The high degree of autonomy enjoyed by Hong Kong people has never been weakened since Hong Kong's return to the motherland in 1997, Chief Secretary Donald Tsang said yesterday.

He made the remark during a four-day visit to Zhanjiang in Guangdong Province, which started on Wednesday.

Tsang stressed that Hong Kong people have enjoyed a high degree of autonomy under "One Country, Two Systems".

"It has not been impaired in the slightest since 1997," he said.

Tsang's words were in response to some critics of the ruling on the city's electoral changes by China's top legislature. They claimed the interpretation has undermined the "One Country, Two Systems" principle.

Earlier this week, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) ruled out direct elections for the chief executive in 2007 and legislators in 2008.

In response to the "pro-democracy" camp's boycott of consultation on political reform, the chief secretary said he understood the disappointment of democrats who have been seeking universal suffrage in Hong Kong.

"However, the NPCSC's decision, on the one hand, has made the election system more open and democratic. It will avoid drastic change to or impact on the society and the city's political system," Tsang said.

He called upon different sectors and organizations to co-operate and work out the best election system within the framework.

Meanwhile at a seminar in Hong Kong yesterday, Wang Rudeng, assistant director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong, accused some people in Hong Kong of boycotting consultation events and even inciting protests against the NPCSC ruling.

"It's unwise to stir up demonstration simply due to having different opinions. On the contrary, people should enhance communication when they hold various views," said Wang.

He said that universal suffrage was not the only form of democracy, adding that confrontation will not benefit Hong Kong.

Separately in Beijing, Zhu Yucheng, head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Research Institute under the State Council, said at a seminar yesterday that it was an unprecedented move for the NPCSC to conduct meetings on Hong Kong's affairs twice a month. The aim was to maintain Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperity.

Also at the seminar in Beijing, mainland legal expert Xu Chongde said that Hong Kong's executive-led system, which was designed in the Basic Law, has not matured as well as hoped, despite the city returning to China nearly seven years ago.

(HK Edition 04/30/2004 page2)