Hong Kong's leader-designate Donald Tsang (曾蔭權) reiterated yesterday he has no intention of speeding up the Chinese territory's progress towards full democracy.
A ruling by China last year that set the city on a slow course towards universal suffrage would not be changed by him or by Beijing, he told the news network CNN.
"I'm sure the election of the chief executive in 2007 will be based on a more wider franchise, more liberal arrangements," he told a gathering of foreign correspondents earlier. "We must be able to demonstrate that we are moving steadily and decisively towards universal suffrage. But in a place like Hong Kong where we started [on the road to democracy] rather late ... we still have a lot of work to do to catch up with a lot of advanced democracies. We have to build up our own political institutions, we have to agree on the best arrangements and the best organization of the legislature to manifest our universal suffrage."
Meanwhile, China's state-run media heaped praise on new Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang Friday, and defended the way he was selected by a Beijing-backed committee.
The China Daily said in an editorial that Tsang's positive attitude was what Hong Kong needed to strengthen "the executive-led regime and steer the city back onto the right track of improving the economy and people's livelihoods."
"The sense of competition and undaunted spirit Tsang showed during the process of securing nominations was indeed praiseworthy," it said.
"He did not slacken his efforts in spite of the lack of a real opponent. Instead, he treated the exercise of seeking nominations like a real election campaign.
"Through this exercise, members of the Executive Committee and the public were able to get to know him better and became more willing to trust him. This has apparently laid a firm foundation for his future governance."
Tsang, who had long been groomed to succeed former leader Tung Chee-hwa (
Despite Hong Kong citizens having no direct say in electing their new leader, the China Daily said the process was fair.
"Tsang's performance has made a mockery of those who criticized the by-election as a `small circle' race," it said.
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