Die Washington Post bringt eine Analyse der Hongkong-Wahl: The Chinese government refrained on Monday from saying much about the results of Sunday's elections in Hong Kong, but the country's Communist leaders had reason to be pleased. Defying expectations, their allies, who support Beijing's hard line against democratic aspirations in this former British colony, maintained a firm grip on the legislature. Pro-democracy candidates, who form the only opposition bloc on Chinese soil, were limited to minor gains. And the threat of a potentially disastrous showdown over political reform in the territory has subsided. But now comes another crossroads for the Chinese leadership. Will it take its success at the polls as a mandate to continue stonewalling popular demands for greater democracy in Hong Kong? Or will it reach out while the opposition is weak and open talks about limited reform with the confidence that its own candidates can prevail in elections? "I think Beijing will feel more relaxed now," said Ivan Choy, a political scientist at Chinese University. "It may make them less hostile to democracy, and perhaps more willing to start a discussion." This is the argument that the territory's largest pro-Beijing party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, has always used: If you want to persuade the Chinese government to expand elections, don't march in the streets or support government critics. Instead, vote for candidates loyal to the government in Beijing and show the Communist leadership that democracy in Hong Kong is not a threat. Now that the alliance has replaced the Democratic Party as the largest party in the Legislative Council, that proposition might be put to the test.