Hong Kong was handed over to China on 1 July 1997, and has been preparing itself for the transition for more than 10 years before that fateful day, in a period more commonly called the 'transition period'. Since the hand-over, Hong Kong has put on a new look and experienced many ups and downs, but has it really changed? In many respects, Hong Kong is still the way it is, in concert with the Basic Law which guarantees '50 years of no changes' from the hand-over. However, this lack of change may be a sign of stagnation and complacency. Let's take the recent debate on political reform. Officials from Beijing and those in favour of the status quo insist that the executive arm of government should predominate the political functioning of Hong Kong and that the Chief Executive, the head of Hong Kong's administration, be better empowered in his/her duties. One of them even claimed that the separation of powers (executive, legislative and judicial) would not be applicab