The Chinese mainland and Hong Kong agreed on Thursday to add protecting human rights to a two-way notification system at a meeting in Shenzhen, according to a Ministry of Public Security (MPS) statement.
The statement said the two sides will write the principle of "acting according to law, embracing differences, identifying mutually beneficial grounds and protecting human rights" to the improved mechanism.
Co-chaired by Hong Kong Security Chief Lai Tung-kwok and MPS Vice Minister Chen Zhimin, the meeting was the second on improving the notification mechanism.
The two sides have held honest discussions on issues, including the protection of people's legitimate rights and a crackdown on cross-border crimes, read the statement.
Both sides also agreed to uphold the "one country, two systems" principle and abide by the Constitution, the Basic Law and the related laws of both sides, according to a press release on the Hong Kong government website.
"The two sides conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, candid and practical discussion on the reciprocal notification mechanism, including arrangements on the time frame, content, scope and channel," said a Hong Kong government spokesperson.
The first meeting was held on July 5, when Hong Kong officials were briefed on the detention of Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee and a suspect, Jie Guanguo, in the murder of a store owner in March, according to another MPS statement. Jie was transferred to Hong Kong police on Thursday, the MPS said.
Both sides have increased communication in handling suspected crimes by residents from the other side since the notification system was implemented in 2000, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The MPS said 6,172 Hong Kong residents placed under "coercive measures" on the mainland had been reported to Hong Kong police in 2015, and 6,934 mainland residents were placed under a similar status in Hong Kong.
