The ninth meeting of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee will be held from April 25 to 26, during which a report on Hong Kong's constitutional development submitted by Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) will be deliberated.

The decision was made at a meeting of the chairman and vice-chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee here Monday morning, which was presided over by Chairman Wu Bangguo.

The agenda of the ninth meeting of the 10th NPC Standing Committee will be deliberation of the report submitted by Tung Chee Hwa on whether the methods for selecting the chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR in 2007 and for forming the Legislative Council in 2008 need to be amended.

The NPC Standing Committee will make a decision on Tung's report, according to Monday's meeting.

Sheng Huaren, vice-chairman and secretary general of the NPC Standing Committee, made a report on the draft agenda of the ninth meeting of the 10th NPC Standing Committee at Monday's meeting. Qiao Xiaoyang, deputy secretary general of the NPC Standing Committee, briefed the participants on relevant issues.

It was decided at Monday's meeting that the Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive's report would be delivered to the State Council's relevant departments for further study, and special personnel be assigned to hear opinions from NPC deputies from Hong Kong, members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from Hong Kong, HK members of the Committee for the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR under the NPC Standing Committee, people from all fields of Hong Kong society and the Constitutional Task Force under the Hong Kong SAR Government.

Tung Chee Hwa said last week that the methods for selecting the chief executive in 2007 and for forming the Legislative Council (LegCo) in 2008 should be amended so as to enable Hong Kong's constitutional development to move forward.

Tung stressed at a news briefing that the following key factors must be considered in determining the methods for selecting the chief executive in 2007 and for forming LegCo in 2008:

-- Hong Kong must pay heed to the Central Authorities' views in examining the direction and pace of its constitutional development;

-- Proposed amendments must comply with the Basic Law;

-- No proposed amendment can affect the Central Authorities' substantive power of appointment of the chief executive;

-- Proposed amendments must aim at consolidating the executive-led system and must not deviate from its designed principle;

-- Development towards the ultimate aim of universal suffrage must progress in a gradual and orderly manner, not too fast;

-- When considering the actual situation, public opinions, Hong Kong's legal status, the present stage of constitutional development, economic development, social conditions, the public’s understanding of 'one country, two systems' and the Basic Law, public awareness of political participation, political talent and political groups' maturity and the relationship between executive authorities and the legislature must be taken into account;

-- Proposed changes must allow the representation of different sectors in the political structure, and enable them to participate in politics; and

-- Proposed alterations must ensure that consideration continues to be given to different sectors' interests and the changes must not have any adverse effects on the economy, monetary affairs, public finance and other systems as prescribed in the Basic Law.

In accordance with the interpretation by the NPC Standing Committee on Article 7 of Annex I and Article 3 of Annex II to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR, the Hong Kong chief executive should make a report to the NPC Standing Committee on determining if the methods for selecting the chief executive in 2007 and for forming the LegCo in 2008 should be amended.

(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2004)