HK gov't to secure endorsement of constitutional reform pack

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said Thursday evening that the Hong Kong government will strive to forge consensus and secure the endorsement of a constitutional reform package to realize electing the Chief Executive by universal suffrage in 2017.

Leung gave the remark when hosting a dinner for two senior officials with China's top legislature who arrived in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(SAR) Thursday for a three-day visit to exchange views with the SAR senior officials and members of the community on issues concerning the Basic Law and the SAR's political structure.

"In order to achieve the target of electing the Chief Executive by universal suffrage in 2017, the HKSAR government will carry out the consultation on constitutional development in strict accordance with the provisions in the Basic Law and relevant interpretations and decisions of the NPCSC," Leung said.

"We will also strive to forge a consensus and secure the endorsement of a constitutional reform package by a two-thirds majority of all Legislative Council Members," he said.

The Chief Executive thanked Li and Zhang for visiting Hong Kong to exchange views with the HKSAR government's senior officials, members of Executive Council and Legislative Council, department heads and other members of the community.

After arrival, Li Fei, chairman of the HKSAR Basic Law Committee (BLC) under the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress(NPC) and Zhang Rongshun, vice-chairman of the BLC, had met the Secretary for Justice, Rimsky Yuen and other officials of the Department of Justice.

Yuen said that during the meeting both sides had good exchanges on the Basic Law and other legal issues, including constitutional reform, and they hoped that there would be opportunities for more exchanges in the future.

Li and Zhang will also meet with the Hong Kong Bar Association and the Law Society of Hong Kong during their visit.

They are visiting the SAR at the invitation of the Chief Secretary for Administration, Carrie Lam, who will host them a luncheon on Friday.