The Government is willing to listen to the views of different sectors of the community on Hong Kong's constitutional development, the Constitutional Affairs Bureau says.

Commenting on the rally in Central earlier this afternoon, the bureau said it is very natural that the public have aspirations about Hong Kong's constitutional development.

The Government has heard the views expressed by the participants, it said.

It will work with different political parties and lawmakers to identify common ground and to build consensus, so that we can create new room for constitutional development in Hong Kong after 2007 according to the Basic Law.

The Government will review post-2007 constitutional development in a careful and positive manner. It will conduct internal research in 2003, consult the public in 2004 or 2005, and deal with local legislation in 2006.