论“一国两制”与中国有关国家行为的规则或政策在香港司法实践中的应用

"One Country,Two Systems" and Judicial Application of Chinese Rules or Policies on Act of State in Hong Kong

"刚果(金)案"涉及的一个关键问题是回归后的香港特区在绝对主权豁免原则和限制性主权豁免原则之间应该适用何者。全国人大常委会对《中华人民共和国香港特别行政区基本法》(以下简称《基本法》)第13条和第19条作出的解释提出了一个未受到广泛关注但却是"一国两制"原则下的重要问题,即香港法院可否直接适用中国有关国家行为的规则或政策来判案。本文在交代了该问题产生的背景之后,首先探讨在中国法中,政策是否可以作为法院判案的依据。文章认为,无法律时参照政策,在中国法中是有其具体的历史原因和法理依据的。文章然后探讨在《基本法》所确立的"一国两制"原则下中国国家政策在香港特区的司法适用。作者认为,《基本法》对中央政府所制定的法律在香港特区的适用做出了非常严格的限制,更没有对中央政府的政策在香港特区的适用留下任何空间。展望未来,确保中国有关国家行为的规则或政策在香港特区适用的最佳办法是,由全国人大或其常委会制定全国性的主权豁免法律,然后将这部法律纳入《基本法》附件三。

One key issue in the Congo Case is whether absolute sovereign immunity or restricted sovereign immunity should be applied in Hong Kong after its change of sovereignty.The Interpretation of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Articles 13 and 19 of the Basic Law has raised one important issue which has not attracted much academic attention,i.e. whether Hong Kong courts can directly apply Chinese rules and/or policies on act of state to decide cases.After setting out the background against which the issue has arisen,this paper first discusses whether in Chinese law its courts may rely on policies in adjudication.The paper opines that relying on policies in adjudication when there is no relevant legislation has its specific historical justification and jurisprudential rationale in Chinese law.The paper then analyzes the possibility of judicial application of Chinese national policy in Hong Kong under the principle of one country two systems.The author argues that the Basic Law contains strict limitation on the application of Chinese national legislation in Hong Kong and there is no room left in the Basic Law for Hong Kong courts to apply Chinese national policies in adjudication.Looking towards the future,in order to ensure the application of Chinese national rules and/or policies on act of state in Hong Kong,the best mechanism is for the National People’s Congress or its Standing Committee to enact a national law on sovereign immunity and include it in Annex Three of the Basic Law.