Legislative Council president Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai is on the list for the proposed presidium of the National People's Congress, increasing the likelihood of her election as a member of the NPC Standing Committee. Mrs Fan said she believed she stood a better chance of becoming a Standing Committee member because her name was on the list of the NPC presidium released yesterday. The list, released to deputies, is scheduled to be endorsed at a preparatory session of the NPC this morning. Mrs Fan, tipped to succeed incumbent Tsang Hin-chi, said a candidate had to get the backing of more than 2,900 deputies. 'I only recognise a few deputies and the campaign strategy in Hong Kong does not work in this election,' she said. Mr Tsang said: 'Mrs Fan has rich knowledge about Hong Kong and national affairs and many mainlanders also know her very well.' Some NPC deputies had wanted Mrs Fan and Federation of Trade Unions president Cheng Yiu-tong, to be put forward to balance the interests of leftists and pro-Beijingers. Meanwhile, Hong Kong deputies decided to set up three sub-groups - economic, political and legal, and education, science, cultural and social development - to ensure a better division of labour among the deputies. Yuen Mo, a director of Chinese Merchants Group, has been re-elected as head of the Hong Kong delegation, while Ng Chi-fai was re-elected as a deputy head.
