Legislators to amend methods on HK issues
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-04-26 07:48

Top National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee lawmakers have agreed to "appropriately" amend methods for selecting a chief executive for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in 2007 and to form the Legislative Council in 2008.

Based on Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's report on constitutional developments in Hong Kong and opinions of lawmakers, the NPC Standing Committee is ready to make a decision on issues relating to methods for selecting the chief executive in 2007 and forming the Legislative Council in 2008.

The 10th NPC Standing Committee convened its ninth session in Beijing yesterday to deliberate on Tung's report and to discuss whether methods for selecting the chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR in 2007 and for forming the Legislative Council in 2008 need to be amended. They also discussed a draft decision on issues relating to such methods.

Wu Bangguo, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, attended yesterday's two plenary meetings and panel discussions.

Li Fei, deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, reported to lawmakers on the opinions of Hong Kong people in all fields relating to Tung's report.

Yesterday afternoon, Wu summoned a meeting attended by vice-chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee and formulated a draft decision on the issues, which was presented to lawmakers for review in the subsequent second plenary meeting and panel meetings of the ninth session of the NPC Standing Committee.

Lawmakers agreed unanimously in discussions that the methods for selecting the Hong Kong SAR chief executive in 2007 and forming the Legislative Council in 2008 need to be "amended appropriately" in accordance with the chief executive's report, opinions of the State Council and the Hong Kong people.

They all endorsed the contents of the draft decision formulated by the meeting of chairman and vice-chairpersons, saying that such a decision complies with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR and related interpretations the NPC Standing Committee has just made, and reflects the principle for Hong Kong's constitutional development of gradual and orderly progress in light of Hong Kong's actual conditions. It is also conducive to the harmonious co-ordination of social, economic and political developments of Hong Kong, and balances participation of all social strata, fields and parties in the Hong Kong society, while allowing for effective operation of Hong Kong's executive-led system, and in the end, the long-term prosperity and stability of the SAR.

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