(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-29 20:25

BEIJING -- The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, on Saturday released an explanation of the decision on Hong Kong's constitutional development.

The explanation was delivered by Qiao Xiaoyang, deputy secretary-general of the Tenth NPC Standing Committee to the committee's 31st session on December 26.

According to Qiao, Tsang Yam-kuan, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), submitted the "Report on the Public Consultation on Constitutional Development and on whether there is a need to amend the methods for selecting the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and for forming the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2012" to the NPC Standing Committee on December 12.

The NPC Standing Committee sent the report to the State Council for opinions and comments, and examined the report through panel discussions at the session.

Qiao said all the members of the NPC Standing Committee agree that more than one decade since the return of Hong Kong to the motherland, the constitutional development of the HKSAR has been promoted in accordance with the HKSAR Basic Law, and Hong Kong compatriots have obtained unprecedented rights of democracy.

The NPC Standing Committee holds that the issue of further carrying out the constitutional development of Hong Kong is a major issue which needs to be handled with care because it will affect the implementation of the principle of "one country, two systems" and the HKSAR Basic Law, and the relationship between the central government and the HKSAR.

It is also closely related to the interests of all social strata in Hong Kong and the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, Qiao said. He said that the NPC Standing Committee believes that the report comprehensively reflected opinions and appeals on the constitutional development from Hong Kong society.

The report is positive, responsible and pragmatic. Qiao said most of the opinions from the panel discussions hold that the issue of constitutional development has become a major issue which concerns the Hong Kong society and has also raised some disputes.

To re-orientate the focus of Hong Kong society back to the economic growth, and the improvement of people's living conditions, it is both necessary and feasible and with adequate legal basis to make such a decision on HKSAR's constitutional development, he said.

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