UNCLASSIFIED
hospitals and welfare institutions and provide other social services in accordance with the law. Religious organisations will, in accordance with the law, enjoy the right to acquire use dispose of accept contributions. The previous property rights of religious organisations will be protected in accordance with the law." The Hong Kong counterpart (Article 141) states that:" the Government of the Hong Kong SAR shall not restrict the freedom of religious belief, interfere in the internal affairs of religious organisations or restrict religious activities which do not contravene the laws of the region. Religious organisations shall, in accordance with the law, enjoy the rights to acquire, use, dispose of and inherit property and the right to receive financial assistance. Their previous property rights and interests shall be maintained and protected. Religious organisations may, according to their previous practice, continue to run seminaries and other schools, hospitals and welfare institutions and to provide other social services. Religious organisations and believers in the Hong Kong SAR may maintain and develop their relations with religious organisations and believers elsewhere.
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Chapters VII and VIII: External Affairs and Interpretation and Amendment of the Basic Law.
16. These are identical in both versions.
Chapter IX: Supplementary Provisions
17. These are very similar.
The main difference is that the Macao BL contains a extra paragraph to the effect that:" All contracts signed by the original Macao government with effective terms straddling 19 December 1999 will continue to be valid except for those which the the Chinese side of the Sino-Portuguese Liaison Group or of the Sino-Portuguese Land Group openly declares to be inconsistent with this law or with the arrangements for the transition period as stipulated in the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration."
Annex I: Selection of the Chief Executive
18. The procedures are inevitably slightly different.
The
main differences are in the composition of the election committee. In tabulated form they are:
Hong Kong Macao
Industrial, commercial and financial sectors:
200
100
The professions:
200
80
Labour, social service, religious and other: Members of the Legislative Council, representatives of district organisations, deputies to the NPC and members of the CPPCC
200
80
200
40
Total
800
300
There are similar differences of proportion in the membership of the selection committee for the first SAR government:
UNCLASSIFIED