Beijing Basic Law head: CE against Central government "imaginative"

Mainland Basic Law Committee chairman Li Fei said on Saturday that it is an"imaginative" question about whether the future chief of the city is really against Beijing, which simply will not happen.

Answering the media before wrapping his three-day visit, the senior lawmaker from the central government simply repeated what he had said in the previous two days.

He stated that under the Basic Law, only the future nominating committee will have the right to elect the Chief Executive (CE) of Hong Kong. This committee must be"broadly representative" nominating committee. Under Basic Law Article 45, the nominating power lies only within the committee as an institution.

Li said the candidates eligible for CE election must be trusted by Beijing, acceptable to local citizens, and with the capability to ruling the city. He believes Hong Kong people will choose a person who meets these criteria as their chief.

Li added that there should be a right number of candidates, to ensure sufficient competition in the election, but the confirmation of this "number" requires further discussion.