The convenor of the Path of Democracy, Ronny Tong, on Wednesday said people are confident about the One Country, Two Systems principle, despite Hong Kong facing a deficit and geopolitical tensions.

Tong made the remarks as his organisation unveiled the latest figures from its One Country, Two Systems Index – based on a local survey conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, as well as data from international think tanks – which covered the last six months of 2024.

The index found that people generally have a positive view on the SAR’s governance model, with a score of 6.14 out of 10, a 0.5 percent drop from the previous round.

“I think despite the rather negative news about the deficit, about a general economic situation, in particular the geopolitical situation, Hong Kong people are still rather confident that One Country, Two Systems would continue beyond 2047, and I think that itself is rather reassuring”, Tong said.

“I think the index speaks volumes about how they look at One Country, Two Systems, that although there is a slight decline, they still think the future is good.”

The index also found that people’s sense of belonging to Hong Kong generally held steady.

Nearly 84 percent of respondents said they have no plans to emigrate, slightly down from last round’s 84.1 percent.