Hong Kong’s status as a Special Administrative Region of China has engendered considerable interest in its political development. Outside observers and Hong Kong people alike generally consider that greater democratization will mean greater autonomy and less democracy will mean more control by Beijing. This observation is founded on an appreciation of the fundamental role democratization plays in constitutionalism. Understanding the Hong Kong political reform debate is therefore important to understanding the emerging status of both Hong Kong and China. The Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Hong Kong Basic Law appear to require liberal human rights protection, the rule of law, and democratic rule in Hong Kong.1 This chapter considers the politics of constitutional interpretation in Hong Kong and its relationship to developing democracy and sustaining Hong Kong’s highly regarded rule of law.