British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday that it's evident that China has been living up to the "one country, two systems" concept since Hong Kong was handed back to its motherland six years ago.

Blair made the remarks on his flight to Hong Kong, the final leg of his Asian tour, according to local news report.

Blair has just finished his three-day visit to the Chinese mainland, during which he met with Chinese leaders in Beijing.

In his meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday, Blair said he was delighted to see the strong development momentum of Sino-British bilateral ties in recent years, underlining that the smooth handover of Hong Kong six years ago had opened a new chapter for bilateral relations.

Blair will stay in Hong Kong for three days. It is his second official visit to Hong Kong since he became Britain's youngest prime minister in 1997.

The British Prime Minister will hold talks with Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa and take part in a series of activities during his visit here.

(Xinhua News Agency July 23, 2003)