No need for promises of more political reform, says top Beijing official

There is no need for Beijing to promise that the election model for the chief executive could be amended beyond 2017 as this is already guaranteed by the Basic Law, a mainland official on legal affairs has said.

Zhang Rongshun, vice-chairman of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), also said he was optimistic about the prospects of reform given its wide support in Hong Kong.

"There is no law that cannot be amended and thus there is no need [for Beijing] to promise the [election model] can be changed after the package is passed," Zhang said in Beijing yesterday, adding the Basic Law had already provided the legal ground for future amendment.

Last August, the Standing Committee rolled out a stricter-than-expected decision which ruled that only two or three candidates who secured half the votes of the nominating committee could run for the top job.

Pan-democratic lawmakers have vowed to vote down any "undemocratic" reform proposal based on this decision as they fear that Beijing would declare the city's constitutional development "mission accomplished" afterwards.

On Saturday, the president of the Legislative Council, Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, called on Beijing to clarify whether the reform proposal would remain in place for good once it had been passed.