China's Xi Jinping hails ‘one country, two systems’ at key meet: What it means

Xi Jinping: Xi Jinping pledged to resolve economic and social problems in the special administrative regions.

“One country, two systems” has proven to be the best institutional mechanism for Hong Kong and Macau, Xi Jinping said during a speech at the opening session of the 20th Chinese Communist party's congress asserting that the regions will enjoy high autonomy and be administered by patriots.

Xi Jinping: China's President Xi Jinping applauds during the opening session of the 20th Chinese Communist Party's Congress. (AFP)

“[We must] implement the principles of ‘one country, two systems’, ‘Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong’, ‘Macau people administering Macau’, and [maintain] a high degree of autonomy, adhere to the rule of law for Hong Kong and Macau, implement the central government’s overall governance power, and implement the principle of ‘patriots governing Hong Kong’, ‘patriots governing Macau’," Xi Jinping said.

He also pledged to resolve economic and social problems in the special administrative regions.

“We should support Hong Kong and Macau in developing their economy, improving people’s livelihoods, solving deep-seated contradictions and problems in economic and social development, promoting the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau, and supporting the better integration of Hong Kong and Macau into the overall development of the country, so that they can play a better role in realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," Xi added.

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"One country, two systems" is China's constitutional principle for describing the governance of the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau which was formulated in the early 1980s during talks over Hong Kong between China and the United Kingdom. According to the principle there would be only one China, but that these regions could retain their own economic and administrative systems while each of the two regions could continue to have its own governmental system, legal, economic and financial affairs, including trade relations with foreign countries, independent from China.