By Mick Krever, CNN

The standoff between Beijing and Hong Kong over that territory’s right to choose its own leaders reflects “a lack of confidence on the part of Beijing leaders,” Anson Chan, who led Hong Kong during its transition from British to Chinese rule, told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday.

“Quite frankly, [China’s leaders] have a number of very formidable challenges on their plate, and the last thing they want to risk is any suggestion of instability and the loss of control over Hong Kong.”

“But there are also moderate voices in Beijing who realize the role that Hong Kong plays not only in sustainable economic growth in the mainland, but also helping our country modernize and come into the twenty-first century.”

It does not help, however, that China’s international trade partners have by and large signalled that they are willing to do business with Beijing “almost on any terms” – Chinese domestic issues be damned.

Pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong are digging in a day ahead of Chinese national day, but there is little sign that Beijing will change its position on who nominates candidates for chief executive of Hong Kong.

“China will not compromise, even if some people threaten them illegally,” C.Y. Leung, the current Hong Kong chief executive, said.

“I don’t suppose, realistically, it will budge anytime soon,” Chan, the former chief secretary of Hong Kong, said. “But both the chief executive and Beijing have got to show some signs that they are listening to the pleas from the people of Hong Kong.”

“The students are not going to remove themselves from the streets unless and until there is some indication of sincerity and a willingness to talk about universal suffrage for the election in 2017.”

“At the end of the day, what most people in Hong Kong are concerned about is whether we can preserve our core values and our lifestyle, both of which are guaranteed not only in the joint declaration, but in our mini-constitution, the Basic Law.”

The Basic Law was agreed to by China and the UK, when London handed control of Hong Kong over to Beijing in 1997.

“The Basic Law in black and white says universal suffrage means the right not only to vote, but the right of every permanent Hong Kong resident to vote, it says the nominating committee for the election of the chief executive have to be broadly representative, and the nomination process has to be democratic.”

China long followed that agreement, Chan said, but has over the past several years been chipping away at it.

Amanpour asked whether Chan ever anticipated China reneging on the commitments she said it made.

“I certainly did not. Otherwise I would not have put my whole heart and soul into helping to sell the joint declaration and the basic law and the point of the handover.”

香港對峙顯示“缺乏信心”在北京

2014年9月30日
下午3時31分ET
米克Krever，美國有線電視新聞網

在選擇自己的領導人該領土的權利，北京和香港之間​​的對峙反映“缺乏對北京領導人的信心，”陳方安生，誰領導香港公司從英國到中國統治的過渡期間，在接受CNN的克里斯蒂安阿曼普爾週二。

“坦率地說，[中國領導人]有一些非常嚴峻的挑戰在他們的板，他們想冒險的最後一件事是不穩定的任何建議和控制損失超過香港。”

“但也有在北京溫和的聲音誰認識中的作用，香港不僅在經濟持續增長的內地，也幫助我們的國家現代化和進入二十一世紀。”

它不能幫助，但是，中國的國際貿易合作具有大體上暗示，他們願意做企業與北京“幾乎在任何條件” - 中國的國內問題被定罪。

香港親民主示威者被挖掘​​，在未來的中國國慶的日子，但很少有跡象表明北京將改變對誰提名的候選人為香港行政長官的立場。

“中國不會妥協，即使有人威脅他們違法，”梁振英，目前香港行政長官說。

“我不認為，實際上，它會很快讓步，”成龍，香港前政務司司長說。“但無論是行政長官和北京已經得到證明，他們正在聆聽香港市民的懇求一些跡象。”

“學生們是不會自己從街頭刪除，除非有一些跡象表明誠意，並表示願意在2017年談論普選的選舉”

“在一天結束時，大多數香港人所關心的是我們是否能夠保持我們的核心價值觀和生活方式，這兩者不僅在聯合聲明中保證，但在我們的小憲法，基本法法。“

基本法是由中國和英國，在倫敦，1997年移交香港的控制權移交給北京同意。

“基本法白紙黑字說普選是指有權不只是投票，但每個香港永久性居民的投票權，它說，行政長官選舉的提名委員會有廣泛代表性，並提名過程必須是民主的。“

中國長期以來一直遵循該協議，成龍說，但在過去的幾年裡一直在琢磨它。

阿曼普爾問成龍是否曾經期待中國背棄她說這所作出的承諾。

“我當然沒有。否則，我不會把我的整個心臟和靈魂，從而達到銷售的聯合聲明和基本法和交接點。“