The Basic Law has conferred on Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy and guaranteed it an independent judiciary while upholding the principle that it is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China.
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam made the statement at a youth forum on the Basic Law today.
She said the Basic Law has stipulated that laws in force in Hong Kong before it was returned to the nation in 1997, including the common law, shall be maintained, unless it contravenes the Basic Law.
Mrs Lam said Basic Law Article 2 says the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region enjoys independent judicial power, noting that the Court of Final Appeal is its final appellate court, replacing the Privy Council after 1997.
She also said the Basic Law has made detailed provisions on the judiciary, including those about protecting judges from interference in giving court judgments and setting a stringent standard for their appointments and dismissals.
The provision allowing judges from other common law jurisdictions to sit on the Court of Final Appeal, coupled with the fact that there are expatriate judges serving lower-echelon courts, is another manifestation of the independence of the judiciary of Hong Kong, she added.
