Taiwan regrets China's decision on Sunday to control Hong Kong's 2017 election by limiting candidates to the ones they approve.

China's 12^th Standing Committee will nominate two or three candidates to run for Hong Kong's chief executive in the 2017 election, reports said.

Like Us on Facebook

The method of screening candidates was not disclosed. But according to reports, National People's Congress (NPC) prefers a candidate "who loves the country and loves Hong Kong." 

In a statement, The Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan's China policy planner, expressed disappointment in China for not granting universal suffrage to Hong Kong citizens. The council regretted the decision, citing the difference between China's communist government and Hong Kong's self-rule, albeit insignificant.

"Democracy and popular voting are universal values," Taiwan's council said, adding that they understand why Hong Kong citizens expect real universal suffrage to be granted.

According to experts, Hong Kong may have autonomy but  it has no real political sovereignty, being one of China's special administrative regions (SAR).

The council then urged cooperation among the citizens of Hong Kong, seeing that the decision was final. They also hoped that the election in 2017 will be peaceful despite the recent development.

They also asked China's communist government to continue seeking wisdom and patience when making such decisions.

China only turned a deaf ear to protests on Sunday when hundreds of pro-democracy citizens went on a rally. They advocated for the "Occupy Central" campaign and a universal suffrage according to international standards.

China's NPC maintained that Hong Kong is under China rule and it has "no residual powers."

NPC's rubber-stamp parliament deputy head, Li Fei, said that the election decision was strictly upholding the "Basic Law."

The Basic Law is a document that acts like a constitution governing China's SAR. Hong Kong had been under the Basic Law since it returned to China's rule in 1997.

TagsTaiwan, Hong Kong, SAR, 2017 election, Mainland Affairs Council, Li Fei