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China to change HK Constitution to better suit its plans

China is considering amending Hong Kong's Constitution to avoid making future rulings that could prompt accusations of interference, and has asked legal experts to look for any loopholes, a newspaper reported yesterday.

Beijing has asked the experts to focus on clauses on Hong Kong's political structure and its relationship with the central Chinese government, the South China Morning Post reported.

The move came after Beijing sparked outrage in Hong Kong with legal interpretations clarifying the document's position on democratic reform and the length of the term to be served by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa's (董建華) replacement.

Tung resigned last month citing ill health, but the constitution is unclear on whether his successor should serve out the remaining two years of his term or receive a fresh five-year term. China is expected to issue a ruling soon.

China last year rejected demands for direct elections for all political offices in Hong Kong despite large protests demanding democratic reform. Hong Kong's constitution promises full democracy as an end goal but gives no timetable.

Critics say Beijing's interventions violate the autonomy promised to this former British colony when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997 and hurts the independence of its Western-style legal system and rule of law.

A press officer at the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the Chinese government said she wasn't aware of any review of Hong Kong's constitution, known as the Basic Law. She declined to give her name.

Hong Kong's Constitutional Affairs Bureau didn't immediately return a reporter's call.
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