"The way of life, the rights and freedoms guaranteed for and enjoyed by Hong Kong residents, including freedom of the press, will not be affected by implementing the proposals," the spokesman said.

"The fact that the Basic Law empowers the Hong Kong SAR to enact laws on its own to implement Article 23 means that mainland laws on national security will not be extended to Hong Kong. It also epitomizes the successful implementation of the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle," he added.

The spokesman noted the SAR government's proposals to implement Article 23 of the Basic Law are now set out in detail for public consultation and the government will take into account the views of all concerned before introducing a bill into the Legislative Council.

"Members of the public will still have plenty of opportunities to comment on the detailed provisions when a bill is introduced into the Legislative Council early next year," the spokesman said.

(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2002)