Tung: Electoral reform doesn't target political camps, parties

HONG KONG - Tung Chee-hwa on Friday said the purpose of the National People's Congress' decision to improve Hong Kong's electoral system is to ensure that the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong" is carried out in the SAR and it doesn't target any political camp nor is it intended to exclude any particular political party from participating in Hong Kong's governance.

Tung, a vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation's top advisory body, and who was Hong Kong's first chief executive after the SAR's return to Chinese sovereignty, made his remarks during an event organized by local think tank Our Hong Kong Foundation, during which he stressed the significance of the NPC's decision for Hong Kong's long-term prosperity.

The decision ensures that those involved in Hong Kong's governance must be patriots, and prevents anti-China disruptors in the city from entering the governance system of the special administrative region, he said.

The decision was passed by an overwhelming majority at the fourth session of the 13th NPC, which opened in Beijing on March 5 and concluded on Thursday.