IX:
Basic Law
31.
Paragraph 3(12) of the Joint Declaration provides
that the policies of China towards Hong Kong will be
stipulated in a Basic Law and shall remain unchanged for
The Basic Law will be enacted and promulgated
by the Standing Committee of the National People's
50 years.
Congress.
32.
For the purpose of drafting the Basic Law, the
Chinese Government appointed a Basic Law Drafting
Committee (BLDC), comprising mainland as well as Hong
Kong members. A Basic Law Consultative Committee (BLCC),
consisting exclusively of Hong Kong members representing
a broad spectrum of Hong Kong opinion, was established to
solicit the views of Hong Kong people on the draft Basic
Law.
33. After more than two years of deliberation by the
BLDC, the first draft of the Basic Law, called "The Draft
Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
of the People's Republic of China (For Solicitation of
Opinions)" was published in April 1988 subsequent to its
endorsement at the seventh plenum of the BLDC. A
five-month consultation exercise, conducted by the BLCC,
was then held in Hong Kong. Two delegations of mainland
members of the BLDC, led by senior Chinese officials,
visited Hong Kong in June and September to canvass public
opinion on the Draft Basic Law at first hand.