A PROMINENT delegate to the eighth National People's Congress (NPC) this week will urge China's highest law-making body to start drafting laws on post-1997 election arrangements for Hongkong's Legislative Council and the Court of Final Appeal.
The latest move was prompted by the Hongkong Government's decision to gazette the draft bill based on Governor Mr Chris Patten's political reform proposals.
The Sino-British diplomatic storm over the proposed political reforms was expected to be one of the main issues at the NPC session which opens in Beijing tomorrow.
NPC deputy Mr Tsang Tak-shing, also vice-director of the left-wing newspaper Tai Kung Pao, revealed yesterday his plan to propose the NPC set up a working committee to draft two laws for the future Hongkong Special Administrative Region (SAR) before 1997.
He was supported by Hongkong's New China News Agency (NCNA) assistant director Mr Lee Wai-ting, who said the Chinese Government should begin preparation work for the establishment of the future SAR government.
Mr Lee, also an NPC deputy, expected the Sino-British controversy over Hongkong's political reform to be discussed in meetings of both the Guangdong NPC delegation and Hongkong NPC team.
If Mr Tsang's proposal won the support of the other 29 NPC deputies, they can jointly move a motion to the NPC urging the legislature to take action.