Chairman lauds new moves of congress
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-04-07 00:44

The legal interpretation of the Basic Law should be studied and well implemented to ensure prosperity and stability in Hong Kong, said China's top lawmaker.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) completed interpretations Tuesday on provisions of annexes of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law.

The interpretations can help understand and effective implement the Basic Law, for a healthy development of Hong Kong's constitutional system, said Wu Bangguo, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee.

Wu spoke during the closing session Tuesday of the Eighth Meeting of the 10th NPC Standing Committee.

The legal interpretations have the same power as the Basic Law and must be abided by and implemented, he said.

Wu noted it is necessary and timely for the interpretations to be made to ensure the healthy development of Hong Kong's constitutional system in line with the Basic Law.

Wu said the NPC Standing Committee consulted extensively with the public and strictly abided by legal procedures.

The draft interpretations were proposed after studying opinions by some NPC deputies and consulting legal experts who participated in the drafting of the Hong Kong Basic Law, he said.

Before the draft of the interpretations was handed over to the NPC Standing Committee for discussion and approval, it was given to the Basic Law Committee of the Hong Kong SAR, which is a sub-committee of the NPC Standing Committee, for opinions.

It was only after the full consent of the Basic Law Committee that the document was sent to the Standing Committee for approval.

Opinions were also sought from a special focus group on constitutional development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government as well as NPC deputies and members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from Hong Kong, Wu said.

Wu ended his speech by recalling the development in Hong Kong since its return to the motherland six years ago. The implementation of the principles and the Basic Law is generally good, he said.

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