Beijing has already launched efforts to help Leung Chun-ying win the chief executive election on Sunday.
According to sources close to Beijing and supporters of Henry Tang Ying-yen, the central government has communicated, through various means, with Election Committee members who nominated Tang, or remain undecided. The word has got out through phone calls by the liaison offices and a meeting in Shenzhen with a state leader.
A Beijing source who is familiar with the central government's thinking said it hoped to see a candidate with strong public support. 'The central government is now expressing our views and concerns through various channels and platforms,' the source said. 'We hope to see a candidate with strong public support elected smoothly [on Sunday].'
His comments came after some of the committee's 390 nominators of Tang with a Fujian or Guangdong background - more than 40 voters - confirmed being approached by the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong to switch their support to Leung, and some met a state leader in Shenzhen for the same purpose.
Those with a Fujian background included Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference deputies Hung Cho-hong, Lo Man-tuen and Sze Chi-ching, while Guangdong-origin voters included CPPCC delegate Peter Wong Kwok-keung and Commercial (First) voter Yu Pang-chun.
A Beijing-friendly politician said leaders of the Federation of Guangdong Associations in Hong Kong and the Federation of Fujian Associations were summoned to meet a state leader in Shenzhen yesterday.