Rita Fan: Beijing won't be forced into universal suffrage

The central leadership would not allow itself to be forced into introducing universal suffrage that met international standards, a Hong Kong member of the nation's top legislature has warned.

And the Occupy Central civil disobedience action would only end up being an act of "self-mutilation" on the city, said Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, a member of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

Fan's words came on the heels of a speech by Benny Tai Yiu-ting, one of Occupy Central's core organisers, at the same secondary school in Ma Tau Wai.

Tai was on his first visit to schools to talk about the movement for democracy.

"Today, Beijing is full of confidence and is determined to walk its own way [politically]," she told about 400 pupils yesterday.

"I cannot see Beijing accepting the western style of democracy, or universal core values, and deeming it suitable to be applied to any place in China."

She also said a recent proposal for the 2017 chief executive election - which suggests an aspiring candidate who clinches the support of 100,000 voters can contest under universal suffrage - could hardly be in line with the Basic Law and the NPC stance.