19
July 2005
SIX
MONTHLY REPORT TO PARLIAMENT ON HONG KONG
In
the latest Six-Monthly Report to Parliament on Hong Kong, published
today, the British Foreign Secretary said he looked forward to
working closely with Donald Tsang following his election as Chief
Executive.
In
the foreword to the Report the Rt Hon Jack Straw MP said: “Donald
Tsang, has a distinguished record in serving the people of Hong
Kong over a long period and we are confident that he will continue
to do so in his new post as Chief Executive. I look forward to
working closely with him and his administration. We have no doubt
that the relationship between Hong Kong and the UK will continue
to flourish and develop.”
Mr
Straw also looks forward to the WTO Ministerial in December: “It
is apt that Hong Kong, one of the greatest trading cities in the
world and a staunch supporter of free trade, is hosting the WTO
Ministerial meeting in December. I wish to thank the Hong Kong
Government for all that it is doing to ensure the success of this
very important meeting.”
The
British Government's latest report covers developments from 1
January to 30 June 2005. It covers in detail the events that led
to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC)
Interpretation of the Basic Law which concluded that the new Chief
Executive should serve out the remainder of the existing term.
The Foreign Secretary notes in the foreword that: “There
were diverging views in Hong Kong on the issue. We appreciate
that the power to interpret the Basic Law is vested in Standing
Committee of the NPC. However, this power to interpret the Basic
Law needs to be balanced with demonstrating Hong Kong's judicial
independence and high degree of autonomy.”
The
report concludes that, notwithstanding the controversy surrounding
the length of term of the new Chief Executive and the SAR Government's
request for an Interpretation of the Basic Law, during this period
“One Country, Two Systems” has generally worked well
in practice and the rights and freedoms promised in the Joint
Declaration and the Basic Law continue to be upheld. The conclusion
goes on to say: "We have been encouraged by the new Chief
Executive's intention to introduce a programme of reform and hope
that progress towards the Basic Law's ultimate aim of universal
suffrage can be achieved at an early date. We hope that the HK
SAR Government will take full account of the wishes of the people
of HK".
ENDS
Notes
to Editors
- This
is the seventeenth in a series of Reports to Parliament on Hong
Kong, which started before the Handover. Click here for the
full
report (PDF, 186KB).
- Political
editors should see comments on Hong Kong's constitutional development
in paragraph 7; NPC Interpretation of the Basic Law, paragraph
32; racial discrimination legislation, paragraph 54; and Mr
Ching Cheong, paragraph 61.
- The
report also covers recent high-level visits in both directions
(paragraphs 71 to 74). These included visits to Hong Kong by
Jim Wallace, Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Minister
for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning; Kim Howells, Minister
of State at the Department for Education and Skills; as well
as the Prime Minister's Economic Adviser and the Chairman of
the Bar Council.
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