on the saga of Hong Kong’s efforts to address the mandate of Article 23 in the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and related matters is likely to be an extremely useful resource for a number of audiences. These include those directly engaged with the issue of legislation and policymaking in Hong Kong in both public institutions and in the community; those who have an interest in the development of Hong Kong’s political and legal system and its relationship to the system of Mainland China; and those with an interest in national security and anti-terrorism legislation more generally, from a comparative perspective. The overall quality and range of the contributions is strong. The topic itself is a current and important one, and the collection is an important contribution to the field.” — Andrew Byrnes, Professor of Law, Australian National University “The debate on legislation to ensure the sovereignty and security of the PRC against threats from Hong Kong was a turning point in the Special Administrative Region’s political history. It showed that while some Hong Kong residents may have reservations about democracy, human rights are cherished by almost all. It also showed that people can influence policy even without formal institutions of democracy. The authors of this book played a leading role in the debate, clarifying the legal issues, which was critical to an informed debate.” — Yash Ghai, Sir Y.K. Pao Professor of Public Law, University of Hong Kong

This book explores legal and constitutional issues in Hong Kong's relationship with mainland China through an analysis of the litigation on the right of abode of the children of Hong Kong residents who are born and live in the mainland. The litigation in the Hong Kong courts and the subsequent interpretation by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress were followed with keen interest both locally and internationally, and had provoked great controversy. The differing approaches to and styles of interpretation of the Court and the Standing Committee provide a vivid demonstration of the clash of legal systems within which Hong Kong's constitutional system has to operate. These issues are discussed in this book by Hong Kong's leading legal scholars and practitioners. This book offers perspectives to solve these controversies and to develop an acceptable approach to the interpretation of the Basic Law. It captures the sustained public debate on constitutional issues and provides a historical record of this constitutional debate. It also contains the full texts of the decision of the Court and the Interpretation by the Standing Committee.