Central gov't has authority to maintain constitutional order in Hong Kong: spokesperson

The central government has the authority and responsibility to safeguard constitutional order in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), a spokesperson said Tuesday.

When the full and faithful implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle and the HKSAR Basic Law is seriously affected, or the fundamental interests of the nation and Hong Kong are damaged, the central government will definitely take action, said a spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.

Specifically, the central government will state its stance and attitude in due course and put things right in accordance with the law, among other steps, the spokesperson said, noting that the central government generally keeps its distance from the HKSAR on affairs within the scope of its autonomy.

The central government's overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong, which is a local administrative region under its direct jurisdiction, as mandated by China's Constitution and the HKSAR Basic Law, includes both the power directly exercised by the central government and the high degree of autonomy it authorizes the HKSAR to exercise, the spokesperson explained.

"When there is power authorized, there is oversight over its exercise," the spokesperson said, noting the central government's oversight is important to ensure the authorized power is properly exercised.

The central government's authorization for the HKSAR to exercise a high degree of autonomy does not mean the central government has waived the right to oversee, the spokesperson said.

The central government's indispensable oversight is a key guarantee for the proper exercise of relevant authorization and the full and accurate implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle and the Basic Law in the HKSAR, the spokesperson said.

Kwok Wing-hang and others maliciously tried to paralyze the Legislative Council, directly obstructing the functioning of the political system in the HKSAR and dealing a blow to the constitutional order established by the Constitution and Basic Law, the spokesperson said.

The central government's special office for Hong Kong affairs issued a stern warning, showing exactly how the central government exercises its overall jurisdiction over the HKSAR, the spokesperson said.

"It behooves the central government to set things right," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson made clear that the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR represents the central government in Hong Kong and has the authority and responsibility to oversee major affairs related to the relationship between the central government and the HKSAR, and the faithful implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle and the Basic Law, among other areas.

The spokesperson reiterated that the central government has the good faith and confidence to ensure that the principle of "one country, two systems" remains unchanged and is unwaveringly upheld.