HONG KONG -- No one doubts that the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in Beijing has the "power of interpretation" for Hong Kong -- it is expressly set out in the Basic Law itself. But there has, nevertheless, been criticism on various grounds.
Some argue that the Standing Committee's power of interpretation should never be exercised. They say it undermines Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and blurs the distinction between the "two systems." But the high degree of autonomy is defined by the Basic Law, and is subject to the Standing Committee's power of interpretation. The exercise of that power is a reflection of the limits of Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, not an erosion of it.
Moreover, the "two systems" are not entirely separate. They exist within one country. The relationship between Hong Kong and the central authorities is set out in the Basic Law, which applies throughout the country. An interpretation by the Standing Committee is the exercise of a constitutional power that was designed to ensure that the Basic Law is correctly implemented throughout the country.