LegCo election shows Hong Kong on right path of democracy: officials

HONG KONG -- The just-concluded election of seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) shows Hong Kong has taken the right path of democracy, officials said Thursday at a symposium.

Chen Dong, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, said the successful LegCo election under the new electoral system once again confirmed that "shoes" of democracy with Hong Kong characteristics are well-fitting and comfortable.

By referring to the proverb of "only the wearer of the shoes knows if they fit or not," a saying similar to "the proof of the pudding is in the eating," Chen stressed democracy is only good if it can meet local reality and solve problems.

Liu Guangyuan, commissioner of the Chinese foreign ministry in the HKSAR, said at the symposium that there was no democracy in Hong Kong under British colonial rule and it is the Chinese central authorities which have built the democratic system of the HKSAR and opened a new era of democracy in Hong Kong.

Liu said the seventh-term LegCo election is a successful model of high-quality and substantive democracy.

Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR government John Lee said at the meeting that democracy cannot and should not be monopolized by a single country, and there is no one-size-fits-all standard of democracy in the world.

Democracy in Hong Kong must develop in accordance with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the HKSAR, Lee said.

Nearly 100 people including representatives of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison attended the symposium, which was hosted by the liaison office.