(Bloomberg) — China’s top official in charge of Hong Kong said the city’s governing principle of “one country, two systems” will be kept as a “permanent feature,” South China Morning Post reported.

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Xia Baolong, who leads the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said the one country, two systems principle is one of the features that made Hong Kong different from Chinese cities, the Post said on Tuesday, citing an unidentified person who attended a meeting with the Chinese official.

Hong Kong is guaranteed freedom of speech until at least 2047 under a “one country, two systems” framework. This contrasts with mainland China, where foreign social media and search engines are blocked, and news organizations and filmmakers face tight restrictions.

Other features that have made Hong Kong distinctive include the city’s legal system, stock market, number of international banks and proficiency in English, the report added, citing Xia, who arrived in the city on Thursday for a six-day visit.

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