WORLD NEWS: "Hong Kong Takes a Step Toward Direct Elections," by Jonathan Cheng, Wall Street Journal< 19 November 2009.

The actual content of the recently proposed constitutional changes is rather meaningless: how many new seats get allocated in the parliament. The key thing is the continued sense of urgency within the HK government to move up the direct elections timetable, which Beijing wants delayed to 2017 for the president and 2020 for the legislature.

This back and forth tugging bears watching.