Greater China Legal History Seminar Series – “The Origins of Hong Kong’s Basic Law” by Prof. Albert H Y Chen

This seminar reviews the history of the drafting of the Basic Law of the HKSAR and examines the political context of the drafting. It traces the historical origins of the “One country, two systems” policy in the early 1980s, and tells the story of the drafting of the Hong Kong Basic Law, particularly the work of the Basic Law Drafting Committee and the Basic Law Consultative Committee in the period 1985 to 1990. It also considers the influence or input of the British government on the drafting of the Basic Law, and the extent to which activities of Hong Kong’s political elite during the drafting process shaped the content of the Basic Law. Key episodes to be considered include the pressure on “convergence” between the constitutional reform launched by the colonial government and the Basic Law, the colonial government’s review of the political system in 1987, and the impact of the June 4 events in 1989. It also examines how the key provisions of the Basic Law on the relationship between the central government and the HKSAR and on HKSAR’s political system came into existence.

About the speaker:

Professor Albert Chen is a graduate of the University of Hong Kong and Harvard University (LLM) respectively. He began his academic career in 1984 at the University of Hong Kong.

Professor Chen has published over 200 articles or book chapters. His is also the author of several books, including: An Introduction to the Legal System of the People’s Republic of China (in English), The Rule of Law, Enlightenment and the Spirit of Modern Law (in Chinese), The World of Jurisprudence (in Chinese), and The World of Constitutional Law (in Chinese). He is also the editor or co-editor of the following books: Human Rights in Asia (Routledge, 2006); Administrative Law and Governance in Asia (Routledge, 2009); Legal Reforms in China and Vietnam (Routledge, 2010); Public Law in East Asia (Ashgate, 2013); Constitutionalism in Asia in the Early Twenty-First Century (Cambridge University Press, 2014); Perspectives on the Hong Kong Basic Law (2015, in Chinese); General Principles of Hong Kong Law (3rd ed. 2015, in Chinese); and Constitutional Courts in Asia: A Comparative Perspective (Cambridge University Press, 2018).

The Law Society of Hong Kong has awarded this seminar 1.5 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points.