From The Washington Times:
July 1 marked the 10th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong. In the troubled pre-handover negotiations between the United Kingdom and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Beijing was able to assuage London’s concerns over preservation of Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedom by putting forward a “one country, two systems” model for unification with China. It was an “emperor’s new clothes” stratagem which allowed China to walk off with the real meat while leaving the United Kingdom with face.
What happened in Hong Kong had proven that the sole purpose of “two systems” is to package “one country.” A decade later, this old formula has been repackaged as the “1992 consensus,” characterized as “one China, dual interpretations.” [Full Text]
Chen Shui-bian is president of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
