ENG-1998 — Page 52

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

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Liaison with the HKMAO is maintained on matters such as arrangement of visits by senior HKSARG officials and issues requiring the co-operation of the CPG such as discussion on the avoidance of double taxation on income. The effectiveness of this communication channel is most noticeable in times of emergency, as happened when Hong Kong's air cargo handling was diverted to Huangtian Airport in Shenzhen in July 1998. A quarterly liaison meeting between the Constitutional Affairs Bureau and the HKMAO has been set up to further enhance communications.

Apart from working exchanges with the Mainland authorities, social gatherings in the form of sports matches and attendance at each other's ceremonial functions. continued to grow after the reunification. These have helped officials foster closer ties with their Mainland counterparts and contributed to better mutual understanding. As the closest Mainland province, Guangdong has probably the most extensive network of communication with the HKSAR. Since 1982, a system of cross-border liaison has provided an effective mechanism for Hong Kong and Guangdong to discuss and resolve practical issues of mutual concern including, for example, the fighting of cross-boundary crime and the regulation of the Shenzhen River. The Hong Kong and Mainland Cross-boundary Major Infrastructure Co-ordinating Committee is a committee handling cross-boundary infrastructure projects between Hong Kong and the Mainland (mainly Guangdong). Reconstituted from a similar committee before the reunification, it is conducting in-depth studies on specific projects such as the Western Corridor and the Tonggu Channel. Furthermore, in order to strengthen comprehensively regional co-operation with Guangdong and to raise the co- operation to a higher level, the HKSARG and the Guangdong Provincial Government, in conjunction with HKMAO, set up the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co- operation Joint Conference in March 1998 to study and co-ordinate major issues such as infrastructure, environmental regulation, business investment, tourism, the speeding up of the flow of passengers and traffic and freight across the boundary. At the second meeting of the Joint Conference held in September 1998, both sides agreed on specific measures to establish an electronic communication network between the two governments, improve the management of land crossings, and strengthen co- operation in promoting tourism and combating cross-boundary environmental problems. The meeting also agreed to examine ways to improve Guangdong's business environment and to identify the scope for technological co-operation between the two places.

In order to further enhance communications between the HKSARG and the CPG as well as other Mainland authorities, the HKSARG established its office in Beijing in accordance with Article 22 of the Basic Law. The office was due to start operations in early 1999.

Advisory Boards and Committees

The network of advisory boards and committees is a distinctive feature of the system of government. It seeks to obtain, through consultation with interested groups and individuals in the community, the best possible advice on which to base decisions.

Advisory bodies give advice to the government through a policy secretary or a head of department. They can be broadly divided into two categories: statutory bodies (such as the Equal Opportunities Commission) and non-statutory bodies (such as the Construction Advisory Committee). Their areas of activities are wide-ranging.