JOHANNESBURG -- A South African expert said that China has handled the Hong Kong issue well and enabled stability and development over the past 20 years.

"Hong Kong enjoyed massive investment and the development in the small Island was incredible -- China managed Hong Kong well and there was peace and stability," Professor Rukudzo Murapa, Khulisa Management Services Africa director, said in an interview with Xinhua on Monday.

There were no major political upheavals and China has over the past 20 years respected the "one country, two systems" principle and avoided confrontation, said the professor.

In a speech delivered at a meeting in Hong Kong last Saturday celebrating the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, Chinese President Xi Jinping reviewed the success of the "one country, two systems" principle and envisioned a brighter prospect for Hong Kong with proposals for further and fully applying the principle.

Xi said the principle "offers a new way of thinking and a new formula to the international community in addressing similar issues. It is another contribution made by the Chinese nation to promoting global peace and development. And it embodies the Chinese vision which values openness and inclusiveness."