It is important to understand the two key terms: "nominating committee" and "democratic procedures". The legislative intention and literal meaning of Article 45 is to regard the NC's nomination as organizational nomination. Pertaining to "democratic procedure", the basic meaning of democracy is majority opinion triumphing over minority view. In other words, democracy is the rule of the majority. So the condition that candidates should receive more than half of the NC votes is in accordance with the basic principle of democracy. It is also in accordance with the Basic Law's requirement of "democratic procedure". Moreover, many countries' constitutions require candidates to get "more than half the votes" in different stages of elections to qualify for the final stage.

The NPC Standing Committee's decision on Hong Kong SAR's universal suffrage is the embodiment of national sovereignty, which is not only an important part of the central government's execution of power toward Hong Kong, but also part of its power to take the final decision on Hong Kong's political system. The decision reflects the central authorities' determination to develop democracy in Hong Kong according to the "One Country, Two Systems" policy and the Basic Law. It also addresses the core issues of universal suffrage in the 2017 Hong Kong CE election, laying down the foundation and setting the direction for the universal suffrage project.

Therefore, the decision of the NPC Standing Committee should be seen as the will of the nation. Considering the nature, status and power given by the nation's Constitution and Hong Kong's Basic Law to the NPC Standing Committee, we should understand, support and respect its decision. It is thus clear that, those arguing against the decision have either ignored or misunderstood the legitimacy of the NPC Standing Committee's interpretation of the Basic Law and decisions on constitutional development in Hong Kong.

The author is a professor of law at Peking University.