Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor delivers a speech at a forum on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in Hong Kong, March 19, 2021. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
HONG KONG – To secure a brighter future, Hong Kong must focus anew on the “one country, two systems” principle, city Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor told a local forum on Friday.
Carrie Lam stressed that the decision of the National People’s Congress on improving Hong Kong’s electoral system is timely and necessary for the city to get back on track
Lam stressed that the decision of the National People’s Congress on improving Hong Kong’s electoral system, a key step of implementing “patriots governing Hong Kong”, is timely and necessary for the city to get back on track.
She said she is delighted to see that the public responded positively to the decision and offered many constructive suggestions about its implementation.
She said that as long as Hong Kong can take full advantages of its existing edges, as well as opportunities brought by the nation’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and the Greater Bay Area blueprint, the city will surely have a brighter future.
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Also on Friday, political leaders at another symposium said that with the developing directions indicated in the Five-Year Plan, and legal safeguards offered by the electoral system improvements, the city is expected to create greater success.
The newly unveiled national blueprint will further consolidate Hong Kong’s existing economic strengths and offer it broader development room, with further integration into national development, said Brave Chan Yung, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People’s Congress.
He made the remarks at a symposium held by the city’s largest political party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.
In a designated chapter of Hong Kong and Macao development, the Five-Year Plan noted that the central government supports Hong Kong’s full integration into national development and will facilitate it to enhance its status as an international financial, shipping, and trade center.
Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong delegate of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress, said at the same event that the electoral revamp will lead to a stable political environment, which is a prerequisite for developing the economy and improving people’s livelihoods.
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The decision was adopted on March 11. After a series of seminars to collect opinions from Hong Kong society, the NPCSC will amend the Annex I and Annex II of the Basic Law. Tam said he expects the NPCSC to hold a meeting next week to discuss the amendments.
According to the decision, a committee will be set up in Hong Kong to review the qualification of the chief executive, Election Committee members and legislators.
Tam said that the committee may have 10 to 20 people of high prestige, who are familiar with laws and have no intention to run for any of those post.