A senior lawmaker of China's top legislature says the National People's Congress, or NPC's, decision on Hong Kong's constitutional development was made for the sake of the region's fundamental interests.

Cheng Siwei, vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, was delivering a speech at Hong Kong's Heung To middle school, which he graduated from.

The decision ruled out direct elections for the chief executive in 2007 and the legislative council the following year.

However, it says the ultimate goal in Hong Kong is universal suffrage. It argues that democracy in Hong Kong should be developed in a gradual and orderly manner.

Cheng Siwei says the premise of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle is that there's only one country. And it must be recognized that the Constitution is the primary national law, the NPC is the top legislative body, and the central government is the government administering the affairs of the whole nation.

(CRI.com May 9, 2004)