TNAG-2804-FCO40-4044-National-People-s-Congress-and-Chinese-People-s-Political-Co-1993 — Page 4

Reference.

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of the NPC provided for in the Constitution and in the Organic Law of the NPC, such as the Finance and Economic Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. The Organic Law of the NPC provides for

5 main responsibilities for such committees:

i)

ii)

iii)

iv)

v)

To deliberate on bills and proposals received from the Presidium or the Standing Committee of the NPC.

To submit to the Presidium or the Standing Committee of the NPC bills and proposals which are related to the Special Committee.

To examine and submit reports on items of legislation received from the Standing Committee of the NPC which are considered to be in contravention of the Constitution or the Law.

To examine questions referred by the Presidium or the Standing Committee of the NPC, to hear replies given by the organs questioned and, when necessary, to submit reports to the Presidium or the Standing Committee of the NPC.

To investigate and propose solutions to issues which are related to the Special Committees.

Thus, if a Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Committee were set up, it would give the members, who would not necessarily be all of the delegates and may well includes delegates from other delegations, a more formal way of participating in the work of the NPC. These bodies also continue to exist when the NPC itself is not in session and can thus participate more frequently in its legislative and deliberative processes than the NPC delegates as individuals who can only do so during the annual NPC sessions. This committee would be different from the "Committee for the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR" which is provided for in the Basic Law and in the NPC decisions passed at the time of its approval in 1990. That committee can only be established after 1997 as some of its members have to be nominated by the Chief Executive and other Officers of the SAR.

4. Hong Kong and Macau have done considerably better than Taiwan which will only be represented by 13 deputies.

Rig

RF Wye

Far Eastern Section

Research & Analysis Dept

OAB 2/125 210 6219 11 February 1993

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