论特别行政区宪制基础的变迁及其意义

The Change of the Constitutional Foundation Of Special Administrative Regions and Its Significance

中国政府恢复对香港和澳门行使主权,其根本标志是香港和澳门的宪制基础发生了性质上的转变,并由此形成了全新的宪制秩序。在香港和澳门回归前后的一段时间内,比较流行的看法是:《香港基本法》和《澳门基本法》分别构成香港和澳门特别行政区新的宪制基础。为了克服这种认识的片面性,强调《宪法》的重要性,"宪法和基本法共同构成特别行政区的宪制基础"这一命题应运而生,并得到中央的确认,也获得社会各界的广泛认同。《宪法》与《基本法》存在效力上的位阶差异,《基本法》依据《宪法》而制定,在"共同构成"中两者并不是平行地、混合地发挥作用,《宪法》在其中发挥着根本性、决定性的作用。在这一命题之下,明确《宪法》是特别行政区的根本宪制基础,阐发《宪法》根本性、独特性的作用,对于丰富这一命题的内容、增强这一命题的说服力,具有重大的理论价值和实践意义。

The constitutional foundation of Hong Kong and Macao has undergone a transformation in nature, which is the fundamental symbol of the Chinese government’s resumption of the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and Macao. Hong Kong and Macao have thus formed new constitutional order. In the period after the return of Hong Kong and Macao, a popular perception was that the Basic Law of Hong Kong and the Basic Law of Macao constituted the new constitutional foundation of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region, respectively. In order to overcome the one-sidedness of this understanding and emphasize the importance of the Constitution, the proposition that "the Constitution and the Basic Law together constitute the constitutional basis of the Special Administrative Region" came into being and was confirmed by the central government and widely recognized by all walks of life. There is a difference in rank between the Constitution and the Basic Law. The Basic Law is formulated in accordance with the Constitution. In the "common composition", the two do not function in parallel or in a mixture, and the Constitution plays a fundamental and decisive role in it. Under the proposition that "the Constitution and the Basic Law together constitute the constitutional basis of the special administrative region", making clear that the Constitution is the fundamental constitutional foundation of the Special Administrative Region and elucidating the fundamental and unique role of the Constitution have both theoretical value and practical significance for enriching the content of the proposition and enhancing its persuasive power.