U.S. editorial excerpts -2-

Selected editorial excerpts from the U.S. press:

HONG KONG'S SORT OF ELECTION (The New York Times, New York)

The re-election this week of Donald Tsang as Hong Kong's chief executive was not a surprise, given Beijing's control over the vote. What has turned out to be surprising is how Mr. Tsang was officially challenged for his job by a pro-democracy candidate with no backing from the mainland. And that brave challenger managed to get 123 of 796 electors to vote for him. Such an orderly challenge - plus the lack of social upheaval caused by this quasi-election - should send an important signal to Mr. Tsang and to Beijing. Ten years after the British handed over the islands to the Chinese, it is time to bring universal suffrage to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's constitution calls for the ''ultimate aim'' of one person one vote in elections for the chief executive and the local legislature. The document, the Basic Law, also holds that open voting should be achieved in a ''gradual and orderly'' fashion. To Chinese authorities, ultimate and gradual seem to have become excuses to keep pushing universal suffrage to the horizon.

The election of Mr. Tsang, however, offered some signs of hope. Even though he was a sure thing - since electors are mostly approved by Beijing and the Hong Kong establishment - Mr. Tsang participated in two debates with Alan Leong, his opponent.

Even though most electors supported Beijing and the status quo, they were promised that their ballots were secret as protection from minders on the mainland. Finally, after the vote, Mr. Tsang promised once again to seek a ''solid foundation for moving toward universal suffrage'' for elections of legislators and the chief executive. That leaves the popular and capable Mr. Tsang facing a difficult balancing act - between his better instincts and Beijing's fear that democracy spreads unrest.

Hong Kong, as always, stands as a very public model of whether China can make good on its promise to the world 10 years ago of ''one country, two systems.'' Hong Kong still has the feel of a free society compared with China's mainland. But it will not be a separate system unless residents gain their democratic due - the right for each citizen to vote. (March 30)