Miliband urges China to keep Hong Kong democracy pledge

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Foreign Secretary David Miliband urged China on Monday to honour its promise to allow direct elections in Hong Kong by 2017, while reiterating London's disappointment that universal suffrage could not come sooner.

Speaking during a visit to the former colony on the first leg of a six-day visit to China, Miliband said the goal of universal suffrage was an important one and would reinforce the business environment in the financial hub.

"What's important now is that the clear commitments that have been made ... are seen through in a way that commands confidence and credibility on the part of the people of Hong Kong and that's what we're looking for," said Miliband.

The elite arm of China's National People's Congress (NPC) ruled in late December that Hong Kong, which reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997, "may" directly elect its leader in 2017, shunning calls by the city's pro-democracy camp to allow direct elections in 2012. It also said full democracy for forming Hong Kong's legislature would follow in 2020.

While officially hailed as a liberal and democratic milestone, critics bemoaned yet another long delay and expressed fears Beijing might anyway rig the nomination mechanism so as to prevent pro-democracy candidates from easily getting on the ballot.

Miliband, however, would not be drawn on that debate and the prospect of a watered-down version of full democracy in 2017.

"I think we'll all recognise it when we see it, if this is a system post-2017 where the people do decide on their government," he said.

The NPC standing committee ruling was made following more than a decade's agitation by pro-democracy forces for Beijing to honour promises in the city's mini-constitution and allow full democracy to germinate.

"Universal suffrage is the right endgame for democracy in Hong Kong and we're also clear that the sooner this is achieved the better, which is why we said we were disappointed by the 2012 decision," said Miliband in his first visit to the city as Foreign Secretary.

(Reporting by James Pomfret; Editing by Alex Richardson)