HONG KONG, Oct. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- In response to the US Congressional-Executive Commission's report on Hong Kong, issued Tuesday, a Hong Kong government spokesman reiterated that the HKSAR government would take forward constitutional development in accordance with the Basic Law.

    The spokesman said the Basic Law provides that the elections ofthe Chief Executive and all Members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) by universal suffrage is the ultimate aim, and that this shall be achieved in the light of the actual situation in the HKSAR and in accordance with the principle of gradual and orderly progress.

    The election for the third term Legislative Council held in September this year is an important milestone in Hong Kong's constitutional development. For the first time in Hong Kong's history, 50 percent of LegCo Members are returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections, the spokesman said.

    The decision of the Standing Committee of the National People'sCongress (NPC) in April this year was taken after careful consideration of the views of the Hong Kong community, he said.

    "The Constitutional Development Task Force will endeavor to find common ground and build consensus as we take forward the constitutional development process," the spokesman said.

    The spokesman said that by constitutional design, the Central Authorities have the powers and responsibilities to oversee Hong Kong's constitutional development. The decision taken by the NPC Standing Committee on Hong Kong's constitutional development was legal and proper.

    "We hope that foreign governments and legislatures will continue to respect the principle that HKSAR's electoral arrangements should be made in accordance with the Basic Law," he said.

    The spokesman added, "over the last seven years, with the strong support of the Central Authorities, we have successfully turned 'One Country, Two Systems' into an everyday reality and have been running Hong Kong under a high degree of autonomy. Our freedoms -- of the press, expression, assembly, religion and many others - remain strong and are deeply rooted in the rule of law."

    The spokesman pointed out that Hong Kong had always been a safeand peaceful city, with a crime rate lower than that of many developed countries. Enditem