The law committee of the
National
People’s Congress (NPC) said Sunday it agrees to submit the
draft interpretations of two clauses of the Hong Kong Basic Law to
the NPC Standing Committee for approval.
Addressing the plenary session of the standing committee, law
committee chairman Yang Jingyu said that the members of NPC the
Standing Committee had agreed after deliberation on the draft
interpretations of Clause 7 of Annex I and Clause 3 of Annex II of
the Hong Kong Basic Law.
The law committee deliberated on the draft interpretations based
on the decision of the standing committee, said the chairman. When
agreement was reached on the draft, the members of the law
committee agreed to submit it for approval.
The meeting, known as the 8th meeting of the 10th National
People’s Congress Standing Committee, started on April 2 and is
scheduled to conclude on April 6.
During panel meetings on Saturday, members of the standing
committee unanimously agreed that as Hong Kong society has
different understandings of the causes, it is essential and very
timely to make such interpretations for the purpose of ensuring
Hong Kong’s constitutional system develops in line with the Basic
Law and maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of the
region.
The national legislature’s interpretation of the provisions
concerning how the chief executive and local lawmakers are chosen
is an implementation of its responsibility as granted by the
Constitution and the Basic Law, lawmakers said.
(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2004)