Security has been beefed up ahead of a three-day visit to Hong Kong by Wu Bangguo, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, who is due to arrive tomorrow.
Police patrols are expected to be strengthened at and around the hotel where Wu will stay amid threats of protests by members of the Falun Gong, which is banned in the mainland.
Wu, who ranks second in the Communist Party hierarchy, will officiate at the opening of the ITU Telecom World 2006 conference Sunday.
Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen will host an official welcoming banquet for Wu Saturday evening. But the venue will be switched from the Island Shangri-La in Admiralty to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, where the opening ceremony of the telecommunications conference will be held.
According to police sources, dozens of Falun Gong followers plan to stage a protest against Wu's visit.
Wu's delegation is expected to include Liao Hui, a vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office; Qiao Xiaoyang, vice secretary-general of the National People's Congress Standing Committee; Wang Xudong, minister of the information industry; and Yang Jiechi, Foreign Ministry vice minister.
Wu will leave for Beijing Monday while Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai will stay behind to lead the mainland delegation at the ITU expo.
Engagements during Wu's 50-hour visit are brief compared with those of other leaders during past visits. Wu will meet the 36 Hong Kong deputies of the NPC, visit a grassroots family and tour some information technology-related projects.
He will also meet all the 60 legislators, senior officials and others at the official banquet hosted by Tsang. But, there will be no separate meetings between Wu and lawmakers who made a written request last week.
More than 40 legislators, including 25 democrats and others from the Liberal Party and the Alliance, have signed a petition to be submitted to Wu pleading for medical parole for jailed veteran journalist Ching Cheong.
The Frontier convenor Emily Lau Wai-hing said Thursday party members will demonstrate during the official banquet over reports that Liao had intervened in the controversial PCCW stake sale.