海角大神

After nearly four weeks of mass pro-democracy protests that have captured world attention, the Hong Kong government Tuesday held the first face-to-face talks with student leaders of the 鈥淯mbrella Movement鈥� 鈥� as the demonstrations are known.

A nearly two-hour meeting between Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, Hong Kong鈥檚 second-highest office holder, and five student representatives was streamed live in the evening, with a simultaneous translation into English. The event聽transfixed the city, and was projected on large screens erected at main protest areas on thoroughfares where crowds mostly cheered students and jeered Ms. Lam, whom they characterized as representing a future of 鈥渇ake鈥� democracy.

Student leader Alex Chow, sitting across from Lam, said city officials 鈥渃an now decide whether to be democratic heroes or historical villains.... I believe every Hong Kong citizen is waiting to see."聽聽

Lam sat with four colleagues and said, 鈥淭he students' voices and demands have been clearly heard by the special administrative region government, Hong Kong society, and the central government."

Neither Lam nor Chow ruled out further talks.

The talks are unlikely to have any immediate political effect but are seen by many analysts as notable for two reasons:

鈥� First, that they happened at all, given the intractability聽of China鈥檚 position on protesters' demands for full and unfettered elections in Hong Kong in 2017, and for the resignation of the city鈥檚 Beijing-selected leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

鈥� Second, that the Hong Kong government said it would officially inform Beijing of the views expressed in the city, including those of the students, since the Occupy Central street actions began. Hong Kong officials have come under increased criticism for appearing only to represent China鈥檚 views to Hong Kong's people 鈥� but not representing the citizens of Hong Kong to the government in Beijing.

The British turned over its former colony to China in 1997 to be governed under a formula known as 鈥渙ne country-two systems鈥� that allows Hong Kong a 鈥渉igh degree of autonomy鈥� 鈥� though what that means is under terrific dispute.

Tuesday's talks took place in an atmosphere charged by controversy after Chief Executive Leung (known by his initials 鈥淐Y鈥�) told three overseas news organizations that the interests of wealthy Hong Kong citizens needed special protection, and that people who earn roughly $4 an hour 鈥� the minimum wage earned by half the population of seven million in one of the most expensive cities in the world 鈥� could not have universal suffrage because it would lead to what Mr. Leung called instability and 鈥減opulism.鈥�

鈥淚f it鈥檚 entirely a numbers game 鈥� numeric representation 鈥� then obviously you鈥檇 be talking to half the people in Hong Kong [who] earn less than" minimum wage, he said. 鈥淵ou would end up with that kind of politics and policies.鈥�

Tonight鈥檚 repartee between students and Hong Kong officials often veered into the issue of a wealth gap.

While the protest is a citizen push for a government not dominated by Beijing, it is also powerfully informed by long-time sentiments that the gap between rich and poor has widened to an unsustainable degree聽and is potentially destabilizing. Blame is pointed at a city run by a relative handful of tycoons, financiers, industrialists and, increasingly, mainland-based corporations.

Leung鈥檚 interview statements Tuesday echoed a top mainland legal scholar and Beijing adviser Wang Zhengmin, who told the Foreign Correspondents鈥� Club in August that a Communist Party-led system must represent the interest of all major sectors of society, especially the rich.

"Universal suffrage means redistribution of economic interests,鈥� said Mr. Wang, dean of Tsinghua University law school. 鈥淲e have to take care of every class, every group of people, every person, the rich and the poor. "No one should be left behind 鈥� especially those whose slice of pie will be shared with others upon implementation of universal suffrage, which is the business community."