'One country, two systems' a success
By Max Kong (HK Edition)

The implementation of "one country, two systems" is very successful and Hong Kong remains a stable, prosperous city, said Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, in an interview with Phoenix Satellite TV.

Patten, who visited Hong Kong several times during the last 10 years after the end of the British rule, said the city looked as good as ever.

More importantly, it remains a free city that has retained so much of its rights and characteristics that the Chinese Government promised under the principle of "one country, two systems", he said.

Talking about the principle of "one country, two systems", Patten said many thought that the system would not work. Even the renowned economist, Milton Friedman, was skeptical about it.

"I think the past decade has proved that this principle can work, as China has on the whole adhered to the principle of 'one country, two systems'," he said.

Hong Kong has rule of law, autonomy, freedom of expression, religious freedom and an efficient, corruption-free civil service and police force, he said.

Recalling the days before 1997, he said: "There were people who thought that Britain would take away all the money and leave Hong Kong bankrupt before we leave.

"Similarly, some Western people had the perception that the streets of Hong Kong would be full of tanks. But they were wrong as Hong Kong remains a stable and prosperous city.

"I repeat once again: the implementation of 'one country, two systems' is very successful in Hong Kong," he said.

When asked if he was crying when his ship left Hong Kong, Patten said he drank a glass of whisky and chatted with the Prince of Wales for a while before falling asleep when the lights and flames of Hong Kong went out.

Patten became the governor of Hong Kong after he lost in the Lower House election and a seat in Prime Minister John Major's cabinet in 1992.

(HK Edition 06/30/2007 page6)