All 70 legislators in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have been invited to exchange views on the proposed constitutional reform package on May 31 with Wang Guangya, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Li Fei, chairman of the Basic Law Committee of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, and Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Central People's Government's Liaison Office in the HKSAR.

There are only a few weeks to go before the reform package is put to a decisive vote in the Legislative Council. So far, the gap remains wide, as all 27 opposition lawmakers refuse to change their rigid stance and are pledging to veto the proposals.

Nevertheless, the central authority is still trying to persuade them to change mind, and this last-ditch effort shows the central government is sincere about introducing universal suffrage.