HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region convened on Wednesday a seminar on Constitution Day, aiming at increasing public awareness of the Constitution and advancing law-based governance across China.

The seminar, themed "The Constitution and Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively," was jointly held by the HKSAR government and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR.

Addressing the occasion, John Lee, chief executive of the HKSAR, said that in the course of further deepening the reform comprehensively, the status of the Constitution as the fundamental law of the country must be upheld, and the provisions, principles and spirit of the Constitution must be firmly safeguarded and implemented.

At the same time, education on the Constitution must be stepped up, Lee noted, urging the HKSAR to fully capitalize on the institutional advantages under the "one country, two systems" principle.

Zheng Yanxiong, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, emphasized in his speech the importance of maintaining the constitutional order as stipulated in the Constitution and the Basic Law, safeguarding national security and administering the HKSAR according to the rule of law in establishing a strong basis for the reform and innovation of the city.

Senior officials of the HKSAR government, members of the Executive Council, members of the Legislative Council as well as experts and scholars were among the 1,000 attendees at the seminar.