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)