Carrie Lam said Hong Kong could keep its "one-country, two-regime" model after 2047, when the Sino-British agreement ceased.

"There is sufficient reason to believe that the 'one-country, two-regime' model will not change after 2047," Hong Kong Special Chief of the Carrie Lam said today at the first Legislative Assembly meeting in 2020. .

2047 is the time of the expiration of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which stipulates that Hong Kong is entitled to maintain its own legal and monetary system independent of mainland China under the "one country, two" regime "within 50 years of the return of the Special Zone in 1997.

Ms. Lam said that recognizing and implementing this principle requires maintaining "a one-nation foundation" and respecting the differences between the "two regimes" and at the same time calling for Hong Kong youth, a key component in protests for months, do not violate this principle because of "transient misunderstandings".

"The prospect that they are concerned about now may be caused by themselves," Lam said, referring to the possibility that Hong Kong could not continue to adopt the "one-country, two-regime" model after 2047.

Demonstrations in Hong Kong broke out in June last year to oppose an extradition bill that allows suspects to be brought to jurisdictions where the Special Zone has not signed an extradition treaty, including mainland China. Many Hong Kongers fear the bill could make the region more affected by the mainland Chinese legal system.

The Hong Kong government later withdrew the bill, but protesters continued down the road making other requests such as investigating police use of force, organizing democratic elections and calling Ms. Lam to resign. . However, the Hong Kong government resolutely rejects these requests.

Beijing has also denied accusations of intervening in the Hong Kong situation, saying it committed to the "one-state, two-regime" principle and blamed the West for inciting instability in the special zone.