Zhang Dejiang, speaker of China's rubberstamp parliament and third-ranking official in China's system of government, defends Beijing's proposal for election in Hong Kong. "The decision was made very solemnly after listening to opinions from different sectors in Hong Kong," he said. Meanwhile, Occupy Central protests continue.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - The restrictive rules decided by Beijing for the next election of Hong Kong's chief executive have "the support and endorsement among the general residents of Hong Kong". They comply "with the Basic Law" and were "made very solemnly after listening to opinions from different sectors in Hong Kong," said Zhang Dejiang, China's top legislator, who is the first high ranking Chinese official to speak about democratic reform in the former British colony.

The National People's Congress (NPC), China's rubberstamp legislature that meets once a year to ratify the decisions of the Communist Party's politburo, came up with a proposal to change Hong Kong's election rules. Under this proposal, China "grants" Hong Kong the right to choose its chief executive but sets a maximum number of candidates (two or three) to be picked by a 1,200-member Election Committee, which is de facto controlled by mainland China.

This decision left both the Occupy Central pro-democracy movement as well as the people of Hong Kong very dissatisfied. According to a survey commissioned by the South China Morning Post, half of the city's residents want pro-democracy members of Hong Kong's Legislative Council to reject the Chinese proposal.

For its part, the protest movement announced a lavish "banquet" of pro-democracy protests, whose first stage took place on Sunday.

Even the local Catholic Church is opposed to the proposal. Diocesan bishop Card John Tong Hon told Kung Kao Po that he shares people's concerns vis-à-vis Beijing's choice with regards with the 2017 vote. And in a comment sent to AsiaNews, Card Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, Hong Kong's bishop emeritus, wonders whether people "provoked the emperor's ire" with the Occupy protests.

However, for Zhang Dejiang, China's third-ranking official, "The decision was made very solemnly after listening to opinions from different sectors in Hong Kong through different means and channels, having considered Hong Kong's current development, [after] serious discussions and repeated studies".

Indeed, in his view, "The decision completely complies with the Basic Law, completely fits Hong Kong's actual [situation], and fully shows the central government's sincerity about advancing Hong Kong's democratic development in accordance with the Basic Law and in an orderly and gradual manner".

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