The Central Authorities have both the power and the responsibility to oversee Hong Kong's constitutional development under the Constitution and the Basic Law, said a spokesman of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government on Friday.

In response to media inquiries on the remarks made by Taiwan authorities in respect of the rally held?Thursday, the spokesman said, "As provided in the Basic Law, universal suffrage is our ultimate aim. Since reunification, the SAR government has been taking forward democratization in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Basic Law."

The SAR government will continue to handle work related to constitutional development in Hong Kong according to this principle, said the spokesman.

"In the light of the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) adopted in April, there is plenty of room for us to contemplate changes to the election methods for selecting the Chief Executive and for forming the Legislative Council, narrowing the gap between the current election methods and our ultimate aim of universal suffrage," he said.

The spokesman pointed out that in the light of the relevant provisions of the Basic Law and the NPC Standing Committee's decision, the Constitutional Development Task Force is gathering views and specific proposals from individuals and organizations in the community. The task force will then consolidate the views received for further public consultation in autumn.

Principle of "one country, two systems" fully implemented

The principle of "one country, two systems" as enshrined in the Basic Law has been fully implemented since 1997, and the principle applies to all systems in Hong Kong, including the economic and political systems, said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Friday.

A government spokesman made the remarks in response to media inquiries concerning a letter from the chairman of the Congressional Committee on International Relations of the United States to the Chief Executive of HKSAR.

Since Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, "the Central Authorities have been firmly committed to upholding the principle of 'one country, two systems'. There is no erosion whatsoever of Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy," said the spokesman.

"Over the last seven years, with the strong support of the Central Authorities, we have successfully turned 'one country, two systems' into an everyday reality. The economic, trade, legal and political systems in Hong Kong are different from those of the mainland. This will remain the case as we move forward," he said.

"Our freedoms?-- of the press, expression, assembly, religion and many others?-- remain strong and are deeply rooted in the rule of law," he added.

"The mass media in Hong Kong remains vibrant and vocal. Freedom of expression is very much alive in Hong Kong," he said.

"Hong Kong people continue to enjoy religious freedom fully. All the main religions are practiced in the territory," the spokesman said.

On constitutional development, the spokesman reiterated that the HKSAR government attaches great importance to the work in this area. The government would actively promote constitutional development in Hong Kong on the basis of "one country, two systems" and the Basic Law.

The Constitutional Development Task Force, chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration is gathering views and specific proposals from individuals and organizations in the community on the areas which might be considered for amendment in respect of the methods for electing the Chief Executive in 2007 and for forming the Legislative Council in 2008.

The task force will then consolidate the views received for further public consultation in the autumn. The spokesman stressed that the people of Hong Kong would continue to have an important role to play in Hong Kong's constitutional development.

"In recent weeks, there are positive signs that different sectors of the community are willing to engage in rational dialogue and to accommodate other points of view. We will endeavor to leverage on this pragmatism to find common ground and build consensus as we take forward our democratization process according to the Basic Law," he said.

The spokesman added, "By constitutional design, the Central Authorities have constitutional roles and responsibilities in overseeing Hong Kong's constitutional development."

"We will take forward constitutional development with the ultimate aim of universal suffrage in accordance with the principle of gradual and orderly progress, the provisions of the Basic Law and the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress' interpretation and decision," the spokesman said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2004)