Hong Kong-Beijing relations endangered

HONG KONG, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The rejection of an electoral reform package by Hong Kong legislators is likely to worsen relations with Beijing, Hong Kong's chief executive has warned.

Donald Tsang said he would gauge the Chinese leaders' reaction to the defeat of his government's proposed reforms during a duty visit to Beijing next week, the South China Morning Post reported Friday. He predicted that the reaction would be "out of the ordinary."

"You cannot bully people and not expect them to get angry," the newspaper quoted Tsang as saying.

Following the defeat, China's official Xinhua news agency released a statement saying the central government would continue to give Tsang its full support.

Tsang's reform package would have slightly broadened the base of electors for the next chief executive in 2007 and the Legislative Council in 2008.

The package was voted down late Wednesday night after failing to win the required two-thirds of the council's 60 votes. Pro-democracy legislators had said the reforms did not go far enough, and demanded a timetable for universal suffrage.

Tsang said his government would not offer a revised reform package. He said he would focus on economic issues rather than constitutional development for the remainder of his term.