Great experiment, great success

MUCH TO THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE DOOMSAYERS, Hong Kong has survived the gloomy predictions of post-handover failure. To the satisfaction of those who love the city, the achievements of the HKSAR over the past 17 years provide firm evidence of the success of the "one country, two system" experiment.

A high degree of autonomy, the essence of the policy, remains unchanged. The HKSAR enjoys more power to formulate its own policies and to administer its own society for itself, than do many states do under a federal union system.

Citizens have continued to enjoy rights and freedoms since the handover, as demonstrated by the mass rallies held on Tuesday and on numerous other occasions. Tens of thousands of people are allowed to freely express their diverse views. Individual critics and protesters as well as unreceptive media and political groups are free to criticize the government. This wouldn't be imaginable under colonial rule.