Note: The add/drop date for this course is Monday, January 5 at 10:00 PM.
Course Location: Please see the "Intensive Course Schedule" under Schedules and Timetables (http://www.law.utoronto.ca/academic-programs/schedules).
Note: Attendance at intensive courses is mandatory for the duration of the course.
The course will begin with an introduction to China’s legal tradition, constitutional system, and the Party’s system. This introduction will be followed by a more in-depth discussion of the position of Hong Kong and Macau in the Chines legal order. This discussion may include the following specific topics: (1) An overview of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. (2) A systematic elucidation of the international significance of "One Country, Two Systems" from an academic perspective. Deng Xiaoping once profoundly noted that the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is "a law with historical and international significance." While there has been considerable academic discussion on its historical significance, international comparisons have not been effectively addressed. (3) The rule of law construction in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
It is crucial to differentiate between the central-SAR relationship and the mainland-Hong Kong-Macau relationship. The development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA needs to consider both maintaining a harmonious central-SAR relationship and the mainland-Hong Kong-Macau dynamic, with the latter posing greater challenges. In the GBA's regulatory system, the central-SAR relationship is mainly reflected in universally applicable constitutional clauses, while the mainland-Hong Kong-Macau relationship appears in cross-regional cooperation agreements and associated documents. In governance, the former showcases central unified leadership and the coordination and supervision by central government departments, whereas the latter is represented through coordination between the local governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau.
