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Reporter: Once you've agreed on the text of the amendments to the Basic Law, then you have to go to Beijing. Do you need to dovetail with any schedule up there, for example, of the NPC and things like that?
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs: You have been around for quite some time, Francis. You should understand that the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress meets regularly once every two months. So far as we are concerned, our target is to make a decision on the next round of public consultation on constitutional development about the fourth quarter this year. We will make full use of the next two years in dealing with public consultation and generating a firm set of proposals for legislative amendments in 2010. As and when we secure consensus within Hong Kong, once we got two-thirds majority in the LegCo, and consent of the CE, thereafter we will put these proposals to Beijing.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Friday, June 27, 2008
Issued at HKT 22:02
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