Official lists HK universal suffrage requirements

Senior legislature official Li Fei has stressed patriotism, adherence to law and local prosperity as musts in practicing universal suffrage in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) by 2017.

Li, deputy secretary-general of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, made the remarks at a symposium on Hong Kong's universal suffrage on Thursday.

Some 220 political advisors and lawmakers from the mainland and Hong Kong attended the meeting. Many expressed their hope that the NPC Standing Committee can map out the necessary rules to put HKSAR universal suffrage on the right track so that the region can focus on the economy and people's livelihoods.

Participants from Hong Kong said that implementing the universal suffrage of the chief executive in line with laws in 2017 was an established goal of the NPC Standing Committee and the common expectations of the Hong Kong society. This work must be carried out within the framework of the HKSAR Basic Law as well as the decisions made by the top legislature.

They said that chief executive elected through universal suffrage must be able to secure the good relations between Hong Kong and the central government, safeguard state sovereignty, security and ensure the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. Institutional arrangements must be made to ensure future chief executive love both Hong Kong and the country.

Quite a number of participants from Hong Kong voiced their worries that if differences over some significant issues were not reconciled, they might prevent the establishment of an early agreement or even blow the plan of practicing universal suffrage in 2017 and correspondingly elicit more political disputes.

They suggest the NPC Standing Committee making provisions for core issues to lay a solid foundation for more rational discussions and consensus building.

Some of them maintained that the nominating committee for the chief executive election should be built upon the existing election committee and that the four different sectors must be equally represented. Moreover, the democratic procedures and the number of the nominees must be stipulated.

There were other opinions and suggestions made at the symposium.

Promising to pass these opinions to the top legislature, Li, also director of the Standing Committee's HKSAR Basic Law Committee, called the universal suffrage "a historic progress in Hong Kong's democracy" and "a significant reform in HKSAR's political system", which concerns not only the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong but also state sovereignty, security and the interests of national development.

Li said that it was unprecedented that Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, came to Shenzhen in person to listen to the opinions of Hong Kong people of various circles from July 18 to July 21.

It was equally unprecedented for the General Office of the NPC Standing Committee to have held three symposiums to solicit the views of the Hong Kong people from various circles.

Such arrangements manifest the resolution and sincerity of the central government to advance universal suffrage of chief executive and its serious concern over the opinions of the Hong Kong people, Li said.

The top legislature plans to deliberate next week on a report from HKSAR Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying on whether to revise election methods for the region's chief executive in 2017 and its Legislative Council in 2016.

The current chief executive was elected by an election committee in 2012. Hong Kong plans to introduce universal suffrage in the election in 2017.

Stressing unity and cooperation, Li said universal suffrage must be implemented with a focus on the responsibility to ensure Hong Kong's stability and prosperity as well as the obligations to abide by and safeguard the Basic Law.

"The central government holds the unwavering standpoint to fulfil universal suffrage in the region by 2017, and the SAR government has determination and confidence in successfully realizing this. With the responsibility and obligations shouldered by Hong Kong citizens, I believe all obstacles can be overcome," Li said.