HONG KONG -- John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), has signed the District Councils (Amendment) Ordinance 2023 passed by the Legislative Council (LegCo).

He signed the bill in accordance with Article 48(3) of the Basic Law of the HKSAR on Friday, the HKSAR government said Saturday in a press release.

The ordinance will be published in the Gazette on July 10, and commence with immediate effect on even date for the purpose of constituting the seventh-term District Councils (DCs).

Lee said the ordinance is an important milestone of the work of the HKSAR in improving district governance and bears symbolic significance to Hong Kong's advancement from stability to prosperity, calling it one of the most important legislations of the HKSAR this year.

The HKSAR government said it will take forward various tasks to improve district governance in full force, promulgate guidelines for the operation of the DCs and the performance monitoring mechanism for DC members, and prepare for the election in accordance with the law, so that the new DCs can assume office smoothly on January 1 next year.