British report: HK continues to be a success story

HONG KONG, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The British government on Thursday published its latest Six-monthly Report to Parliament, saying that 10 years after returning to the motherland, Hong Kong continues to be a success story.
"At the end of the six month reporting period covered by the report, we conclude that the 'One country, Two systems' principle has generally worked well in practice," said the report, noting that the rights and freedom guaranteed in the Sino-British joint declaration have been respected.
The report covered developments from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2007. To mark the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the Report reviewed the past 10 years.
"The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a vibrant, dynamic, open and liberal society founded on an independent judiciary, a free press and the rule of the law," the report noted.
In the foreword to the report, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said, "Hong Kong's situation now, 10 years on from 1997, is a real testament both to the arrangements which Britain and China negotiated before the handover, and to the people of Hong Kong who have worked to make a reality of'One Country, Two Systems'. "
"It is also a reflection of the strength of Hong Kong's underlying systems - an independent judiciary, an impartial and meritocratic civil service and a free and open society," he said.
"These attributes have allowed Hong Kong's entrepreneurial spirit to flourish and underpinned Hong Kong's position as the region's pre-eminent financial and business center," he added.
This is the 21st in a series of reports submitted by the British government to Parliament on Hong Kong, which started before 1997.
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