A Hong Kong government spokesman yesterday dismissed as groundless and misleading a speech entitled "Hong Kong, China and the World" delivered by US Congressman Henry J. Hyde.

"Since reunification, Hong Kong has made steady progress on extending democracy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR). Democratic elements in our electoral systems surpass those which existed prior to the handover," said the spokesman.

In a luncheon in Hong Kong on Friday, Hyde, who is on a four-day visit to Hong Kong invited by the US-based Heritage Foundation, said "despite the proliferation of officially-sanctioned obstacles, few can doubt that, if the people of Hong Kong were allowed to determine their own future, the transition to full democracy would happen both quickly and peacefully."

The spokesman said "all the systems which make Hong Kong a free society underpinned by the rule of law have been maintained.

"The boundary separating the HKSAR and the mainland jurisdictions remains in place and the two legal systems continue to operate separately," said the spokesman.

"Recently, 'Reporters Without Borders' rated Hong Kong as the place with the freest press in Asia. This demonstrates that freedoms are very much alive in Hong Kong," said the spokesman.

Responding to Illinois Republican's points about the commitment of the HKSAR government to the constitutional development process, the spokesman emphasized that the HKSAR government is firmly committed to promoting the constitutional development of Hong Kong.

"The government has always taken this commitment seriously, not only by words but also by actions.

"Since reunification, we have been making steady progress in constitutional development in accordance with the Basic Law," said the spokesman.

"Currently, the Constitutional Development Task Force is engaging Hong Kong people in discussions on how we can further open up the electoral methods for selecting the Chief Executive in 2007 and for forming the Legislative Council in 2008, within the framework of the Basic Law and the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in April this year."

"Mr. Hyde's doubt over the implementation of 'one country, two systems' is also totally unfounded," said the spokesman.

"Both the Central Authorities and the HKSAR government are acutely aware that Hong Kong's continued prosperity and stability lies in our being able to maintain our separate and different systems under the 'one country, two systems' formula."

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa said the principle of `one country, two systems' has been successfully implemented Friday at a meeting with a US Congressional delegation.

(China Daily December 4, 2004)