Hong Kong: The head of China`s parliament warned on Thursday that importing western-style democracy for a planned direct election in Hong Kong in 2017 could lead to "disastrous" results, a delegate who attended the closed-door meeting said.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with wide-ranging autonomy, an independent judiciary and relatively free press under the formula of "one country, two systems" - along with an undated promise of full democracy, an issue never broached by the British during 150 years of colonial rule.

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China has agreed to let Hong Kong elect its next leader in 2017 in what will be the most far-reaching version of democracy on Chinese soil. Specific arrangements, however, have yet to be decided including, crucially, whether public nominations of candidates including opposition democrats will be allowed.

In a sign of Beijing`s hardening stance, however, Zhang Dejiang, the head of China`s parliament, or National People`s Congress (NPC), told Hong Kong delegates attending the annual NPC meetings in Beijing that western-style democracy couldn`t simply be transported to Hong Kong.

"You cannot just move or copy (the electoral system) from abroad, otherwise you might very easily find it can`t adapt to the local environment and become a democracy trap... and possibly bring a disastrous result," said Ma Fung-kwok, a Hong Kong deputy to the NPC, citing comments made by Zhang in the two-hour meeting.

Ma didn`t give any specifics on what such a disaster might be. China`s state media also didn`t immediately report the comments by Zhang, one of China`s most powerful men on the seven-man Politburo Standing Committee.

Other delegates in the meeting said Zhang had re-emphasised three key criteria for the poll, including that candidates must "love" China and abide by the city`s mini-constitution that states all candidates must be approved by a "broadly representative nominating committee" that would more than likely be dominated by pro-Beijing loyalists.

"This direct electoral system cannot damage the motherland`s sovereignty, safety and future development, nor damage the China-Hong Kong relationship," said Rita Fan, an NPC delegate who also attended the meeting, citing comments by Zhang.
Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong have grown increasingly embittered by this "fake democracy" and have threatened to seal off the city`s business district in a so-called "Occupy Central" campaign of civil disobedience this summer unless Beijing allows open and public nominations.
Fan added that while Zhang didn`t mention the Occupy Central movement directly, the underlying meaning of his comments was clear.