Latest amendments to the Chinese Communist Party's constitution concerning Hong Kong have reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to the "one country, two systems" policy and its vision the principle would be the governing solution for Taiwan, according to analysts.
Observers have pointed to an additional description in the important document guiding China's ruling party, which states that one country, two systems should be implemented "fully, faithfully and resolutely". An extra line warning against Taiwan independence was also inserted into the same paragraph, marking the first such explicit reference made on cross-straits tensions.
"[The Communist Party] shall promote long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macau, resolutely oppose and deter separatists seeking 'Taiwan independence', and achieve the reunification of the motherland by fully, faithfully, and resolutely implementing the policy of one country, two systems," the amended constitution read.
That was an elaboration from the previous edition, which merely stated the ruling party should promote long-term prosperity and stability in the two special administrative regions and "achieve the reunification of the motherland in conformity with the principle of one country, two systems".
The full text of the amended party constitution was unveiled on Wednesday, days after the resolution was passed at the 20th party congress, during which President Xi Jinping secured a historic third term as state leader.
A secretariat head of the congress told state media Xinhua the latest amendments would foster the "steadfast and successful" implementation of one country, two systems and the country's reunification.
Tian Feilong, an associate professor at Beihang University's law school in Beijing, said the additions could be seen as a reinforcement of Xi's confidence in the one country, two systems model - despite the challenges faced by Hong Kong in recent years - as the solution for handling Taiwan.
"The amendments link the long-term implementation of one country, two systems in Hong Kong and Macau to Taiwan's future. The party sees an overhauled Hong Kong as an example and guidance of the Taiwan solution," said Tian, also the executive director of the law school's One Country Two Systems Legal Studies Centre.
He was referring to Beijing's bold response to Hong Kong's months-long anti-government protests in 2019, in which it imposed a national security law on the city that bans acts of subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism. The move was followed by an overhaul of the electoral system to ensure only "patriots" ruled the city.
Visitors stand in front of a giant screen displaying a map of locations around Taiwan where Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted military exercises in August, at an exhibition titled "Forging Ahead in the New Era" during an organised media tour ahead of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in Beijing, China, on Oct 12, 2022. (Photo: Reuters)
But Sung Wen-ti, a political scientist at Australia National University's Taiwan Studies Program, argued Hong Kong and Taiwan should be viewed separately. He noted that Beijing's offer to the self-ruled island was different, namely the "One Country Two Systems - Taiwan Solution".
"The inclusion of the 'full, faithful and resolute implementation' is simply Beijing showing confidence that it thinks the one country two systems model can and will serve Hong Kong and Macau's interests," he said.
Sung, an expert in United States-China-Taiwan trilateral ties, added that the adjectives used in describing Hong Kong's guiding principle were meant to be a manifestation of Xi's emphasis on the "four confidences", referring to one of the president's catchphrases implying faith in choosing development paths, guiding theories, political systems and culture.
In August, Beijing issued a white paper that reaffirmed its pledge to achieve peaceful reunification with Taiwan and to adopt one country, two systems as a guiding principle, crediting its implementation in Hong Kong as a "resounding success".
The Chinese Communist Party's constitution has been amended at every national congress since its establishment in 1921. It now includes the political theories of all the party's paramount leaders, from Mao Zedong to Xi, and a revision in 1982 which prohibits personality cults.
Lev Nachman, an assistant professor of politics at Taiwan's National Chengchi University, suggested that those interpretations were not mutually exclusive.
"I think it is both the People's Republic of China showing that one country, two systems is its perception of Taiwan's future, but at the same time it is also an attempt to frame [the policy] as a successful viable system," he told the Post.
But he added it was important to note that Taiwanese overwhelmingly rejected the one country, two systems model as reflected in numerous studies.
Chan Yung, vice-chairman of the biggest local pro-establishment party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said the addition was an assurance that the principle guiding Hong Kong would be adhered to for a long time.
"After the 2019 social unrest, there are still people emphasising the differences in the 'two systems' without highlighting the importance of 'one country', and stressing Hong Kong's 'high degree of autonomy' without highlighting Beijing's 'comprehensive jurisdiction' over the city," he said.
"So, the addition would make the party's constitution more accurate and detailed when it comes to Hong Kong affairs."
A member of the pro-independence Taiwan Statebuilding Party takes photos of a Winnie-the-Pooh in a bottle in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Oct 1, 2022.