Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam says the Government is liaising with the Federation of Students to reopen talks on constitutional development through a middleman.
Speaking to reporters today, he said hopefully both sides can find common ground for a constructive, frank and direct dialogue.
He said the Government's responsibility is to implement the 2017 Chief Executive election by universal suffrage in accordance with the Basic Law and National People's Congress Standing Committee decisions, and on that basis the Government is open to dialogue with the community.
Mr Tam also said discussion on constitutional development has been going on for decades, and even if universal suffrage for the Chief Executive can be implemented in 2017, there are still important issues to be discussed, including the universal suffrage of the Legislative Council in 2020 and whether the Chief Executive election method can be improved in 2022.
He added that students will have a chance to put forward their aspirations on constitutional development in future.
