Beijing, Dec. 27 (Reuters): Chinese President Hu Jintao today gave no hint of a timetable for full democracy in Hong Kong and said any change must be gradual, after lawmakers there rejected limited election reforms backed by Beijing.

During talks with Hong Kong’s visiting chief executive, Donald Tsang, Hu emphasised China’s support for Tsang, and said Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” model was intended to let the city’s people rule themselves.

“But just as in any country and any region democratic development is a gradual historical process, Hong Kong’s democratic development must also be pushed forward in a stable, sure-handed and systematic way,” state media quoted Hu as saying.

Despite mass protests and widespread calls for democracy in Hong Kong, China has been unwilling to let the territory decide for itself when it can elect top leaders.

Tsang, trying to go some way to address demands for universal suffrage, championed the reform bill, which included a motion to expand the hand-picked committee that selects the city’s leader, or chief executive. A second motion proposed adding 10 seats to the 60-seat legislature.

Lawmakers rejected both last week because the bill failed to set a timetable for full democracy.

Tsang said after the bill’s defeat that altering Hong Kong’s electoral system would require painstaking work, and suggested lawmakers who favoured expanded voting rights should be ready to compromise with Beijing.

“I will do my very best to be the middleman to ensure there is continuous contact. But this requires the efforts of not one party, but everybody,” Tsang said.

Hu said the bill was “widely accepted by the people” and “pushed forward democracy”.

“The central government is satisfied with the job of chief executive Donald Tsang and the Hong Kong government, and will continue to support him and the government of Hong Kong to exercise the power in accordance with laws,” Hu was quoted as saying.

Tsang said reforming Hong Kong’s electoral system, which requires amending the Basic Law that serves as the administrative region’s constitution, would not happen before 2007, when pro-democracy lawmakers have demanded direct election of the chief executive. “There is no time for a better solution.”

Analysts said Tsang’s visit was part of regular consultations with China, but added the focus was reform for the city, which China promised a high degree of autonomy after British rule ended in 1997.

“I think the main issue would be... how many concessions they’re going to make in order to get the programme going and, most important, to get sufficient support from the legislators,” said Lai Hongyi, a research fellow at Singapore’s East Asia Institute.

Hong Kong residents cannot choose their leader, nor can they elect all of the legislature. The chief executive is selected by a Beijing-anointed electoral college of 800 members.

Tsang wanted to expand this to 1,600 but the measure was seen by some pro-democracy figures as a missed opportunity to achieve real reform and it would have ensured Beijing kept its tight control of the city’s political process.

Tsang was to meet Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday, the last day of his two-day visit.