III. We made decisions on legal issues in accordance with the law and upheld the authority of the Constitution and all other laws.

Acting in line with the Constitution and other related laws, the Standing Committee promptly made decisions on a number of significant issues, thus ensuring that the Constitution and all other laws were properly enforced and smooth progress was achieved in related work.

1. We made a decision on issues related to the selection of the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) by universal suffrage.

Selecting the chief executive by universal suffrage is a significant issue in the development of the political system of the HKSAR. The NPC Standing Committee has a constitutional responsibility to ensure the proper enforcement of the Basic Law of the HKSAR and to advance the development of Hong Kong’s political system in accordance with the law, and thus saw it as necessary to decide a number of key elements and relevant issues relating to the system for selecting the chief executive by universal suffrage. Pursuant to the Basic Law of the HKSAR and the Standing Committee’s earlier interpretation of that law and decision on the selection of the chief executive, the Standing Committee adopted the decision on issues relating to the selection of the chief executive of the HKSAR by universal suffrage and on the method for forming its Legislative Council in 2016. This decision provides the principles and direction for the HKSAR to follow in developing concrete methods for selecting its chief executive by universal suffrage. The decision is thus of great significance to fully implementing the principles of “one country, two systems,” the people of Hong Kong governing Hong Kong, and the region enjoying a high degree of autonomy; to fully enforcing the Basic Law of the HKSAR; and to ensuring that Hong Kong develops democracy in a gradual and systematic way and successfully selects its chief executive by universal suffrage in accordance with the law in 2017.

2. We made decisions on carrying out trials of accelerated procedures for certain criminal cases and establishing intellectual property rights courts.

In line with the CPC Central Committee’s plans for deepening judicial structural reform, the NPC Standing Committee made the decision on authorizing the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate to carry out trials of accelerated procedures for certain criminal cases in some localities and the decision on establishing intellectual property rights courts in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, thus providing a legal basis and support for the efforts to improve criminal litigation procedures and the system of judicial protection for intellectual property rights. We urged relevant departments to conscientiously and properly carry out their part of this work in accordance with the law, sum up their experience in the work, and report their progress to the Standing Committee.

3. We made decisions on authorizing the State Council to make provisional adjustments to the enforcement of certain laws in pilot free trade zones and in 33 pilot counties, county-level cities, and districts.

Acting in line with the Central Committee’s reform decisions, and on the basis of careful deliberation of motions put forward by the State Council, the NPC Standing Committee adopted the decision on authorizing the State Council to make provisional adjustments to items requiring government review as prescribed by certain laws for the three new pilot free trade zones in Guangdong, Tianjin, and Fujian, as well as for the extended areas of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, and the decision on authorizing the State Council to make provisional adjustments to the enforcement of certain laws in 33 pilot counties, county-level cities, and districts including Daxing District of Beijing. These two decisions provide a legal basis and support for advancing relevant reforms, embodying the principle of pushing forward with reform on the basis of rule of law and increasing the level of rule of law through the process of reform.